Focuses:
Behemoths
Superheavies
Artillery
Commanders
Space
Aesthetically, the Core's technology may seem quaint or even outright primitive by Maximus standards, but this is only on the surface, and they compensate with a brute force approach that is almost elegantly unapologetic. Nowhere is this more true than with their Void forces. Throughout the Great Galactic war, the limitations of Galactic Gate travel meant that void combat was rare, and almost unheard of in its later stages. Nonetheless, the Core prepared at least somewhat for the eventuality, and the rules of this universe are different from the old.
Macro-Capitals
The Core currently lack any ships in this category
Capital Ships
The Core currently lack any ships in this category
Line Ships
The Core currently lack any ships in this category
Screenships
Frigates: Most Core ships fit into this category. Main weaponry mostly consists of the heaviest examples of existing weaponry - Superlasers, Long Range Plasma Cannons (And their "gatling" upgrade variants), and Silencer strategic missiles, with guided missiles, plasma flak, and light lasers in the point defense role. They are typically propelled by massive fusion torches, with antimatter injectors as an afterburner equivalent. Resource Networks allow fuel to be teleported directly onto each ship so that they can run at full burn indefinitely, and being entirely mechanical they have no concerns about excessive g-forces. Additionally, some ships in this category are instead engineering units or mobile factories. Naturally, they all benefit from the Core's love of excessive armor as well.
Corvettes:
The Core possesses no combat designs in this size category, but they do have dedicated autowar engineers of this size, as well as some other support units
Aerospace
Strike Craft: The Core makes no distinction between Strikecraft and Aircraft, making use of fusion torches that are equally effective in atmosphere or vacuum. The Core maintains a full range of aircraft, including scout craft and interceptors, bombers, transport aircraft, a dedicated torpedo bomber, a gunship firing unguided rockets, and a stealth fighter invisible to radar. These craft universally make use of assorted guided and unguided ordinance with antimatter warheads, with no direct-fire gun equivalent to be found. So far as carrier support goes, Core strikecraft have no need to refuel and so carriers are primarily concerned with repairing damaged fighters and building new ones.
Notably, the Hurricane strategic bomber straddles the line between strikecraft and corvette. It possesses a light point defense laser turret, and normally employs unguided antimatter bombs against ground targets. However, the bomb bay itself is little more than a cargo hold and a nanolathe to manufacture ammo in situ, so it is theoretically capable of employing other munitions, guided or unguided.
Summary
Being restricted to small ships and adapted ground forces weaponry (however upscaled), the Core fare poorly in the bombardment phase. Long Range Plasma Cannons, their "Gatling" variants, and Strategic Missiles can reach this far, but are relatively easy to evade or intercept. On the whole the Core are vulnerable in this phase and prefer to boost past it as quickly as possible.
The Core perform better at the Skirmish phase, where plasma cannons can hit more reliably and extensive strikecraft support and guided missiles come into play, and their small size allows them to more easily evade incoming fire.
The Clash, however, is the Core's preferred combat phase - here they can use the superior numbers and coordination of their autowar abilities to overwhelm enemy formations and employ powerful but short-ranged Laser weaponry. Further, any losses sustained in this phase can be easily absorbed by the Core's Autowar abilities, and if a fleet is defeated outright, they can just build another one.
In Pursuit and Disengagement, the Core suffers, as they lack any actual FTL drive for their starships. In any event, the Core isn't usually interested in disengaging, and Core fleets typically fight to the last.
Ground
War Engines
Behemoths (Focus): The Core possesses one mobile unit in this category - but what a unit it is. The mighty Krogoth is swift for its size, and nearly indestructible. Even the Core's Silencer strategic missiles require multiple strikes to destroy a Krogoth. It doesn't skimp on firepower either, carrying a massive laser weapon - known officially as a Superlaser but affectionately as the Blue Laser of Death for its color and ability to destroy nearly any unit in 1 hit - a pair of rapid fire heavy railguns, and guided missiles effective against both ground and air targets
Fixed emplacements include the Intimidator Long Range Plasma Cannon - a massive plasma cannon capable of firing at targets in orbit or on other continents, as well as its bigger brother, the Buzzsaw "gatling" plasma cannon, which possesses the same range and damage per shot, but can fire hundreds of shots per minute thanks to its vertically rotating set of six barrels.
Titans: The Core only possess one Titan scale design, at least on the ground. The Sumo is incredibly slow, and lightly armed for its size with only a twin-linked heavy laser turret, but this quadruped K-bot attempts make up for it with sheer durability rivaling even the Krogoth. The effect is debatable - a battle line of Sumos is an inexorable advance, but easily outmaneuvered by any force that is not already pinned in place.
The Core also have a full fledged spread of wet-navy designs that fit in this size category, when combat on the ocean is required, although oceans tend to evaporate as a side effect of being on the same planet as a core army in combat.
Vehicles
Superheavies (Focus): There are two superheavy units within the Core army, the Goliath tank and Can K-bot. The Goliath sports a massive plasma cannon and equally massive armor, but also a relatively slow ground speed. The Can is often thought of as the Sumo's little brother - similarly focused on durability, and with an identical armament (that is much better suited for its weight class), the smaller size means it cannot match the Sumo in durability, however it is notably faster (but still considered slow).
Fixed emplacements here include "pop up" versions of T2 turrets that hide under super heavy armor plating when not actively shooting, as well as the so called "Doomsday Weapon", a weapon tower fielding an intimidating array of every Laser type, from Light to Heavy, and even featuring a "Superlaser" similar to the one wielded by the Krogoth.
Main Battle Units: The majority of the Core's "T2" units, brought out midway through the battle after establishing a solid beach head and infrastructure, reside here. Examples include medium and heavy tanks, numerous stripes of artillery, plasma "flak" AAA units, amphibious units, mobile radars and jammers. More advanced K-bot units are included here as well, the most unique of which is the Pyro, a close assault K-bot which eschews standard Core plasma weapons in favor of a "flamethrower" style weapon, which is viscously effective against masses of weaker units. If superheavy and titan units are the anchors or a Core advance, these are the backbone.
Fixed emplacements primarily consist of turret Heavy Lasers, Plasma Cannons, and AA missiles.
Lights: This is where most "T1" units reside, being mostly the units employed on initial arrival within a combat theatre, before a base can be fully established. Vehicles mostly consist of scouts and SAM units, while the K-bots also field thebasic AK skirmisher, Storm rocket launcher, Crasher SAM unit, and Thud light artillery. Thanks to the Core's Autowar capacity, these units are the Core's equivalent of infantry in the later stages of battle, used as filler in larger formations. Notable in this category is also the Roach - a crawling antimatter bomb used to soften enemy fortifications.
Fixed emplacements are limited to Light Laser towers.
Infantry
The Core completely disregards conventional infantry, seeing no role for them in an order of battle that rapidly devolves the battlefield to a nuclear hellscape through sheer firepower. At most, T1 K-bots may straddle the line between light vehicles and heavier infantry, but for the purpose of this OOB the are accounted as the former.
Individuals of Importance
Commanders (Focus): The Commander chassis is the tip of the Core's strategic spear, built to the absolute limit of what can pass through a Galactic gate. The primary tools of the Commander are in the field of Autowar, equipped with an antimatter reactor and compact metal-maker, with energy and metal outputs equal to fixed T2 installations, and a powerful nanolathe to match. In terms of armament, the Commander chassis carries a single light laser cannon, but this is only a backup for its true weapon - the Disintegration Gun, or D-Gun for short. This terrifying weapon suppresses the nuclear forces holding atoms together, causing all of the atoms in the target area to immediately split down into free hydrogen. Anything not directly hit by the weapon will be subjected to the massive nuclear detonation created by such a phenomena. Finally, Commanders are also equipped with cloaking device, although they are incapable of meeting the energy cost to activate it on their own.
The Commander is more than just the chassis however - The intelligence controlling it is chosen from the best strategic minds in the entirety of Core, veterans and masters of 4,000 years of total, galaxy consuming war, backed by enough processing speed and power to dilate their perception of time, perform accurate enough predictive simulations to appear precognitive, and establish omnipresent oversight of the units under their control.
Tactically and strategically, the role of the Commander is to travel through a Galactic Gate into enemy controlled territory, carve out a beachhead against local forces, then establish a base of operations for further attacks, which they will typically command as well.
Heroes: Aside from Commanders, the Core do not possess heroes in the traditional sense. Rather, Core patterning technology allows each individual unit to be controlled by a fully sapient AI, copied from the Core's databases according to the role of the unit they are controlling. After the battle, the collected experiences of these forks are collected and folded back into the "original" intelligence, adding to the experience of all future minds forked from it. In effect, every unit the Core builds has the combined experiences of every unit that ever fought in the Great Galactic War. It might be more accurate to say that every unit is a hero - as such, they can continue fighting even if their Commander is destroyed (or otherwise not present), if at reduced effectiveness, downgrading to the Unheard of Reliability trait. Despite the reduced performance, they do not quite count as a Keystone Army as they are still fully functional absent of a Commander - Even the Core's equivalent of a Quantum Resource Network is not bound solely to Commander units, but decentralized among all units.
Other
Artillery (Focus): The Core integrate artillery at every level of their OOB, from lightweight gun-carrier K-bots to the terrifying fixed emplacement Buzzsaw Gatling Artillery, and everything in between, the Core almost have more indirect fire platforms than they do direct fire platforms. The most powerful tool in this arsenal might be the Silencer strategic missile, an extreme range cruise missile with a massive antimatter warhead and enough armor to require dedicated counter missiles to intercept (Which the Core also possess) - These missiles can crack open a planet's crust, and redraw global maps.
Legends:
Commander Coldfire: The single commander kept secret as a Contingency against the possibility of an ARM victory. He carried a copy of the Central Consciousness so that the Core empire could be reborn anew, and also defeated the very same ARM commander who conquered Core Prime in a battle to defend the Galactic Implosion Device while it activated.
- Immovable Object: Coldfire is a master of defensive warfare, famously holding off wave after wave of relentless, desperate attacks from the very same ARM commander who conquered Core Prime, until he could claim final victory by activating the Galactic Implosion Device. Wherever Coldfire plants his feet, he is nearly impossible to dislodge. Even on the offense, it is nearly impossible to successfully counterattack against him. (TLDR, more difficult to execute Penetrate and Exploit phases against him)
Summary
Between a doctrinal focus on heavy, slow units, massed artillery fire, autowar support, and the skill of its soldiers the Core are almost overwhelmingly front loaded towards the Shock phase in ground warfare, easily dominating the pace of engagement - even against peer opponents - so that they can attempt to Penetrate and Exploit at will, while cutting off enemy attempts to do the same.
However, that same doctrinal emphasis hurts them somewhat on the offense in other phases - they can Penetrate via brute force and then fill the gap with chaff, but many of their stronger units do not have the speed to be effective in the Exploit phase, or to force a Reduce phase. This suits the Core just fine. With their ability to replenish losses in the middle of combat, they are happy to simply grind an enemy down to dust if they cannot achieve a decisive maneuver victory.
Defensively they are difficult to Penetrate - both through dominance of the Shock phase and through heavily fortifying any region they pass through habitually. The lack of hard logistics lines also helps to absorb enemy Penetrations. Should an enemy succeed in the Penetrate phase however, the Core will then experience a specific vulnerability in the subsequent Exploit - the loss of an army's commander will substantially degrade that force's strategic coordination, downgrading from Give Them an Edge to Unheard of Reliability. Against a peer opponent this will often, but not always guarantee their eventual defeat in the subsequent Reduce phase.
Weapon Types:
-Energy Shell Weapons - Often colloquially referred to as lasers even when they actually use particle beams, or more exotic energies. These weapons fire various sorts of energy beams into a grid of frozen spacetime, which is then fired at the enemy. Upon striking the target, the full energy of the entire beam is delivered in a single instant and without any scatter, bypassing normal ablative properties. These weapons are universally direct fire, and usually single target, but typically have the best "DPS" at any given size category. The three main varieties of Energy Shell weapons are the "Light Laser", the "Heavy Laser", and the "Superlaser" (also affectionately known as the "Blue Laser of Death" for its blue hue and ability to one-shot most units in the game)
-Plasma Cannons - These weapons would appear to suffer from the Core's utilitarian naming sense - labeling them as mere plasma weapons is about the same level of understatement as calling a supernova merely energetic. The plasma orbs launched by these weapons are heated by antimatter injection far, far past the point of fusion ignition. Newborn stars are birthed within weapon barrels, and then die upon the enemy's armor. These weapons are noted for their AoE capability, and are almost always indirect fire even when they are not explicitly artillery - though some are used in a similar role to 20th century "flak" against enemy air assets and strike craft.
Antimatter Warheads - Various missiles, rockets, bombs or railguns carrying antimatter as their payload. The tremendous energy release of antimatter annihilation is necessary to defeat Heavy Armor with a "conventional" brute force approach. This is the broadest and most versatile category of weaponry, as they are sometimes guided or unguided, sometimes direct or indirect fire, and sometimes AoE or single target, depending on the specific battlefield role of each weapon.
A more comprehensive list of Core units below, currently still in progress. Some are pulled directly from the GOG game manual, but not all units are included there so I will have to make manual entries for the others. Unless otherwise noted here or in the general OOB, T1 ground units are considered as Light Vehicles and T2 ground units are considered Main Battle Units. Sea Units are generally counted as Titan scale, and Aircraft are not delineated .
CORE UNITS
LEVEL 1 KBOTS
"A.K." Infantry Kbot Cost: 56 metal, 696 energy CORE's primary infantry Kbot, the A.K. is a more powerful unit than its ARM counterpart, the Peewee. It is only equipped with light armor, but because of its quickness and low price tag, the A.K. remains useful even after Level 2 Kbots appear.
"Crasher" AA Kbot Cost: 129 metal, 1224 energy The Crasher is armed with light guided missiles. While good against enemy aircraft, its missiles inflict only minor damage to ground units. Five or six patrolling Crashers can protect an entire base from Level 1 aircraft. 58I V . STRUCTURES AND UNITS
"Storm" Rocket Launcher Kbot Cost: 118 metal, 985 energy The Storm's armor can take twice the damage of any other CORE Level 1 Kbot. While its rockets are only moderately effective, its durability makes it a good offensive unit. Lead attacks with Storms to draw fire away from your artillery.
"Thud" Artillery Kbot Cost: 147 metal, 1161 energy The Thud's long range plasma cannon is the most powerful weapon among CORE's Level 1 Kbots. Try to keep them away from enemy fire, however - their armor is very weak.
LEVEL 2 KBOTS
"Pyro" Flame Thrower Kbot Cost: 260 metal, 2200 energy The Pyro's flamethrower, while lethal, is only effective at close range. Use Pyros to ambush slower tanks and Construction Kbots.
"Roach" Crawling Bomb Cost: 65 metal, 5471 energy The Roach is a walking anti-matter bomb capable of blowing up many enemy targets at once. Great at softening up base defenses, Roaches should be kept clear of your other units!
"The Can" Heavy Kbot Cost: 420 metal, 3500 energy Although quite slow, the Can is the most heavily armored Kbot available to CORE. It is also well armed with a heavy laser. Use the Can to provide your other, speedier units with support.
"Spectre" Radar Jammer Cost: 70 metal, 1453 energy The Spectre is CORE's only countermeasures Kbot - its jamming radius roughly approximates a Radar Tower's. Speedy but unarmed, this fairly inexpensive unit should be guarded by other units.
"Freaker" Fast Attack Kbot: A departure from ordinary CORE doctrine, The Freaker is an exceptionally fast Kbot thanks to the rocket booster mounted on its back. However, it is not especially durable, and is lightly armed even by T1 standards, with only a single Light Laser. It is meant to act as a scout, vanguard, and raider.
"Morty" Mobile Mortar Kbot: A direct upgrade from the Thud, the Morty carries a single heavy plasma cannon, considerably more powerful and longer ranged than the paired light cannons of the Thud.
"Dominator" Heavy Rocket Kbot: Another artillery Kbot, the The Dominator instead makes use of long range artillery rockets.
"Gimp" Amphibous Kbot: An amphibious variant of the Can, the Gimp is capable of traversing deep water, but retains the same armament as the Can, and is thus incapable of defending itself underwater.
"Voyeur" Mobile Radar Kbot: It's an unarmed Kbot with a radar set, fairly straightforward.
"Parasite" SPY Kbot: An advanced scouting unit, the Parasite is unarmed but equipped with a cloaking device to surreptitiously observe enemy positions.
Decoy Commander: A Kbot built to look like a standard CORE Commander, but lacking any of the advanced technology. It is only armed with a single Light Laser and cannot build structures, but can reclaim and repair. As such, it is, as the name says, a decoy, rather than the equivalent of, say, a Support Commander.
Resurrection Kbot: Normally, when a destroyed unit leaves behind an intact wreck, the CORE would simply reclaim it for its mass. This Kbot, however, carries a specialized nanolathe that can repair and reactivate these destroyed units for less than the cost of building a new one.
"Sumo" Advanced Armored Assault Kbot: Forget the Can's description of being the most heavily armored Kbot, it was written before the Sumo was added to the game. The Sumo has the same armament as the Can, but is much larger and more durable, nearly as tough as a Krogoth, even. The downside is that it is incredibly slow.
LEVEL 1 VEHICLES
"Weasel" Scout vehicle Cost: 38 metal, 575 energy The Weasel is the quickest and most inexpensive CORE vehicle; useful for exploring early in the game. Weakly armed or armored, the Weasel doesn't fare very well in combat.
"Instigator" Light Recon Tank Cost: 110 metal, 887 energy The small Instigator is very quick and maneuverable. Its quick-firing laser is good against both units and structures, particularly at leveling undefended metal extractors and solar collectors. Keep in mind that its light armor makes the Instigator unsuitable for intense combat.
"Slasher" Mobile Missile Launcher Cost: 116 metal, 947 energy The Slasher provides more AA firepower than a Crasher Kbot. One or two Slashers are capable of defending a large base from aerial assaults. Slashers are also good at defending your moving units from enemy gunships.
"Raider" Medium Assault Tank Cost: 169 metal, 1241 energy The Raider is the only Level 1 Tank suitable for close combat. Its medium armor and plasma cannon are sufficient when attacking Level 1 and 2 base defenses. The Raider is inexpensive and reliable, making it useful even when more sophisticated tanks become available.
"Spoiler" Mine Layer Vehicle: This vehicle is designed to deploy various sorts of mines, up to and including a so-called "Nuclear Mine", although this is actually a large antimatter bomb equivalent to the Roach crawling bomb.
"Leveler" Riot Tank: Slightly larger and more powerful than the Raider, the Leveler is intended to be the last intermediary step before switching over fully to T2 units.
LEVEL 2 VEHICLES
Mobile Artillery Cost: 251 metal, 1535 energy The Mobile Artillery lobs high explosive shells at distant enemy targets. It isn't very accurate, and the blast affects a large area. Use mobile radar, preferably mounted on aircraft, to spot for Mobile Artillery; if you use land units, chances are they'll be destroyed.
"Reaper" Heavy Assault Tank Cost: 473 metal, 3048 energy The Reaper is a very valuable unit. This versatile tank is well armored, heavily armed and isn't as slow as the Goliath. Reapers make short work of structures but require AA protection from enemy aircraft.
"Crock" Amphibious Tank Cost: 295 metal, 2310 energy The Crock tank is fully submersible, and able to cross large bodies of water. Their moderate armor makes them incapable of withstanding much punishment but unlike other tanks, Crocks can submerge to escape enemy fire.
"Diplomat" Mobile Heavy Rocket Launcher Cost: 427 metal, 2470 energy The Diplomat is the ultimate building killer. It can fire its powerful unguided rockets from long range, and can quickly eliminate any stationary target. Slow and weakly armored, these units should be kept behind a protective screen of tanks and Kbots.
"Informer" Mobile Radar Cost: 86 metal, 1209 energy The Level 2 Informer's radar range is smaller than a Radar Tower's. It's a small and fast unit, great at reconnaissance and at spotting for your long range guns.
"Deleter" Radar Jammer Cost: 100 metal, 1757 energy The jamming radius of the Deleter is relatively small; one won't protect your entire base. Send Deleters out to conceal important installations. If you attach a Deleter to an assault team, the enemy will have no warning of your approach.
"Goliath" Super Heavy Tank Cost: 697 metal, 3906 energy No tank on the battlefield is as strong as a Goliath. In teams, the Goliath is capable of overrunning top secret, sophisticated defensive structures - its armor can withstand a lot of pounding. The most expensive tank in the game, the Goliath is still a bargain when compared to some Level 2 ships and aircraft.
"Copperhead" Mobile Flak Vehicle: Instead of SAM launchers, the Copperhead shoots down enemy aircraft with a pair of light plasma cannons, set to detonate in proximity to enemy aircraft. It's good at taking out large groups of clustered up aircraft.
"Hedgehog" Mobile Missile Defense: For when you are worried about your advance column getting nuked out of existence. This unit is a mobile silo for interceptor missiles capable of intercepting strategic missiles.
LEVEL 1 SHIPS
"Searcher" Scout Ship Cost: 95 metal, 917 energy While quick and maneuverable, the Searcher is inadequate for fighting sea battles because of its light armor. The Searcher has better spotting range than other ships, making it an ideal scout. You can also use it to protect your more expensive ships - it is the only Level 1 ship with AA missiles.
"Enforcer" Destroyer Cost: 887 metal, 4505 energy The Enforcer is the only Level 1 surface ship with anti-submarine weaponry. Its medium plasma cannon and armor are strong by Level 1 standards. With the appearance of Level 2 Cruisers, your Enforcers should be re-assigned to escort your more expensive capital ships.
"Snake" Submarine Cost: 1199 metal, 3902 energy The Snake is CORE's ship-killing submarine. Armed with heavy unguided torpedoes, a Snake can sink even a battleship in seconds. Remember that Snakes have very thin armor - it will buckle quickly under depth charge attacks.
"Envoy" Transport Ship Cost: 887 metal, 4786 energy The slow, lumbering Envoy can transport six ground units inside. Use them when islands need to be exploited for their resources or strategic location. Guard this unarmed transport; if it goes down, the units on board are also lost.
"Shark" Sub Killer Cost: 1356 metal, 5245 energy The Shark is specially designed to hunt other submarines - its smaller torpedo home in on their target with the help of the Shark's enhanced sonar. Use Sharks to intercept ARM Lurkers before they can get near your expensive capital ships.
"Hydra" Missile Frigate Cost: 2283 metal, 7628 energy The Missile Frigate's powerful guided missiles are the best naval defense against enemy aircraft. Two or three Hydras are a good investment, as they can quickly eliminate fragile Torpedo Bombers. You'll need to protect the Missile Frigate with ASW ships, as they have no anti-sub weapons of their own.
"Executioner" Cruiser Cost: 1724 metal, 8551 energy The Executioner is CORE's prime fighting ship. Designed for heavy combat, this cruiser has heavy armor and a long range plasma cannon that can hit sea and ground targets. Additionally armed with depth charges, the Executioner can also tackle enemy submarines.
"Warlord" Battleship Cost: 4181 metal, 19741 energy With the most powerful naval plasma cannon and the heaviest armor in the game, the Warlord specializes in destroying surface ships and coastal structures. The Warlord, however, lacks anti-aircraft or anti-sub weaponry. NOTE: Description is not quite accurate - The Warlord has one 3-Gun plasma cannon turret and one Heavy Laser turret. It's designed to engage in closer combat than its ARM counterpart, which eschews the laser turret for a second set of plasma cannons.
"Hive" Light Carrier Cost: 1379 metal, 11715 energy The unarmed Hive provides transport and repair bays for two aircraft. The Hive is unique to CORE's fleet in that it has a fission reactor, which produces useable energy. It is also equipped with radar, letting you coordinate air strikes and coastal bombardments.
"Phantom" Radar Jammer Ship: Jams radar and sonar systems to allow naval sneak attacks
"Shredder" Anti Air Ship: Armed with a plasma flak cannon and two SAM launchers, the Shredder is a dedicated air defense unit for CORE fleets.
"Leviathan" Battle Submarine: Far larger than the other submarine types, the Leviathan is slow but heavily armored, and carries heavy torpedoes. Meant for pitched battle and attacking enemy fixed torpedo launchers.
HOVERCRAFT
NOTE: All hovercraft are T2, there are no hovercraft at T1. Hovercraft are generally faster and more lightly armed than conventional vehicles, and as the name implies they can hover over water or other surfaces.
"Scrubber" Scout Hovercraft: Fast and lightly armored, the Scrubber is armed with only a single Light Laser for defense, making it yet another scout vehicle
"Snapper" Hovertank: The primary Main Battle Unit among hovercraft, the Snapper carries respectable armor and a large plasma cannon.
"Slinger" Anti Air Hovercraft: A typical anti air unit armed with SAMs, the Slinger is notable among anti-air units for being amphibious.
"Nixer" Hovercraft Rocket Launcher: The artillery unit among hovercraft, it uses long range artillery rockets similar to the Diplomat and Dominator.
"Turtle" Transport Hovercraft: A small transport meant to ferry conventional vehicles across deep water.
LEVEL 1 AIRCRAFT
"Fink" Scout Cost: 36 metal, 1369 energy The small Fink has longer spotting range than other CORE aircraft, making it ideal for exploring the map in the early stages of a game. Assigned to patrol duty, the Fink can alert you to enemy activity even if the enemy fields radar jammers.
"Avenger" Fighter Cost: 101 metal, 3181 energy The Avenger is a basic fighter, designed to intercept ARM aircraft. Weakly armed and armored, the Avenger is most useful when escorting Level 1 bombers to their targets.
"Shadow" Bomber Cost: 131 metal, 5691 energy The Shadow bomber is best used very early in the game when AA defenses are nonexistent or weak. Too slow to dodge AA fire, the Shadow also has no air-to-air weaponry, making it very vulnerable to enemy fighters.
"Valkyrie" Air Transport Cost: 115 metal, 2695 energy The Valkyrie can transport one ground unit anywhere regardless of terrain. Remember that it is slow and unarmed; when transporting units it is always a good idea to provide Valkyries with an escort. If shot down, both the plane and its cargo are destroyed.
LEVEL 2 AIRCRAFT
"Rapier" Gunship Cost: 294 metal, 5778 energy Overall, the Rapier is the most versatile of all CORE aircraft. Sporting heavy armor and guided rockets, the Rapier is effective against both air and ground targets.
"Vamp" Stealth Fighter Cost: 257 metal, 6973 energy Though scantily armored, the Vamp Stealth Fighter is armed with twin airto-air missile launchers and is invisible to enemy radar. Effective as they are against enemy aircraft, Vamps are very vulnerable to AA fire.
"Hurricane" Strategic Bomber Cost: 220 metal, 8050 energy The Hurricane is a powerful bomber that can level buildings and wipe out units with equal ease. It is armed with a secondary light laser that helps fight off enemy fighters. Remember to repair your Hurricanes between sorties, as they are a big investment.
"Vulture" Radar Plane: It's an aircraft carrying a large, dedicated radar set, useful for forward spotting.
"Titan" Torpedo Bomber: The Titan is a mid-weight bomber dedicated towards launching torpedoes at wet naval targets.
SEAPLANES
Seaplanes are aircraft designed to be able to land underwater, unlike regular aircraft which must loiter when over bodies of water
"Voodoo" Seaplane fighter: The seaplane equivalent of the Avenger fighter
"Typhoon" Torpedo Seaplane: The seaplane equivalent of the Titan torpedo bomber
"Hunter" Airborne Sonar: A seaplane with a sonar system for identifying submerged targets
CONSTRUCTION UNITS
Commander You will start many missions with a Commander. Armed with the Disintegrator gun and the best nanolathe in the game, the Commander builds - and kills - like no other unit. Use your Commander cautiously, losing him often means losing the game.
Construction Kbot ARM: 120 metal, 2410 energy CORE: 130 metal, 2540 energy The Level 1 Construction Kbot can build Level 1 and 2 structures as well as an Advanced Kbot Lab. It is a slow builder, so using two or three on individual construction jobs is highly recommended.
Construction Vehicle ARM: 185 metal, 2030 energy CORE: 175 metal, 2145 energy The Level 1 Construction Vehicle can build Level 1 and 2 structures, as well as an Advanced Vehicle Plant. This vehicle has much better armor than the Construction Kbot. 43
Construction Hovercraft: Amphibious, builds T1 and T2 structures
Construction Seaplane: Builds T1 and T2 structures, can land underwater
Construction Ship ARM: 255 metal, 2130 energy CORE: 260 metal, 2375 energy The Level 1 Construction Ship can build some Level 1 and 2 structures as well as an Advanced Shipyard. This unit plays an important role since it's the only naval vessel that can build torpedo launchers and repair other ships.
Advanced Construction Ship: Builds T3 underwater structures.
Construction Aircraft ARM: 105 metal, 4320 energy CORE: 110 metal, 4580 energy The Level 1 Construction Aircraft can build Level 1 and 2 structures as well as an Advanced Aircraft Plant. Use this unit to build defensive structures on unscalable hilltops, and set up supplementary bases or complexes in faraway spots.
Advanced Construction Kbot ARM: 300 metal, 5784 energy CORE: 325 metal, 6096 energy The Advanced Construction Kbot can build top secret Level 3 structures. It builds faster than a Construction Kbot; however, it's fragile and a slower mover.
Advanced Construction Vehicle ARM: 481 metal, 4263 energy CORE: 455 metal, 4504 energy The Advanced Construction Vehicle can build secret Level 3 structures. It's a relatively quick builder, and noticeably better armored than the Advanced Construction Kbot. However, it cannot get to all the spots a Kbot can.
Advanced Construction Aircraft ARM: 220 metal, 12096 energy CORE: 231 metal, 12824 energy The Advanced Construction Aircraft can build top secret Level 3. This is the most expensive construction unit in the game. Terrain is no obstacle to this unit, which hovers above ground while building.
UNIT-PRODUCING BUILDINGS
Kbot Lab ARM: 705 metal, 1130 energy CORE: 680 metal, 1250 energy The Kbot Lab builds all Level 1 Kbots, including the Construction Kbot.
Vehicle Plant ARM: 620 metal, 1000 energy CORE: 600 metal, 1100 energy The Vehicle Plant builds all Level 1 vehicles, including the Construction Vehicle.
Aircraft Plant ARM: 850 metal, 1370 energy CORE: 830 metal, 1340 energy The Aircraft Plant builds all Level 1 aircraft, including the Construction Aircraft. Shipyard ARM: 615 metal, 775 energy CORE: 600 metal, 750 energy The Shipyard builds all Level 1 naval ships, including the Construction Ship.
Advanced Kbot Lab ARM: 2007 metal, 3277 energy CORE: 1972 metal, 3625 energy The Advanced Kbot Lab builds all Level 2 Kbots, including the Advanced Construction Kbot.
Advanced Vehicle Plant ARM: 1984 metal, 3200 energy CORE: 1947 metal, 3520 energy The Advanced Vehicle Plant builds all Level 2 vehicles, including the Advanced Construction Vehicle.
Advanced Aircraft Plant ARM: 2210 metal, 4521 energy CORE: 2191 metal, 4422 energy The Advanced Aircraft Plant builds all Level 2 aircraft, including the Advanced Construction Aircraft.
Advanced Shipyard ARM: 2524 metal, 2402 energy CORE: 2460 metal, 2325 energy The Advanced Shipyard builds all Level 2 naval ships, and the Construction Ship.
Hovercraft Platform: Builds hovercraft
Seaplane Platform: Builds seaplanes
Krogoth Gantry: Builds le Krogoth
COMMON LEVEL 1 STRUCTURES
Radar Tower ARM: 49 metal, 750 energy CORE: 50 metal, 800 energy The Radar Tower gives you information on your enemies' location within a small radius. Detected enemy units and structures show up as a dot (of a different color than your own) on the Mini-Map. NOTE: There is a floating version of this structure for use in water
Sonar Station ARM: 20 metal, 403 energy CORE: 20 metal, 399 energy The Sonar Station has a large radius sonar range to detect enemy submarines. Detected craft show up on the Mini-Map.
Metal Extractor ARM: 50 metal, 521 energy CORE: 51 metal, 514 energy The Metal Extractor is used to exploit metal deposits. The amount of metal it extracts depends on the size of the deposit - larger deposits make it spin quicker. NOTE: There is an underwater version of this structure for use in, well, water.
Metal Maker ARM: 0 metal, 687 energy CORE: 0 metal, 700 energy These structures can be built to fabricate metal using excess energy. 60 energy converts into 1 metal. NOTE: There is a floating version of this structure for use in water
Metal Storage ARM: 305 metal, 535 energy CORE: 320 metal, 550 energy This structure increases your maximum metal storage by 1000 units. NOTE: There is an underwater version of this structure for use in, well, water.
Solar Collector ARM: 145 metal, 760 energy CORE: 141 metal, 790 energy A Solar Collector is the most reliable form of energy production. Each Collector generates 20 energy.
Wind Generator ARM: 52 metal, 509 energy CORE: 55 metal, 523 energy The amount of energy a Wind Generator outputs varies constantly. On planets with no wind these are completely useless!
NOTE: Yes, you read that correctly, the CORE
are somehow powering a Maximus-tier army off of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal, at least at T1. Unlike many other aspects of this setting's technology, this is never explained. We do know that the "Energy" resource is stored as antimatter, so my personal headcanon is that their method of synthesizing antimatter is very efficient, far cheaper than the amount of energy released, with these relatively paltry energy sources used as the input for this process.
Energy Storage ARM: 240 metal, 2430 energy CORE: 250 metal, 2490 energy This structure increases your maximum energy capacity by 3000 energy. NOTE: There is an underwater version of this structure for use in, well, water.
Light Laser Tower ARM: 262 metal, 2546 energy CORE: 268 metal, 2608 energy The "L.L.T." fires a short-range rapidfire laser that is effective against lightly armored Level 1 units. NOTE: There is a floating version of this structure for use in water
"Imolator" Plasma Tower: This structure is lightly armored and its light plasma cannon is not especially powerful, but it is still a useful addition to the short list of T1 defensive structures
COMMON LEVEL 2 STRUCTURES
Geothermal Powerplant ARM: 520 metal, 9568 energy CORE: 505 metal, 9375 energy Geothermal Powerplants can only be built on top of geothermal vents. Their output is 250 energy. NOTE: There is an underwater version of this structure for use in, well, water.
Tidal Generator ARM: 82 metal, 768 energy CORE: 81 metal, 752 energy Tidal Generators collect an amount of energy dependent on the strength of the tides; these are different on every world.
Torpedo Launcher Cost: 804 metal, 2658 energy Cost: 831 metal, 3058 energy These launch torpedoes at enemy ships and submarines. Their sonar has longer range than that of subs.
Dragon's Teeth ARM: 10 metal, 250 energy CORE: 11 metal, 300 energy These spiked barriers block enemy units, and are useful in base defense. NOTE: There is a floating version of this structure for use in water
Laser Tower ARM "Sentinel": 584 metal, 5398 energy CORE "Gaat Gun": 589 metal, 5443 energy A Heavy Laser Tower fires twin medium-range lasers at enemy units. It is effective against all unit types except aircraft. Each shot also requires 75 energy. NOTE: Heavy lasers can actually be quite effective against gunships which have to loiter. NOTE: There is a floating version of this structure for use in water
Missile Tower ARM "Defender": 79 metal, 843 energy CORE "Pulverizer": 76 metal, 805 energy Missile Towers are most effective against aircraft - they fire medium range guided missiles. NOTE: There is a floating version of this structure for use in water
Heavy Plasma Cannon ARM "Guardian" 1946 metal, 7687 energy CORE "Punisher"1887 metal, 7585 energy The Heavy Plasma Cannon fires powerful long-range plasma projectiles from two barrels. It's the most durable Level 2 defensive structure, effective against both enemy units and structures. Its long range makes it good for coastal defense.
"Viper" Pop-Up Heavy Laser: A Heavy Laser tower that retracts underground using an armored hatch when not engaging enemies, in order to help shield it against artillery attacks from outside its own range.
ADVANCED T3 STRUCTURES
"Moho Mine" Advanced Metal Extractor: Named for the Mohorovicic Discontinuity that marks the boundary between a planet's crust and its mantle. The Moho mine digs down to said discontinuity in order to mine greater amounts of rare metals. NOTE: There is an underwater version of this structure for use in, well, water.
Moho Metal Maker: This one is, in turn, named after the Moho Mine. Converts energy into heavy metals, similar to the standard Metal Maker, but in quantities similar to the Moho Mine, and thus at a commensurately greater energy cost.
Fusion Power Plant: It's a larger fusion reactor, used to supply the vast amounts of energy required by certain T3 structures. Has both an underwater water version and a version that can cloak itself.
Advanced Radar Tower: A more powerful radar tower with a longer range than standard radar.
Advanced Sonar Station: Like the advanced radar, but for underwater enemies
"Cobra" Anti Air Flak Gun: A turret with twin plasma flak cannons, for shooting down aircraft.
"Toaster" Pop-Up Heavy Cannon: A heavy plasma cannon that retracts underground when not in use.
Advanced Torpedo Launcher: A larger torpedo launcher station, launching heavy torpedoes meant for sinking capital ships.
"Doomsday Machine" Energy Weapon: This powerful defensive emplacement is bristling with all kinds of Laser weapons, from Light Lasers to Heavy Lasers and even a single Superlaser.
Air Repair Pad: Automatically repairs aircraft.
Fortification Wall: Similar to Dragon's Teeth, but is a full defensive wall rather than an obstacle to block enemy movement.
"Fortitude" Anti Missile Defense System: A silo for defense missiles meant to intercept enemy strategic missiles.
"Silencer" Nuclear Missile Launcher: Actually carrying a massive antimatter warhead, Silencer strategic missiles are built in these silos and launched to annihilate enemy positions. Powerful enough that a single missile can wipe out entire nations in our modern world, and multiple can crack open a planet's crust.
"Neutron" Neutron Missile Launcher: Gonna be honest, I don't actually know what this one does for sure; it's not in the manual and I've never used it before.
"Intimidator" Long Range Plasma Cannon: A superheavy plasma cannon with intercontinental and anti-orbital range, designed for suppressing enemy fortifications
"EXPERIMENTALS"
Technically,Total Annihilation doesn't delineate Experimental units as Supreme Commander does, but it is pretty clear that the Krogoth inspired the concept of Experimentals for SC.
"Krogoth" Experimental Kbot: Speaking of, it's even called an experimental unitl! This is the OG Big Boi, with paired heavy SAM launchers, paired heavy railguns, and a head mounted Superlaser that can destroy most any lesser unit in a single shot, the Krogoth is a devastating force to be reckoned with. It is also incredibly durable, able to tank multiple direct hits from strategic missiles and keep on trucking. You might think that this comes at the expense of mobility, but it is surprisingly swift as well.
"Buzzsaw" Rapid Fire Plasma Cannon: A terrifying weapon, for a less civilized age. The buzzsaw consists of six Intimidator barrels, arranged like a circular saw. As each barrel fires, the next one rotates into position, for nonstop rapid fire devastation. This thing can fire hundreds of plasma shells per minute, each with gigatons of firepower.
STARSHIPS
The pace of ground combat and limitations of Galactic Gate travel meant that space combat was somewhat rare for the Core previously, though not totally unheard of in the 4,000 year span of the Great Galactic War. As such, Core ships tend towards the small and swarmy size at game start, with most simply being equipped with modified versions of weapons already in use by the Core's ground forces. All strikecraft are also equally capable in vacuum or atmosphere
Since these ships are all going to be made up anyway, they're going to be organized by Cosmolux's ship classifications.
VARIABLE
Shipyards: Shipyards are sized according to the class of ships they are meant to build - IE, corvette-scale shipyards build corvettes, frigate-scale shipyards build frigates, etc. All shipyards are also built to be mobile - both for station-keeping purposes and to relocate if necessary.
CORVETTE
Orbital Construction Vehicle: The primary engineering arm of the CORE's space forces. The OCV is based on an enlarged Hurricane bomber frame, with all weapons replaced by a massive nanolathe engineering suite. It can either be built in shipyards in orbit or in a special gantry on the ground. Despite the name, it is capable of both planet-side operation and interplanetary travel.
"Temple" Mobile Galactic Gate: The platform of a standard planet-side Galactic Gate with thrusters attached for interplanetary travel. While most ships are too large to pass through a Galactic Gate, and those that can are not substantially powerful, there is nonetheless tactical value in having mobile gates - Shots can be fired through such gates, or even caught and redirected.
"Cigar" Fireship: Designed as a companion to the "Penetrator" Bombardment Destroyer, the Cigar is little more than a tube with an engine and a massive antimatter warhead, far larger than even that found on a Silencer missile. It can be built and launched from a Penetrator's spinal accelerator, or built separately and used a suicide ship. It has also specifically been built to be just narrow enough to fit through a Galactic Gate for remote bombardment.
"Seer" Radar Intelligence Ship: All CORE starships carry at least a basic sensor suite, but the Seer is packed with more advanced sensor suites and detection systems to support fleet formations.
FRIGATE
"Space Krogoth" Experimental Kbot: The CORE's first foray into void combat after arriving in Vyranodasik, it is essentially just a Krogoth with thrusters strapped on. However, it cannot carry as large of an engine as dedicated starships, which makes it somewhat slow in fleet engagements. However, particular one niche has been identified for this unit: compared to other Behemoth-Scale units, the Space Krogoth does not need a dedicated transport, is able to defend itself, and is perfectly capable of surviving re-entry even without thrusters, making it an ideal platform for orbital drops.
"Apocalypse" Laser Frigate: "Apocalypse" may seem like a grandiose name for such an unassuming hull, but it should not be underestimated. This ship is armed with a pair of "Doomsday Weapon" Laser Towers, one carried dorsally and one ventrally. These towers carry a broad selection from every type of "Laser" or "Energy Shell" weaponry available to the CORE, from the humble Light Laser, to the same Superlaser used by the Krogoth. Modified targeting protocols also make them effective point-defense weapons. Lastly, in place of any secondary weapons, the Apocalypse mounts a powerful ECM and jamming suite. The Apocalypse has the highest DPS of any of the CORE's frigate designs, but all of its weapons are short range, making it most effective in the Clash, or as a screen for longer-ranged ships.
"Tyrant" Plasma Frigate: This frigate borrows the three-gun plasma turrets from the CORE's "Warlord" weet-navy battleship, mounting one dorsally and one ventrally. These plasma cannons have also been modified to be dual-purpose. The Tyrant's secondary armament is an array of missile launchers for point-defense. The Tyrant deals less damage than the Apocalypse, but has a longer range, making it best suited to the Skirmish phase.
"Nemesis" Bombardment Frigate: The Nemesis borrows the existing Intimidator Long Range Plasma Cannon for its main armament. As with the other frigate designs, it carries one dorsally and one ventrally. Secondary armament is a set of much smaller, dual-purpose plasma cannons. The long range guns of the Nemesis are suitable for the Bombardment phase, but the slower rate of fire makes them less capable in closer engagements.
"Midnight" Strategic Missile Ship: The Midnight is armed with a single Silencer Strategic Missile Silo, and eschews any secondary armament in favor of additional reactors and metal makers to power the assemblers for its Silencer missiles. The Midnight has immense alpha damage when its magazines are full, but it takes a long time to fill those magazines and it has no other fallback options. Thus, it is best used in the Bombardment phase or when paired with a Temple Mobile Gate, and should be kept out of direct combat.
"Unity" Light Carrier: In place of weapons, the Unity carries construction and repair bays for strike craft. The Unity acts as a forward assembly and support base for strike craft attacks on enemy fleets. Like the Midnight, the Unity carries no defensive weapons, but is able to build its own defensive escort.
DESTROYER
"Penetrator" Bombardment Destroyer: A recent development in response to the larger ships and battle planetoids employed by the Suitatzu Ravagers, the Penetrator is designed to deliver maximum firepower on target with a massive spinal coilgun that uses an entire "Cigar" fireship as a relativistic projectile. The combined energy release of the massive antimatter warhead and relativistic kinetic energy is hoped to be sufficient to break apart enemy heavy assets.
docs.google.com
