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Author Topic:   Experimental units

Tencoin posted 05-24-99 04:42 PM ET
Hi all. I'm still a fairly newplayer. Yesterday I was experimenting with the design workshop trying to create some new, useful units. One unit I tried building did not do what i wanted it to do. I built a needlejet with a transport pod on it. Hypothetically, I could rush in reinforcements when fighting far from my main cities. But I couldn't get any units onboard the transport. Anyone have any ideas as to why? Also, has anyone else found some creative uses for units?
Tencoin
Urban Ranger posted 05-25-99 01:50 AM ET
Several cool units:
1. Drop colony pods and formers
2. Gravship formers
3. Cheap 1-1-1 drop units that you pop into your new cities. They are then upgraded to 1-x-1 defense units.
TorchMaster posted 05-25-99 01:41 PM ET
You may only load and unload units on an air transport within a city. I know what you are thinking -- this severely limits the usefulness of air transports. And since sea transports are so vulnerable, there isn't an effective way of moving your attack force other than walking them there. In my opinion, defenders in the sea should be given a better chance.
Beta1 posted 05-25-99 06:42 PM ET
Air transports are pretty useless - not only can you only load/unload in cities they have a much shorter range than you would expect.
Hold off a bit and get drop units with orbital insertion if you want to do mass paradrops. You just cant beat flattening a faction with a wave of drop hovertanks/AAA garisson units
Eris posted 05-26-99 08:55 AM ET
Trance Supply Crawlers, with Synthmetal armor on Speeder Chassis.
I had a bunch of supply crawlers out one game that were /wiped/ by mind worms, and decided to try defending them...
So far it's hard to tell how well they're working, since naturally not one has been attacked since then.
Ashlocke posted 05-27-99 01:34 PM ET
You must load air transports in bases, but you can unload them anywhere on land, just use Shift+U.
Ashlocke
Tres posted 05-28-99 12:22 PM ET
Combined Garnison Soldier - infantry, medium weapon, best armor, trance defence, anti-aircraft capability
Quick Agent - rover + probe team eqipment, medium armor, drop pods, advanced radar
Espionage Tank - hover tank + probe team eqipment, medium armor, drop pods, advanced radar
Spy Ship - cruiser/boat + probe team eqipment, medium armor, advanced radar
Supply Boat - boat + supply pod
MichaeltheGreat posted 05-29-99 05:11 PM ET
Sea Transports are NOT helpless, unless you design them that way - armor them, give them good reactors, and special abilities (AAA, deep pressure hull, cloaked) as fits your situation) Cloaked transports delivering cloaked hovertanks to a fairly quiet spot in an enemy's territory, BEFORE the war is started, can be devastating! Rather than go through the cost of drop cheap units, if you have right faction economy and SP's to produce hardened or veteran units, simply create a trained scout 1/1/whatever vehicle type design for infantry, rovers, hovertanks, etc. - they can be built very quickly, and then upgraded for cash to whatever high quality unit designs you want.
PrinceBimz posted 05-30-99 12:58 AM ET
Yep, you can always design an armored type of sea transport. Maybe give it the AAA guns to help fight off aircraft or whatever else you need. But if you have escorts available you could get away with weak basic unarmored transports. Better yet, use armored transports AND escorts then you will have the best of both worlds and more then enough protection.
Krushala posted 05-30-99 01:17 AM ET
I always put AAA on my transports. I don't need a enemy needlejet passing up my escorts and hitting my transport. AAA on naval units is fairly cheap. For some reason ground units are much more expensive than naval units. But ground units are more useful.
Rackam posted 05-30-99 05:55 AM ET
Clean Psi Skybase with deep radar.
(build only with high morale)
In the open, everything is prey.
~Rackam
eNo posted 05-30-99 12:53 PM ET
Hovertank
High Morale
Drop Pods
Drop a couple into into the field and upgrade them.
Ashlocke posted 06-02-99 11:56 AM ET
I'm curious about something. I'm running v3 and I am unable to put AAA on transports. I've seen the AI do it, but regardless of what I attempt, I cannot. Is this a possible bug with my copy?
brad posted 06-02-99 03:47 PM ET
I have been able to get AAA on transports. First make the navel unit a combatant with armor and AAA. Hit apply. Then change the weapon to a transport module. Hit apply. It will change on the Design Workshop screen, but if you scroll through the created units, you will find it.
It is a bug, obviously.
Tencoin posted 06-03-99 01:18 PM ET
Thanks for all the ideas everyone. I'm slowly getting better at the game. I'm still only on the third difficulty level, but I'm working on it. Another quick question for everyone regarding designing new units. I was attempting to make a probe needlejet to go mind control a few cities across the world and continue my wars. But the design workshop won't allow a probe on a needlejet. I can put the probe on all the lower types(infantry, hovertank, etc) but the screen resets when I try to set it to needlejet. Are there limitations to the types of units you can design?
jimmytrick posted 06-03-99 01:33 PM ET
Brad: What is the bug, that the AI can do it, or that we have to do it your way?
Thanks for the info. I will have to discuss this with my various PBEM CMNs to see if this one is legal or not!
Rackam posted 06-03-99 10:51 PM ET
This one has probably been suggested and used but I'll mention it anyway.
A speeder with a singularity power plant, drop pods, cloaking and a laser. Drop next to a unit you don't like and self-distruct. The AI doesn't treat it as breaking truce or treaty.
~Rackam
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Author	Topic: Experimental units
Tencoin	posted 05-24-99 04:42 PM ET Hi all. I'm still a fairly newplayer. Yesterday I was experimenting with the design workshop trying to create some new, useful units. One unit I tried building did not do what i wanted it to do. I built a needlejet with a transport pod on it. Hypothetically, I could rush in reinforcements when fighting far from my main cities. But I couldn't get any units onboard the transport. Anyone have any ideas as to why? Also, has anyone else found some creative uses for units? Tencoin
Urban Ranger	posted 05-25-99 01:50 AM ET Several cool units: 1. Drop colony pods and formers 2. Gravship formers 3. Cheap 1-1-1 drop units that you pop into your new cities. They are then upgraded to 1-x-1 defense units.
TorchMaster	posted 05-25-99 01:41 PM ET You may only load and unload units on an air transport within a city. I know what you are thinking -- this severely limits the usefulness of air transports. And since sea transports are so vulnerable, there isn't an effective way of moving your attack force other than walking them there. In my opinion, defenders in the sea should be given a better chance.
Beta1	posted 05-25-99 06:42 PM ET Air transports are pretty useless - not only can you only load/unload in cities they have a much shorter range than you would expect. Hold off a bit and get drop units with orbital insertion if you want to do mass paradrops. You just cant beat flattening a faction with a wave of drop hovertanks/AAA garisson units
Eris	posted 05-26-99 08:55 AM ET Trance Supply Crawlers, with Synthmetal armor on Speeder Chassis. I had a bunch of supply crawlers out one game that were /wiped/ by mind worms, and decided to try defending them... So far it's hard to tell how well they're working, since naturally not one has been attacked since then.
Ashlocke	posted 05-27-99 01:34 PM ET You must load air transports in bases, but you can unload them anywhere on land, just use Shift+U. Ashlocke
Tres	posted 05-28-99 12:22 PM ET Combined Garnison Soldier - infantry, medium weapon, best armor, trance defence, anti-aircraft capability Quick Agent - rover + probe team eqipment, medium armor, drop pods, advanced radar Espionage Tank - hover tank + probe team eqipment, medium armor, drop pods, advanced radar Spy Ship - cruiser/boat + probe team eqipment, medium armor, advanced radar Supply Boat - boat + supply pod
MichaeltheGreat	posted 05-29-99 05:11 PM ET Sea Transports are NOT helpless, unless you design them that way - armor them, give them good reactors, and special abilities (AAA, deep pressure hull, cloaked) as fits your situation) Cloaked transports delivering cloaked hovertanks to a fairly quiet spot in an enemy's territory, BEFORE the war is started, can be devastating! Rather than go through the cost of drop cheap units, if you have right faction economy and SP's to produce hardened or veteran units, simply create a trained scout 1/1/whatever vehicle type design for infantry, rovers, hovertanks, etc. - they can be built very quickly, and then upgraded for cash to whatever high quality unit designs you want.
PrinceBimz	posted 05-30-99 12:58 AM ET Yep, you can always design an armored type of sea transport. Maybe give it the AAA guns to help fight off aircraft or whatever else you need. But if you have escorts available you could get away with weak basic unarmored transports. Better yet, use armored transports AND escorts then you will have the best of both worlds and more then enough protection.
Krushala	posted 05-30-99 01:17 AM ET I always put AAA on my transports. I don't need a enemy needlejet passing up my escorts and hitting my transport. AAA on naval units is fairly cheap. For some reason ground units are much more expensive than naval units. But ground units are more useful.
Rackam	posted 05-30-99 05:55 AM ET Clean Psi Skybase with deep radar. (build only with high morale) In the open, everything is prey. ~Rackam
eNo	posted 05-30-99 12:53 PM ET Hovertank High Morale Drop Pods Drop a couple into into the field and upgrade them.
Ashlocke	posted 06-02-99 11:56 AM ET I'm curious about something. I'm running v3 and I am unable to put AAA on transports. I've seen the AI do it, but regardless of what I attempt, I cannot. Is this a possible bug with my copy?
brad	posted 06-02-99 03:47 PM ET I have been able to get AAA on transports. First make the navel unit a combatant with armor and AAA. Hit apply. Then change the weapon to a transport module. Hit apply. It will change on the Design Workshop screen, but if you scroll through the created units, you will find it. It is a bug, obviously.
Tencoin	posted 06-03-99 01:18 PM ET Thanks for all the ideas everyone. I'm slowly getting better at the game. I'm still only on the third difficulty level, but I'm working on it. Another quick question for everyone regarding designing new units. I was attempting to make a probe needlejet to go mind control a few cities across the world and continue my wars. But the design workshop won't allow a probe on a needlejet. I can put the probe on all the lower types(infantry, hovertank, etc) but the screen resets when I try to set it to needlejet. Are there limitations to the types of units you can design?
jimmytrick	posted 06-03-99 01:33 PM ET Brad: What is the bug, that the AI can do it, or that we have to do it your way? Thanks for the info. I will have to discuss this with my various PBEM CMNs to see if this one is legal or not!
Rackam	posted 06-03-99 10:51 PM ET This one has probably been suggested and used but I'll mention it anyway. A speeder with a singularity power plant, drop pods, cloaking and a laser. Drop next to a unit you don't like and self-distruct. The AI doesn't treat it as breaking truce or treaty. ~Rackam