Less of a joke than you think.

Try playing vs air as a vehicle player (No dedicated AA). Try playing tank factory vs early raider spam.

But the major problem with factory counters is that if you start the wrong factory, you can win instantly, before you've even scouted the enemy.

This would make for a terrible game.

Nevertheless, you usually see a broad mix of starting factories in a team (or even 1v1), and you'll see even more in 1faction.

knorke wrote:

yes, every unit has its niche.
but this also means for every niche problem there is a unit.
that can be boring.

^ this... is asinine.

Units have a broad range of abilities and mechanics, each with a unique set of advantages. A lot of the time, countering a unit comes down to use, rather than merely unit selection. There are half a dozen strategies even a single factory can adopt in response to an enemy strategy, its not just about unit niches.