Top 5 Supreme Commander Experimental Units

Supreme Commander is one of my favourite games. I first played it back in 2007 (I think) and it very quickly became my favourite game. Designed by Chris Taylor and developed by Gas Powered games for the PC (originally), Supreme Commander is a Real Time Strategy game and is seen as the spiritual successor to Chris Taylor’s Total Annihilation released in the mid 90’s. In Supreme Commander; player’s build an army for one of 3 factions (United Earth Federation, Cybran Nation and Aeon Illuminate) in the hope of defeating one or many other armies in the local vicinity. It’s an absolute powerhouse of a game with loads of units and buildings to be built. One of the game’s most significant unit collections is its range of Experimental Units. These are big weapons that can give the user a strategic advantage over everyone else, provided that the enemy doesn’t have any also. While not completely invincible, most units and buildings don’t really stand much of a chance against them. For me the Experimental Units are the things I look forward to building most, as each one is unlike any other unit in the game. While more are introduced in the expansion and sequel, in this list I will only be mentioning the Experimental Units in the first game; so here are my Top 5 Supreme Commander Experimental Units.

5. Czar: Imagine a giant flying saucer; not as big as those ones from Independence Day, but still a really big one. Then imagine that it’s coming towards you, and then it starts to fire a giant laser on top of you that can destroy a house in one go. That’s what the Czar is: A giant flying saucer with a big downward vertical powerful laser. It’s almost like a giant flying donut, but because they are quick to build yet still pretty powerful I like to build them. Czar’s also have the advantage that due to their size, when they are hit so much they are destroyed, they fall out the sky, potentially destroying anything it falls on. The Czar also comes with the ability to house several aircraft, meaning that you can transport a fleet of planes to support it in combat, as well as to refuel any aircraft that need it (so sort of like the big ships in Independence Day).

4. Fatboy: Fatboy’s are large land based vehicles, like Giant tanks that serve two purposes. Firstly, they are like Giant Tanks. They can move underwater and on land thanks to 4 giant sets of tracks. They come armed with an armament of 4 pairs of three large cannons each; one on each corner. It’s like strapping three UEF battleships together and giving them tracks; it’s that big and powerful. It comes with a shield to protect it as it is vulnerable to air attacks and places on the top for two aircraft. The Fatboy’s other purpose though is that it is a mobile land factory. So you can land the thing near the enemy, then build an army with it for a full-fledged invasion. Most of the time though I just use it for the purpose of being a giant multi-gunned tank.

3. Monkeylord: Possibly the weirdest sounding vehicle in the entire game, particularly as it looks more like a giant 6-legged spider with a big gun, but do not underestimate it for one second. The Monkeylord is an incredibly powerful machine. It has weapons that can be used on land, in water and defend itself against air attacks. It’s one of, if not the fastest experimental unit in the game. And above all else has access to a multi directional laser beam weapon that can cause lots of damage, very quickly and even (as I discovered a couple of weeks ago) can destroy something as big as a Fatboy, even when taking a pounding and eventually getting destroyed the second it finishes it’s attack. It is a really cool experimental unit that should not be ignored. While it may appear weaker compared to other experimental units, it’s just as deadly as they are.

2. Atlantis: The Atlantis is rather easy to explain. It is a submersible aircraft carrier. Whilst both Cybran and Aeon have aircraft Carriers, the UEF’s version is so different; it’s classed as an experimental unit. On the surface it can collect and hold up to several vehicles, but then for extra protection can dive underwater with its cargo safely inside. Of course it will need to surface again to launch them. I myself have not used them for much in the way of combat, but the AI has attacked me with them before, and they can be quite a serious threat, even when not underwater. I myself though use them as aircraft carriers and places to store and refuel aircraft when I need to. But the potential for their use is almost unlimited as they can be used as storage space, plus also help launch air support for an invasion, or even help launch a strike team when attacking an enemy base.

1. Galactic Colossus: Out of all the Experimental units out there, there is one that stands mightier than all the rest. It’s a unit that can walk through any defensive line, trampling small units and buildings beneath its feet. It can survive near direct hits from nuclear weapons and the detonation of Commander’s. It can suck up and crush units with its hands…..or just destroy them all thanks to its great laser weapon. The Galactic Colossus can do all of these things. I am surprised at how much of a beating they can take, even surviving hits from nuclear missiles. When attacking you, it’s your greatest threat, but when you are in control of one; your enemy panics. They are incredibly dangerous and can bring about a quick end to nearly any fight, well…..when it gets there, it is rather slow. But, speed isn’t everything. Along with all that, it also looks like a big mechanical skeleton. It is a cool yet dangerous and destructive machine, and easily my favourite Experimental Weapon.

GENEPOOL