Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 10:13 pm Post subject:
What is the tactical role of the Robot Tank?
Subject description: Some balancing considerations.
I'm playing around with some ideas for expanding the Robot Tank variety ecosystem in the Allied tech tree. However, I'm not really sure what the role of the Robot Tank is supposed to be, or what people tend to use it for. Sure, it's a cool idea, and in the fluff, it's supposed to be a counter for mind control, but in-game, that is hampered by having a weapon ineffective against infantry and more indicative of a tank hunter, leaving it open for easy counters by bodyguards composed of Brutes that Yuris often travel with. It also cannot even outcompete the Lasher Tank.
I suppose it could still be used as a counter to mental shenanigans, as it can destroy Chaos Drones, and Yuris, as it can crush them and an anti-tank cannon still being better than nothing even against infantry.
Aside from its narrowly defined role, it could also be used as a fast raider, making use of its superior speed and, on the right maps, amphibious capability. It could be used as a cheap naval counter for the same reason.
Finally, it could be used to spike teams of Grizzlies or infantry with some additional guns that come at a lower cost than Grizzlies, as long as something else soaks up damage.
But still the unit feels somehow "off" and redundant in any tactical role except countering one faction's single gimmick, mind control. Sure, MC can be so horrible to play against that that might make it worth it, but it seems odd to have just one unit - essentially a glass cannon amphibious light tank - capable of resisting MC. It just seems like to many unique things thrown together in an attempt to avoid redundancy, to quite say where it fits.
It seems all of the roles can be filled by the Rocketeer more efficiently - their mobility is even better, they can pass over radiation, are safe from mind control, are reasonably good vehicle killers and can deal with infantry more effectively of course, have anti-air capability and are completely safe from most air units and a broad range of ground units, unlike the brittle Robot Tank, with vulnerability to anti-air as the only tradeoff.
I think what RedRes does with the Robot Tank, giving it a machine gun and a "laser painter" that lowers the armor of target vehicles, is a great idea. It turns the unit into something that supports and works in conjunction with the rest of the Allied army.
What do you all make of the Robot Tank? Last edited by Fourth Silmaril on Mon Jul 25, 2022 6:22 am; edited 1 time in total QUICK_EDIT
the only time i ever see the robot tank come up in multiplayer is when allied players use them to gank naval units. often in naval
games it comes down to numbers and speed, and being able to build naval and robos simultaneously is a huge advantage for
allied players _________________ visit my moddb profile for .shp downloads and stuff QUICK_EDIT
Robot Tank was designed as Yuri-counter.
The devs seemed to have an obsession for the allies to be able to have a unit for each thing needed to be countered.
Even if it's not that good as the added GGI was vs Soviet armor, it is still a very good counter even for light-armored vehicles, prism tanks included.
If an allied player does prism spam, you may not be able to spawn grizzlies fast enough to stop him (due to buildtime multi) but the Robot Tank will do. For each enemy prism you'll spawn 2 robos.
And if you play islands based maps, it offers a clear advantage there, as McPwny mentioned.
So yes, I used to use it a lot in many cases, but mostly vs Yuri overinfestation. _________________ Red Alert 2 Yuri's Revenge Apocalypse mod:
Rocketeers actually can't reliably replace Robot Tanks as naval bombardment counters. You have to remember that the naval antiair units are a league above their terrestrial counterparts. Sea Scorpions share a weapon with Flak Cannons even before promotion. Let's not even start about the Aegis Cruiser.
If your plan to take out dreadnoughts or carriers in the absence of a naval yard is to spam rocketeers, the enemy just needs a few Sea Scorpions or Aegis Cruisers to drop them like flies. Even the AI is coded to build a pair of Sea Scorpions with a Dreadnought. QUICK_EDIT
Rocketeers actually can't reliably replace Robot Tanks as naval bombardment counters. You have to remember that the naval antiair units are a league above their terrestrial counterparts. Sea Scorpions share a weapon with Flak Cannons even before promotion. Let's not even start about the Aegis Cruiser.
If your plan to take out dreadnoughts or carriers in the absence of a naval yard is to spam rocketeers, the enemy just needs a few Sea Scorpions or Aegis Cruisers to drop them like flies. Even the AI is coded to build a pair of Sea Scorpions with a Dreadnought.
Agreed,
Aegis is the ultimate AA when it comes to original game AA power. QUICK_EDIT
But yuri does not even have naval AA without mods :v
(huge oversight IMO)
In any case, yes. Robot Tanks are very solid amphibious attackers and thus key in island maps (even AI knows this AFAIK)
Remember, in RA2, there is no other combat land-amphibious unit, let alone one that can be produced from warfactory.
Disk and Siege Chopper are air, and thus easier to down by the mentioned powerful waterborne AA. Also not optimized as anti-armor.
Basically Robot Tank are anti-tank and fleet killers, and can be base assault if needed.
There is the detail tho that if enemy destroys all robot control while Tanks are in the water, they will sink. But generally having two is enough to prevent this. Now low power, that is a greater challenge... _________________ QUICK_EDIT
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What is the tactical role of the Robot Tank?
