High ranking game on Open Palms
I have just finished watching an excellent replay (v3254) involving #3 ranked TheLittleOne versus #24 TAG_ROCK_. LittleOne chose Aeon and Rock played as Cybran, with the match occurring on Open Palms.
The match proves interesting even in the first few minutes, with both players choosing non-standard early build orders. On Open Palms, all 4 starting mass deposits are reachable without moving the ACU. This fact is well used by Rock, who chooses to grab all 4 deposits and build 4 power generators before even starting his first factory. While this puts him a bit behind on his first factory, it enables Rock to finish his second factory well before LittleOne, at about 2:20 into the match. In contrast, LittleOne chooses to build a factory, all 4 mass extractors, but only 2 power generators at the starting position. With his first engineer and his ACU assisting, he then rapidly completes a hydrocarbon plant on the deposit just North of his starting position.
As is necessary on a map like Open Palms, both players expand rapidly, building multiple factories and attacking with light assault bots. By 4 minutes in, Rock’s and LittleOne’s forces are already engaging each other, with Rock’s forces initially at a small advantage. However, LittleOne completes his third, fourth, and then fifth land factories quickly, and soon has a substantially larger force than Rock.
The skirmishing continues, and both players make use of tech 1 transports loaded with light assault bots. Neither player is really prepared to defend against an air attack in the early game, and both players have to scramble an air defense. I am forced to question LittleOne’s use of his “ghetto gunship” at this point, as he uses it to attack Rock’s forces in the field rather than taking out Rock’s undefended power plants, which are in a fairly nice arrangement for some chain reaction damage.
At about 10 minutes in, both players have pretty much taken control of their respective sides, at least temporarily. LittleOne has also reached tech 2 and is pumping out t2 engineers and offensive units rapidly. A couple minutes later and Rock is also at tech 2. LittleOne seems to focus mostly on building t2 mobile missile launchers. While effective at taking out enemy forces at range, these units are easily overrun in close fighting, and many missiles are wasted when multiple launchers fire at the the same target. LittleOne also attempts an airdrop of t2 tanks into Rock’s base, but he finds it heavily defended with Manti, and the attack is easily stopped.
At about 16 minutes in, Rock launches a sizable attack at LittleOne, and effectively pushes him back almost all the way into his starting position. With no upgraded extractors and most of his territory lost, things look somewhat bleak for LittleOne. He does, however, have multiple t2 power generators, as well as a number of t1 mass fabricators, so he continues to outscore Rock. With his own position secure, however, Rock is able to begin upgrading his factory to tech 3.
Things may seem bleak for LittleOne at this point, but he snatches victory from the jaws of seeming defeat. In what must have been quite unexpected for Rock, LittleOne airdrops about a dozen t2 tanks and a heavily upgraded ACU right on top of Rock’s un-upgraded ACU. Rock has a few siege bots at this point, but they are not nearly enough. After a short chase, Rock’s ACU is destroyed and LittleOne wins the match.
There are a few remarks worth making about this match. First, both players make heavy use of t1 light assault bots and tanks, but no use of t1 point defense. On a wide open map like Open Palms, point defense is rarely worth it. Both players make heavy use of t2 units, which shows how much gameplay has changed since the v3251 patch. Finally, although Rock appeared to be winning near the end, LittleOne had a substantially higher score for a reason, and he was able to use his stronger economy to devastating effect with commander upgrades.
All in all, a very interesting match that everyone should definitely take a look at.
June 12th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
I would not call a hydro build order non-standard… It is becoming quite standard when using ghetto gunships or t2 rush.
June 12th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
That replay was insane. It’s so risky to air drop your commander in on an attack like this, but the risk paid off in this instance. It goes back to what I always say - bring your commander back into your base past around ten minutes. He’s too exposed hanging out in those forward expansions. If the air drop had had to go all the way to his crescent base, maybe he would have seen the air units in time and intercepted them?
June 12th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
I often find that mid game(after t1 stage in t2 spam) safest place for my com is at my facts on the front lines where all my units are and not back at my base which is usually relatively undefended and easy to airdrop something near it run in and kill my acu. Just remember to build a tmd and shield.
June 12th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
That was an awesome match
June 12th, 2007 at 7:18 pm
That upgraded ACU drop was crazy. Very creative.
June 12th, 2007 at 10:24 pm
The upgraded ACU was not that much of a risk. With 40k HP and 770 DPS at range 30, the upgraded Aeon com is easily powerful enough to take on 8-10 SAB’s or 25+ T2 tanks single-handed. If it shows up with an assault force, it tanks while its minions do even more damage.
Even if Rock had his ACU in his base, I doubt he could have had enough AA to kill a T2 transport before it dropped the com. 210 damage is a lot to do with AA at T2/early T3. In any event, the upgraded ACU could easily have walked the whole way with 30 Auroras and killed anything in its path.
June 12th, 2007 at 11:41 pm
First off, the warning signs were many that an air strike on TR’s ACU was planned. Around 15 minutes or so littleone had interceptors and scouts circling overhead, which finally persuaded TR to build a few T2 AA guns. Also, I don’t think the upgraded ACU drop was worth the risk–it didn’t even do anything except maybe keep the one or two SAB’s off the T2 tanks. It was the T2 tanks that did all the assassinating. Fantastic replay! I love seeing ones that are DIFFERENT from all the others.
June 13th, 2007 at 2:50 am
@Baddox: Watch again. The com did 5k damage before he got out of range. There were only 6 Obsidians. An unupgraded Cybran com can kill 6 Obsidians unassisted.
June 13th, 2007 at 6:24 am
Great replay review - these are my favourite part of Supreme Commander Talk. I’m hanging out for one on a water map, even if it’s not between ranked players.
June 13th, 2007 at 9:18 am
amanasleep: Yeah, the ACU drop was a big risk. all of those 40K HP don’t matter one bit when it’s traveling in a very fragile transport.
June 13th, 2007 at 9:33 am
@amanasleep. You’re probably right. I should stop making conclusions unless I check more closely.
By they way, did he just get the regen and weapon upgrade? There doesn’t seem to be a way to tell what’s being upgraded on an ACU while watching a replay–if there is, I don’t know it.
June 13th, 2007 at 9:36 am
Baddox: No, it was a fully upgraded Aeon combat ACU, with shield, rate of fire, and range of fire upgrades.
June 13th, 2007 at 10:28 am
Its not that difficult to take out a T2 transport before it lands. Rock would have needed to be on his toes, but if he had immediately targeted the transport with the commander in it he might have won. I just played a game where 2 T2 AA (Aeon) took out a T2 transport carrying a commander before it was able to land. I also had a couple interceptors, though. This was a last ditch comm-bomb, rather than a coordinated attack, so he didn’t have any escorts.
June 13th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
@Baddox: You can check upgrades by choosing the player that controls the unit you want to look at and then selecting the unit and clicking on the upgrade dialog. If he has an upgrade, the “remove upgrade” button will be there telling you what it is.
June 15th, 2007 at 11:24 am
Just saw the replay yesterday. It was great. I’ll definitely pick up some mass management tips from little one. I alway run out of mass just as i get to t2.