mchorlton
Chieftain
Is it me, or are some units just totally incapable of killing other units no matter how low their strength is?
useless units
- Thread starter mchorlton
- Start date
Sukenis
the J'BOOtian Warlord
Can you give an example?
Frodo Bolson
Warlord
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2001
- Messages
- 120
There are units very cheap and who can be constructed in very few turns, they are useful because with them your new cities can be defended against mind worms from the very begining. The mind worms attack with psi instead of regular force, and even the puny patrol you have at the begining can stand against them with the same chances than the most dangerous unit
mchorlton
Chieftain
when ships attack bases or other units on land, they have practically no effect.
Ogie Oglethorpe
Chieftain
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2002
- Messages
- 27
Ships attacking land units resolve combat as arty bombardment.
On the on hand arty combat doesn't do a lot of damage to a single unit there are pros to its (and naval bomabardment) usage.
An arty attack attacks every single unit in a stack. Doing so means that you potentially injure every unit. You will not destroy the stack but it makes for a good softening up. Do this on Probe team in a base and your probe foil has an excellent means to take out the enemy probe team at 50% strength. Next turn you probe to your hearts content. Imagine this as an example for land use:
Scenario:
2 infantry units
1 arty unit on a monolith at 2 squares from base (i.e. within bombard range)
Phase 1 bombard base and injure base housing 5 units.
Move Infantry next to base.
AI tends to not attack and will attempt to heal injured units.
Round two repeat and assault with infantry. Bombard ensures housed units are not healed. Your Infantry defeats both units but is at 30% health.
Round 3 continue bombradment to keep units injured. Retreat your two infantry to monolith.
Round 4 etc. rinse and repeat.
Same holds for Naval bombardment.
Each unit has some uses it just takes some experimenting to see what they are.
Og
On the on hand arty combat doesn't do a lot of damage to a single unit there are pros to its (and naval bomabardment) usage.
An arty attack attacks every single unit in a stack. Doing so means that you potentially injure every unit. You will not destroy the stack but it makes for a good softening up. Do this on Probe team in a base and your probe foil has an excellent means to take out the enemy probe team at 50% strength. Next turn you probe to your hearts content. Imagine this as an example for land use:
Scenario:
2 infantry units
1 arty unit on a monolith at 2 squares from base (i.e. within bombard range)
Phase 1 bombard base and injure base housing 5 units.
Move Infantry next to base.
AI tends to not attack and will attempt to heal injured units.
Round two repeat and assault with infantry. Bombard ensures housed units are not healed. Your Infantry defeats both units but is at 30% health.
Round 3 continue bombradment to keep units injured. Retreat your two infantry to monolith.
Round 4 etc. rinse and repeat.
Same holds for Naval bombardment.
Each unit has some uses it just takes some experimenting to see what they are.
Og
Since so many factors determine unit strengths, very very few unit combinations exist that have no positive attributes.
But, there is a strange, seemingly useless combination to countertarget another combination. For example, if you need a quick Psi defender around the middle of the game (around the point where the Gaians have an army of demon-boils), build or upgrade to a scout patrol with a fusion/quantum powerplant. Then, attack the Psi unit with it. Since all mindworms always are limited to 10 power, for a defending mind worm, it would be 3 1/3 harder for that Psi unit to conquer your unit (including the 2:3 defense-attack ratio). Mostly, most "Dragon" speeders are useless, mostly for their cost and limited ability.
Bombardment is questionable. Although a team of bombarders teamed with other conventional units seems strong, the cost to put bombardment equipment and time spent on building it could be used to put out infantry. These infantry in ratio, could deal more damage than bombarders.
But, there is a strange, seemingly useless combination to countertarget another combination. For example, if you need a quick Psi defender around the middle of the game (around the point where the Gaians have an army of demon-boils), build or upgrade to a scout patrol with a fusion/quantum powerplant. Then, attack the Psi unit with it. Since all mindworms always are limited to 10 power, for a defending mind worm, it would be 3 1/3 harder for that Psi unit to conquer your unit (including the 2:3 defense-attack ratio). Mostly, most "Dragon" speeders are useless, mostly for their cost and limited ability.
Bombardment is questionable. Although a team of bombarders teamed with other conventional units seems strong, the cost to put bombardment equipment and time spent on building it could be used to put out infantry. These infantry in ratio, could deal more damage than bombarders.
Achinz
Hermit of Huangshan
I find the free Unity Scout Chopper obtained from popping pods rather useless especially far from your home territory. With its limited range it will at best just explore some minimum area before dying on you. I haven't quite tested the <1> attacking strength.
Terje
The Red Semi-Menace
I think the needlejets are useless, coz gravships are much better. So is choppers.
Can be usefull in early games, though.
Can be usefull in early games, though.
Panda
Metal head
Artillery can give you the edge necessary to overcome strong defences (Perimetre Defence, Tachyon Shield) and is fantastic to damage large stacks of units, so I really can't call it useless.
Needlejets are my personal favourites, as they come up just at the right time. Gravships are better of course, but usually the game is for me more or less over at that point.
I don't think the Unity Chopper was designed for anything *but* scouting. But you can always keep it and later upgrade for some seriously devastating effects.
Needlejets are my personal favourites, as they come up just at the right time. Gravships are better of course, but usually the game is for me more or less over at that point.
I don't think the Unity Chopper was designed for anything *but* scouting. But you can always keep it and later upgrade for some seriously devastating effects.
Terje
The Red Semi-Menace
I don't think arty is useless, either, even though I have never built an arty unit, except from sea going vessels.
The Unity Chopper isn't useless. You can use it to take out enemy needlejets at an early stage, attack mind worms, locusts, isles, etc. In fact, it's rather useFULL
The Unity Chopper isn't useless. You can use it to take out enemy needlejets at an early stage, attack mind worms, locusts, isles, etc. In fact, it's rather useFULL
The gravship and locusts of chiron are the units i never use nowadays.
The gravship comes so late you have usually got a huge advantage by then. And its less hassle to airdrop units in through global inserts than fly gravships (vulnerable to interceptors) to the target.
Locusts of chiron dont seem to stand up well to the units prevelant by the time they are usable.
Personal fave unit is airdrop hovertanks. With either blink or fizzle ability, fizzle gets rid of those nasty ecm abilities
Ellie
The gravship comes so late you have usually got a huge advantage by then. And its less hassle to airdrop units in through global inserts than fly gravships (vulnerable to interceptors) to the target.
Locusts of chiron dont seem to stand up well to the units prevelant by the time they are usable.
Personal fave unit is airdrop hovertanks. With either blink or fizzle ability, fizzle gets rid of those nasty ecm abilities
Ellie
Terje
The Red Semi-Menace
If you give the gravs some armour and a singularity engine, they are neither expesive or vunerable. But I agree that they come too late..
Higher Game
National Socialist
Artillery is awesome! I used 2 foils to bombard some Gaian mind worms before taking a city. You would be surprised how tough those worms can get. I had a huge technology edge against the Gaians, but they were holding on. Well, reducing all of their worms in the city to 1/2 hp solved my problem. 
I didn't need the artillery when I used needlejets, but it was very useful in taking that city.
I didn't need the artillery when I used needlejets, but it was very useful in taking that city.
If the chopper is 24 or fewer squares away from one of your cities (or a pact city), it'll survive. Once you get the tech for choppers, the Unity Chopper upgrades (you need to design an anti-air chopper) and you can put a decent weapon on it. I like the Unity Chopper. I've never tried to <1> weapon against anything but mindworms.
#1 Person
The Cow
Anything with a "hand gun" is usles in my book
Or withe no armer
Of those stuppied foils what a scame those were. Altho good for making bases
Or withe no armer
Of those stuppied foils what a scame those were. Altho good for making bases
useless
Social Justice Rogue
those helicopters are use less!
useless
Social Justice Rogue
and so are bombardment units
useless
Social Justice Rogue
and the planes...
