ISDF, Scion Balance in 1.3

[bb1]

Or at least make some other unit besides archer auto target flying units. After coming from a game with huge APC strikes (easily quelled by my titan army commanded by me) and bomber runs, it gets annoying. I could have taken all the steps toward winning, but at 1.5 hours I just said screw it...especially with another 1.5 hours easily left.

On the upside, static discharge is the ultimate massive-apc repelling weapon. Pilots smush like nobody's business.

[DarkFox]

The more I play, the more confident I am that scions and ISDF are balanced properly.

[Zero Angel]

Never thought of using static charge. I remember on one of the 4 way maps, my scion base got totally CRUSHED by a mass APC attack and thought they were overpowered. Now that I think about it too, sonic is also another good APC countering weapon since it does splash damage, and can veer rockets off of their course.

[Red Devil]

If you want perfect balanced-unit matches, play against the same race. 

[TheJamsh]

Static discharge is very good against APC's... the ISDF have MDM mortar which i tend to use, or any mortar in general (i wonder how effective splinter is against APCS?). Alternatively you can just plant a MITS mine, and they blow 'emselves up

Splinter is a poor weapon really, next to no damage is done by the bullets which are incredibly weak, although the explosion of the splinter bomb would probably be enough to kill APC soldiers.

[DarkFox]

If you're nearing an hour or so ingame, scions should have an acid cloud archer by then... Stick them on your dower. Mainly for beating off serviced assaults, they would be useful against APCs too.

[Red Spot]

Does anyone actually use popper ? I personally find they really lack vs air units (4 or so cant prevent an APC dropping its soldiers onto them and that usually means you lose them as the AIPs send APCs after them), better not to have them at all as AA-defence imo

[AHadley]

Does anyone actually use popper ? I personally find they really lack vs air units (4 or so cant prevent an APC dropping its soldiers onto them and that usually means you lose them as the AIPs send APCs after them), better not to have them at all as AA-defence imo

If you don't use them, if the AI decide they want to send some big blue death in... you're screwed.

[bb1]

If you don't use them, if the AI decide they want to send some big blue death in... you're screwed.

And half the time too, even with them.

[AHadley]

And half the time too, even with them.

I tend to go after a bomber myself if I see one, I don't trust the AI with something so important... arc cannon if you can get it...

Or just make sure that the ISDF are left with less than three scrap pools

[Feared_1]

Does anyone actually use popper ? I personally find they really lack vs air units (4 or so cant prevent an APC dropping its soldiers onto them and that usually means you lose them as the AIPs send APCs after them), better not to have them at all as AA-defence imo

I love Popper because it gets overwhelming if you have like 4 archers shooting it. Being a "popper noob" is always a side effect, though (usually for having it in your own ship, but I've been called that after using Archers with Popper).

[bb1]

Then you run into the issue of comm network. The antenna is useless when an enemy has a bomber, because you can't patrol the scape for bomber. I had a group of titans at one entrance to the base, a mauler rush set on the southern front ready to move in as a surprise. The titans were the diversion. All of a sudden, all 4 titans explode. The maulers moved in, not as a group though. 1 by 1 they ran in to be slaughtered by the gun towers originally supposed to attack the titans. I watched helplessly from above as my troops were slaughtered. Can't see the bomber or air forces from sat view, so...

[Zero Angel]

I love Popper because it gets overwhelming if you have like 4 archers shooting it. Being a "popper noob" is always a side effect, though (usually for having it in your own ship, but I've been called that after using Archers with Popper).

Popper has always been more of a defensive weapon, even in DM. It's hard to dodge if you're advancing but easy to dodge if you're retreating. I prefer it if fighting defensively since it helps prevent the enemy from closing in on you. It has its counters though, it just takes a while to figure out the right techniques to defend against it.

[bb1]

Popper has always been more of a defensive weapon, even in DM. It's hard to dodge if you're advancing but easy to dodge if you're retreating. I prefer it if fighting defensively since it helps prevent the enemy from closing in on you. It has its counters though, it just takes a while to figure out the right techniques to defend against it.

Its major counter being that the only race that builds it cannot wield it in a moving armored vehicle.

Which reminds me of a strat...I was scion, and I "gifted" the ISDF player a popper in his base. He took it and was trying to use it on me, but fumbling, I ended up roaring in and crushing him while his poppers were still in the air >:-}

Good ol' sabotauge.

[Red Spot]

I dont mean in strat, forget to mention that, but in MPI. The AIPs send APCs after them, and the pop-archers cant take a single 1 down before becoming the target of the soldiers being dropped.
I'm not sure if I'm incorrect here, but I always thought that the pop-archers was the AA-unit of the scions.