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Understanding Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance's Gameplay Changes
During the development of Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance, we sat down and went over every aspect of the game, from resource and unit balance to the capabilities of the ACU. This strategy guide covers the most important changes we made and offers a nice primer on what you can expect when you buy Forged Alliance.
One of the most fundamental changes made in Forged Alliance is that you must constantly expand your area of operations and control as much of the map -- and Mass deposits -- as possible. In Supreme Commander, it was possible to simply churn out T1 Mass fabricators and sit behind a heavily defended base. This is really isn't an option in Forged Alliance because T1 Mass fabricators have been moved to T2, and they will only supplement, not fulfill, your Mass requirements.
To support the new focus on expansion and controlling the map, we've made adjustments to other elements of the game, as well. For example, your Armored Command Unit (ACU) can now immediately build a factory as soon as the game starts; you no longer need to build resource-related structures first.
Once your factory is complete, you can immediately begin to build light assault bots or tanks and send them to harass the enemy or secure additional Mass deposits. Or, if you’d rather carefully craft your base and sit safely behind a huge army, you can start with Engineers and build up defenses and economic structures.
Another change meant to encourage expansion is the way in which Mass extractors work. T1 Mass extractors are now the most efficient source of Mass by a wide margin (when taking into account construction costs), so it's essential that you claim any open Mass deposits. You should only upgrade to T2 Mass extractors (which are less efficient, cost-wise) when you have built as many T1 extractors as possible. (And you should only go to T3 Mass extractors, the least efficient of all extractors, once all of your extractors are T2.)
Regardless of your play style (offensive or defensive), the changes in Forged Alliance encourage you to build as many factories as possible in order to keep up unit production. One commonly used tactic in Supreme Commander was use Engineers to assist a factory; that is now less effective. Instead, build strip of four to five factories, all of which are pumping out as many units as possible. When you decide to tech up, do so gradually, one factory at a time to ensure that you still have a flow of units that will help defend you against enemy attacks. This same transition should be applied when upgrading to Tech 3, as well.
In terms of the units, we've increased both the responsiveness and movement speed for every unit in the game. This change segues nicely into the overall mission of making the game more about map control. Bots are still fast moving (but with less armor) than some other units in the game, meaning that they are perfect for early hit and run attacks and for securing chokepoints and resource areas.
In addition, many of the experimental-level units have been tweaked, too. The UEF Fatboy, Aeon Galactic Colossus and Cybran Spiderbot are now "light" experimental assault units (relative to other experimentals). They're not as strong as they were in Supreme Commander, but their construction costs have been greatly reduced. (The new Seraphim Ythotha experimental also fits into this category.) Other experimental units have also been changed; the Scathis, for example,
now has greatly improved range and accuracy.
Support Armored Command Units are now most useful as frontline builders. With more armor and faster building capability, they can survive massive amounts of punishment while building structures near an enemy base. That said, their combat effectiveness is not enough to kill large groups of enemy units, so be sure to support them with dedicated combat units.
AI Changes in Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance
The AI in Forged Alliance is far superior to the AI that was in Supreme Commander. If you're new to Supreme Commander, playing against the easy AI is the best way to become accustomed to the basic game mechanics. The Easy AI will focus on building defenses rather than attacking, so you’ll be free to expand your area of operations and build up a massive army.
If you’re slightly more experienced but consider yourself a casual player, the Normal AI will provide a ‘balanced’ approach to gameplay. It’ll devote equal attention to creating a massive army, expansion and teching up factories while attacking you from land, air and sea.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Rush AI will aggressively try to dominate the map by seizing resources and attacking you at every opportunity. To defeat the Rush AI, you’ll need to quickly capture and hold any nearby ‘expansion areas’ like starting positions, Mass deposits, civilian colonies or choke points. A force of five to 10 mixed units should be enough to take each area, but keep your eyes open -- the AI will not surrender those areas without a fight.
Although there is a new "cheating" AI for the folks who want the ultimate challenge, none of the AI will cheat unless it's told to. Since the AI is confined to the same set of game rules that you are, priority should be given to destroying enemy intel- and economy-related structures. The AI’s attacks are based on what it perceives as your weakest area, so killing scouts, spy planes and radar will greatly reduce the efficiency of its attacks.
And if you’re able to destroy its Mass extractors and power generators early in the game, you’ll reduce the rate at which it can upgrade factories and create new units.
Strategies for the New Units in Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance
Selen: Seraphim T1 Combat Scout
The Seraphim do not have a traditional land scout, nor do they have a light assault bot. Instead, they have a combat scout called Selen, which fills both roles. The Selen is capable of holding its own in combat and can also be made invisible to all forms of Intelligence (except Omni sensors). Simply set the unit’s fire mode to ‘Hold Fire’ and it will be undetectable as long as it remains stationary. There is no economic-related cost for this special ability, so use it often!
Yolona Oss: Seraphim Experimental Missile Launcher
The Yolona Oss is the end-all Seraphim experimental. If nothing else is able to destroy your opponent, a single experimental missile can flatten even the largest of bases. To defend against these, your opponent will need at least two anti-nuke defenses at minimum -- but if a missile gets through, it’s game over!
Continental: UEF T3 Transport
The Continental utilizes a built in shield generator to provide extra defense against enemy fire. The Tech 1 and 2 transports in Supreme Commander were fairly susceptible to anti-air fire, the T3 transport is capable of landing in all but the most heavily defended areas. Load this transport up with Tech 3 assault bots and drop them behind enemy lines.
Novax Center: UEF Experimental Satellite System
The moment construction is completed on the Novax Center, it launches a satellite into orbit that lets you attack any enemy targets from above. The actual satellite cannot be attacked or destroyed by any traditional weaponry; the only way to knock it out is by destroying the Novax Center. Because the satellite has long reload time, it’s best to use it against unshielded Mass extractors, masses of mobile units or other exposed structures.
The Hive: Cybran Engineering Stations
If you enjoy building a giant base before attacking your opponent, proper use of the engineering stations will be key to your success. Build these around factories so that they automatically assist production, and also along the fronts lines that they can repair damaged units and reclaim any debris scattered across the battlefield.
Jester: Cybran T1 Gunship
The Cybran T1 Gunship is designed for early-game harassment. It's highly mobile and capable of quickly killing Engineers, thus slowing enemy expansion. To get the full benefit of the Jester, build an air factory first and then create a nice-sized force and send them out.
Salvation: Aeon Rapid Fire Artillery
The Salvation is capable of laying waste to large forces of units. Because its artillery shells split before impact, they are most effective vs. shields and light Tech 1 or Tech 2 units. Direct the Salvation to fire on those types of units.
Solace: Aeon T3 Torpedo Bomber
The Solace is the strongest anti-navy unit in the game and uses multiple torpedoes that will overrun even the best anti-torpedo systems. Use these against undefended naval units for maximum effect, or send a squad of them against larger naval units.
One of the most fundamental changes made in Forged Alliance is that you must constantly expand your area of operations and control as much of the map -- and Mass deposits -- as possible. In Supreme Commander, it was possible to simply churn out T1 Mass fabricators and sit behind a heavily defended base. This is really isn't an option in Forged Alliance because T1 Mass fabricators have been moved to T2, and they will only supplement, not fulfill, your Mass requirements.
To support the new focus on expansion and controlling the map, we've made adjustments to other elements of the game, as well. For example, your Armored Command Unit (ACU) can now immediately build a factory as soon as the game starts; you no longer need to build resource-related structures first.
Once your factory is complete, you can immediately begin to build light assault bots or tanks and send them to harass the enemy or secure additional Mass deposits. Or, if you’d rather carefully craft your base and sit safely behind a huge army, you can start with Engineers and build up defenses and economic structures.
Another change meant to encourage expansion is the way in which Mass extractors work. T1 Mass extractors are now the most efficient source of Mass by a wide margin (when taking into account construction costs), so it's essential that you claim any open Mass deposits. You should only upgrade to T2 Mass extractors (which are less efficient, cost-wise) when you have built as many T1 extractors as possible. (And you should only go to T3 Mass extractors, the least efficient of all extractors, once all of your extractors are T2.)
Regardless of your play style (offensive or defensive), the changes in Forged Alliance encourage you to build as many factories as possible in order to keep up unit production. One commonly used tactic in Supreme Commander was use Engineers to assist a factory; that is now less effective. Instead, build strip of four to five factories, all of which are pumping out as many units as possible. When you decide to tech up, do so gradually, one factory at a time to ensure that you still have a flow of units that will help defend you against enemy attacks. This same transition should be applied when upgrading to Tech 3, as well.
In terms of the units, we've increased both the responsiveness and movement speed for every unit in the game. This change segues nicely into the overall mission of making the game more about map control. Bots are still fast moving (but with less armor) than some other units in the game, meaning that they are perfect for early hit and run attacks and for securing chokepoints and resource areas.
In addition, many of the experimental-level units have been tweaked, too. The UEF Fatboy, Aeon Galactic Colossus and Cybran Spiderbot are now "light" experimental assault units (relative to other experimentals). They're not as strong as they were in Supreme Commander, but their construction costs have been greatly reduced. (The new Seraphim Ythotha experimental also fits into this category.) Other experimental units have also been changed; the Scathis, for example,
now has greatly improved range and accuracy.
Support Armored Command Units are now most useful as frontline builders. With more armor and faster building capability, they can survive massive amounts of punishment while building structures near an enemy base. That said, their combat effectiveness is not enough to kill large groups of enemy units, so be sure to support them with dedicated combat units.
AI Changes in Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance
The AI in Forged Alliance is far superior to the AI that was in Supreme Commander. If you're new to Supreme Commander, playing against the easy AI is the best way to become accustomed to the basic game mechanics. The Easy AI will focus on building defenses rather than attacking, so you’ll be free to expand your area of operations and build up a massive army.
If you’re slightly more experienced but consider yourself a casual player, the Normal AI will provide a ‘balanced’ approach to gameplay. It’ll devote equal attention to creating a massive army, expansion and teching up factories while attacking you from land, air and sea.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Rush AI will aggressively try to dominate the map by seizing resources and attacking you at every opportunity. To defeat the Rush AI, you’ll need to quickly capture and hold any nearby ‘expansion areas’ like starting positions, Mass deposits, civilian colonies or choke points. A force of five to 10 mixed units should be enough to take each area, but keep your eyes open -- the AI will not surrender those areas without a fight.
Although there is a new "cheating" AI for the folks who want the ultimate challenge, none of the AI will cheat unless it's told to. Since the AI is confined to the same set of game rules that you are, priority should be given to destroying enemy intel- and economy-related structures. The AI’s attacks are based on what it perceives as your weakest area, so killing scouts, spy planes and radar will greatly reduce the efficiency of its attacks.
And if you’re able to destroy its Mass extractors and power generators early in the game, you’ll reduce the rate at which it can upgrade factories and create new units.
Strategies for the New Units in Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance
Selen: Seraphim T1 Combat Scout
The Seraphim do not have a traditional land scout, nor do they have a light assault bot. Instead, they have a combat scout called Selen, which fills both roles. The Selen is capable of holding its own in combat and can also be made invisible to all forms of Intelligence (except Omni sensors). Simply set the unit’s fire mode to ‘Hold Fire’ and it will be undetectable as long as it remains stationary. There is no economic-related cost for this special ability, so use it often!
Yolona Oss: Seraphim Experimental Missile Launcher
The Yolona Oss is the end-all Seraphim experimental. If nothing else is able to destroy your opponent, a single experimental missile can flatten even the largest of bases. To defend against these, your opponent will need at least two anti-nuke defenses at minimum -- but if a missile gets through, it’s game over!
Continental: UEF T3 Transport
The Continental utilizes a built in shield generator to provide extra defense against enemy fire. The Tech 1 and 2 transports in Supreme Commander were fairly susceptible to anti-air fire, the T3 transport is capable of landing in all but the most heavily defended areas. Load this transport up with Tech 3 assault bots and drop them behind enemy lines.
Novax Center: UEF Experimental Satellite System
The moment construction is completed on the Novax Center, it launches a satellite into orbit that lets you attack any enemy targets from above. The actual satellite cannot be attacked or destroyed by any traditional weaponry; the only way to knock it out is by destroying the Novax Center. Because the satellite has long reload time, it’s best to use it against unshielded Mass extractors, masses of mobile units or other exposed structures.
The Hive: Cybran Engineering Stations
If you enjoy building a giant base before attacking your opponent, proper use of the engineering stations will be key to your success. Build these around factories so that they automatically assist production, and also along the fronts lines that they can repair damaged units and reclaim any debris scattered across the battlefield.
Jester: Cybran T1 Gunship
The Cybran T1 Gunship is designed for early-game harassment. It's highly mobile and capable of quickly killing Engineers, thus slowing enemy expansion. To get the full benefit of the Jester, build an air factory first and then create a nice-sized force and send them out.
Salvation: Aeon Rapid Fire Artillery
The Salvation is capable of laying waste to large forces of units. Because its artillery shells split before impact, they are most effective vs. shields and light Tech 1 or Tech 2 units. Direct the Salvation to fire on those types of units.
Solace: Aeon T3 Torpedo Bomber
The Solace is the strongest anti-navy unit in the game and uses multiple torpedoes that will overrun even the best anti-torpedo systems. Use these against undefended naval units for maximum effect, or send a squad of them against larger naval units.
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