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DownloadThis is a reference for OTA players that meet xta mod for the first time.
But does work as well for new and regulars from other mods.
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The energy build-tree
In few words, for ota players, dont build the HEAVY Fusion Reactor, use the Lightfusions -> Cloakable fusions building path instead.
The energy tree for xta, differs from ota in several aspects.
In short, several buildings and mobile units have been added "in between" the basic energy sources like solarpanels/windgenerators, and the more advanced Fusion power plant.
Energy producing buildings and mobile units
The basic energy structures
Are the same, windgenerator, and solar collector.
However there are some differences:
The solar collector
Main changes from OTA:
- DOES NOT REQUIRE ENERGY to be built.
Advantages:
- Is heavily armored.
- Produces a continuous energy output, unlike windgenerators, which produce at times lots, and at times little energy.
Disadvantages:
- Its rather expensive in metal, 3x times the cost of a windgenerator.
- Blocks the firing line of defenses and units, ie. light laser tower.
Tips
- Offers a quick solution for energy stall at mid metal cost (145 metal).
- Acts as a barricade/defense.
Energy storage
The cost has been increased, but the storage capacity is now around 32k.
This makes for a better energy and metal resource management, without the hassle of having to build lots and lots of storage.
Tips
- Combine with windgenerator farms in windy maps for better results.
- In early game, if you are using metal makers, it generates non continuous metal output, so don't build one if you are using metal maker economy. Unless you have some sort of metal maker ai.
Those are the main changes for the level 1 energy structures.
Advanced energy structures
At Level 2, xta introduces the major changes and advantages compared to OTA.
To start with, there is a "midway" fusion energy plant.
The Light fusions
Each side has its own. This units cover the gap between basic energy sources and the more advanced ones, having around 32%-37% of the output of a cloakable fusion, and offering 19x-22x times the output of a single solar.
Core Light Fusion Power Plant
Produces +300 energy and are built by lvl 2 mobile constructors.
Advantages:
- Is built by any level 2 construction unit.
- Produces 300 energy.
Disadvantages:
- It uses more space, for less energy output compared to bigger fusions.
Tips
- You can calculate 1 Lightfusion per MohometalExtractor.
- Huge explosion on self destruction, can be used as a bomb to kill incoming attacking force.
Arm Light Mobile Fusion
Arm ones are built in the level 2 tank lab, and produce 260 energy.
Advantages:
- Costs half of the energy cost of a core Lightfusion.
- Costs around half of the build-time cost of a core Lightfusion.
- Its build very fast due to the strong nanolathing form the level 2 tank lab.
- Its mobile! This means you can avoid attacks to it by hiding somewhere else.
- Less efficient in space/energy output than core Lightfusion.
Disadvantages:
- Forces the arm player to build level 2 tank lab to have access to it.
Tips
- You can calculate 1 mobilefusion per MohometalExtractor.
- It has a huge explosion on self destruct, and is used often as a last resort defense, (as a mobile bomb), with great results.
Here is a reference for stats delta between arm and core minis.
Another interesting historical comparative view both light fusions.
Cloakable Fusions
The Big Fusions have changed as well.
Now the Cloakable fusion, is what the normal ota fusion used to be, that is, it produces 800 energy and has a small penalty in its cost compared to Lightfusions, and to big fusions, but it almost completely stealth once its cloaked and within radar jammer range.
HEAVY Fusion
The HEAVY fusion makes 3500 energy, and has a very high cost (in energy metal and BT), although its somehow more efficient than cloakable fusion, this unit is 2 TIMES AS EXPENSIVE as what the original fusion used to be, so DON'T BUILD IT RIGHT AWAY. This HEAVY fusion is intended for late game, when you will need huge armies or mass nuclear weapons.
Here is a comparative view of the cloakable and HEAVY fusions.
Note
This is an attempt to explain:
- You must NOT build a HEAVY Fusion power plant in xta, like you used in OTA. Use a cloakable fusion for that purpose.
- There are several new power sources that fill the gap between 20 and 1000 e output OTA had.
- The moho metal extractors take 300 energy to work (extract metal) so don't build them if you don't have the energy, or will stall your hole production.
Power consumption/costs
The first thing you need to know, is, Moho metal extractors use 300 of energy to work.
This can be justified, because of metal is a quantitative scarce resource, and a moho metal extractor, effectively quintuples the extraction rate, such marvel must come at a cost. In this case the cost, apart of the unit and tech level itself, is the need of much more power to function.
The increase in the energy use is slightly higher than x^5, with x = energy drain of level 1 metal extractor.
Units that need lots of energy to fire
Units in this list demand you keep an eye on your energy tab for using. Its recommended to get an energy storage with them, but most of them are t2, so you probably have storage by that point, if you are not rushing.
- Commanders
- Disintegration gun, requires 350 in storage for using it.
- Arm Sniper
- Taking down laser towers and sniping important units costs 1000 energy per shot.
- 2260 damage per shot. Build an energy storage.
- Arm Raven
- 900 energy per shot. This means you need storage for sieging properly, as its not usual you have 80% of the energy tank full.
- This unit does around 2400 dps, but scattered/random non focusable damage.
- At times it seems its not worth its cost (half a golliat).
- Used properly, and covered, it will demolish any base, specially if you have 2.
- Arm Millenium
- The arm flagship, is now described as an "artillery" battle ship. 1000 e per shot.
- Arm Annihilator
- 4000 energy per shot for this massive laser weapon.
- Core artillery
- High damage per shot, bertha class shell, 750 energy per shot. Slow moving unit.
- Core Warlord
- The core flagship, needs 1200 energy to fire its main gun (400 energy per second). The secondary lasers drains 200 energy per shot(200 energy per second).
- Core Goliath
- High damage shell, uses 800 energy per shot.
- Core Krogoth
- Needs 2000 energy to fire its blue laser from the head.
Other units with high energy drain
In general, many other units need a good ammount of energy to work continiously.
Even when they dont require lots of energy to fire one shot, these units have high energy consumption, many times more than those big burst weapons.
- Core Sumo
- The heavy laser that it bears uses 192 energy per shot (274 per second).
- Arm Luger
- It used to cost nothing to fire this beautiful unit. Now with tweaked numbers, maintaining this thing firing costs MORE energy than a core artillery does, core arty uses 112 energy per second, luger uses 143 energy per second.
Basic xta description for ota players
All level 1 units are worth building:
- Stumpies and Hammers are decent anti-MT choices.
- Jeffies are very dangerous, but they do cost nearly 200 metal.
- There is a level 1 gunship now.
- Freedom Fighters and Avengers have been given their sorely needed boost.
All level 2 units are worth building:
- Sumos have tons of armor, huge range, rapid fire rate and move at medium speed.
- Their 2.1k metal cost is well worth the unit you get in exchange.
- Goliaths are horrifying weapons: 23k armor (66% as much as an OTA Krogoth), missile-alike range, BB-class shell.
- But they don't quite come for free: 2.8k metal.
- Mavericks build much faster.
- Flakkers fire at ground targets, and their antiair potential has been improved.
- Warlords and Leviathans were massively boosted in terms of armor and firepower.
- Krogoths are totally krazy, man.
Nearly all defenses were revamped:
- MTs are nearly unchanged, except they are smaller so that you can fit more of them into the same space.
- LLTs have the range and power to be worth building.
- HLTs are a bit costly, but they can reach further than missiles.
- An excellent early creep weapon.
- Ambusher/Toaster are now buidable by level 1 Construction units and fulfill the same role as Guardian/Punisher in OTA.
- Guardian/Punisher are level 2 structures with much longer range, firepower and armor.
- Annihilators and Doomsday Machines have far higher range, more armor, and they don't blow up half your base when they die.
- With all the armor available in level 2 units, you will need them.
- BB has lost some accuracy, Intim lost some range. Both lost firepower but gained armor and area of effect.
- EMP/Neutron silos are short ranged, very fast building budget nukes.
- Antinuke silos build their missiles faster to accomodate for EMP/Neutron change.
Resource structures have changed less than other parts of the mod but the gameplay impact is very big:
- Metal Extractors self destruct instantly and without damaging anything around them.
- This makes upgrading to Moho Extractors less tedious.
- ARM has a Mobile Fusion, CORE has a stationary Light Fusion.
- Both cost 1500 metal and make about 300 energy: ideal to fuel your Moho economy.
- Moho Extractors are quite cheap (750 metal) and make lots of metal, but they drain 300 energy.
- You want to have at least a Geo or Mobile/Light Fusion before you build a Moho.
Cloakable Fusions have taken the place of OTA's regular ones.
- Regular Fusions now cost 10k metal. Their armor and energy production have been increased appropriately.
- This reduces the need for Fusion farms in very late game.
- Mine layers have several types of mines that are worth building and move faster.
- Energy and Metal Storage stores a lot more.
- Missile frigates have got firepower and hitpoints suitable for their cost.
- Mobile artillery and lugers are not inaccurate.
- Decoy commanders build as fast as real commanders.
- The build range on all con units has been increased.