Supreme Commander/Factions

The factions of Supreme Commander are comprised of three fictional factions from the game Supreme Commander, a real-time strategy game developed by Gas Powered Games and was first released on February 16, 2007. Each is represented as possessing great zeal and differing ideas on the future of humanity as a whole.

Factions have many common elements, with all of them possessing variants of the same units at the different technology tiers. For example, each faction has a tier 2 heavy tank, with minor differences in hit points or rate of fire. Some even possess special abilities, like the Aeon heavy tank, which is equipped with an energy shield. However, unique units are also available to every faction, like the Cybran's mobile stealth generator and each faction's experimental units, which are listed below.

Aeon Illuminate
The Aeon draw their roots from the Golden Age of expansion of the old Earth Empire. The descendants of the first humans to encounter alien intelligent life, a peaceful, yet highly advanced, society known as the Seraphim, who first introduced colonists to their philosophy, known as The Way. Due to escalating paranoia and xenophobia among the Old Earth Empire, however, conflict soon broke, driving the Seraphim to extinction. The colonists of the alien planet, claiming to be disciples of the Seraphim, soon founded a civilization, supposedly based upon their teachings. In a twist of irony, the Aeon Illuminate soon began a zealous assault on the galaxy, intending to purge all those who did not share in their beliefs.ref name=Aeon Background/ref

In sharp contrast to the other two factions, Aeon units have a smooth and elegant design, unlike the rough build of the UEF or the menacing atmosphere of the Cybran Nation. Aeon tactics rely on efficient, specialized attack vehicles with very powerful, yet narrow capabilities. Their weapons tend to be slower firing, but more damaging, than those of their rivals.ref name=Aeon Tactics/ref A platoon Aeon light hovercraft, as an example of their tactics, has approximately half the durability of its UEF counterpart, but will still hold its own in battle, due to greater range and firepower.

The Aeon experimental units are the Galactic Colossus sacred assault bot, the CZAR airborne aircraft carrier, and the Tempest submersible battleship.

Cybran Nation
The Cybran Nation (originally called the Recyclers)ref name=ReadmeSupreme Commander Readme, retrieved from: French retail DVD/readme.txt/ref is composed of Symbionts, humans whose brains have been computerized and enhanced with implantable technology, the most important being the mutual AI (in addition to various other augmentations). They fight for the liberation of their fellow Cybran from the oppressive United Earth Federation. The Cybran Nation is led by the brilliant-yet-eccentric Dr. Brackman, the chief designer of the cybernetic technology behind the Cybrans, as well as a father figure to them.ref name=Cybran Background/ref

The Cybran units are highly advanced. Their primary focus is on adaptability, accuracy, and stealth. The units of the Cybran nation display unusually wide ranges of functionality, not the least notable of which are their ability to deploy ships with land-walking capabilities, or a self-repairing assault bot. The Cybrans' versatility comes at the cost of having less direct firepower than the UEF or the Aeon in head to head confrontation, begging players to rely more on their units' outstanding accuracy and versatility to meet their ends.ref name=Cybran Tactics/ref Most Cybran weapons are based on laser or energy-pulse technology rather than projectiles, lending them more accuracy and increasing effectiveness against moving targets, but decreasing their potency versus fortifications or on varied terrain (due to their weapons' straight-firing nature.)

Cybran units are sharply hewn and spiky, augmenting their no-frills style of design (described as red, angular, and spikey in a developer interview found on the bonus DVD). According to a Chris Taylor interview located on the Supreme Commander DVD, Cybran unit designs are the result of extremely intelligent engineers, capable of adapting and responding to any need that may arise. If the Nation requires a destroyer able to walk on land, which Taylor gives as an example, little difficulty is met in updating a tried design to do just that.

The Cybran experimental units are the Monkeylord spider-bot walker, the mobile Scathis rapid-fire artillery platform, and the Soul Ripper gunship.

United Earth Federation
The United Earth Federation (or 'UEF') is the faction representing the interests of a united, Earth-based government. The UEF developed from the ashes of the Earth Empire, and now seeks to reunite humanity and restore Earth's control over the galaxy. Their society and military tactics resemble modern society more than the Cybrans or Aeon do. Their acceptance of a variant of slavery and ideology of forced unity lends a darker side to the faction.ref name=UEF Background/ref

The UEF favours traditional modes of warfare, utilizing treaded tanks, light ballistics, and large calibre weapons reminiscent of present-day designs. They tend to be the most durable, but often at the penalty of firepower and special abilities. Their design style is somewhat derived from 20th and 21st century mechanized warfare and technology, having inherited neither the alien tradition and methods of the Aeon, nor the ultra-integrated cybernetic mentality of the Cybran. UEF Units tend to be physically tougher, but possess less direct firepower compared to other factions. The UEF often rely on their heavy weapons and armour to hold existing positions while advancing slowly but steadily, as their general unit design would suggest.ref name=UEF Tactics/ref In addition, turreted UEF units are generally slow to turn and respond due to their heavy armour, giving them a vulnerability to flanking attacks.

The UEF's Experimental units are the Fatboy mobile factory, the Atlantis submersible aircraft carrier, and the Mavor strategic artillery platform.

Experimental Units
Experimental units are the unique units of every faction, with every faction having three different units. These units can only be built late into the game, and it is perceived as impossible to build one in a game shorter than ten minutes.

Aeon Illuminate

 * Czar Flying Fortress: The Czar is usually described as an Independence Day-style flying saucer, complete with a massive quantum beam generator that deals tremendous damage to anything unfortunate enough to be caught beneath the Czar. In addition to its main weapon, anti-aircraft weapons line the perimeter of the Czar, and it can carry a large amount of aircraft.  The latest update also gives it the ability to construct aircraft internally when not on the move.
 * Galactic Colossus Sacred Assault Bot: This is the single most durable unit in the game, and is the only one that can survive ground zero of a strategic nuclear missile blast (in fact, four are required to destroy the Galactic Colossus). It has a head-mounted Photon Beam Cannon which can destroy an unshielded Armored Command Unit in half a second, and two 'gravity claw' arms that can grab and destroy many land units.  It is, however, extremely slow and lacks any anti-aircraft capabilities.  In addition, the wreckage of the Sacred Assault Bot can provide the largest amount of mass from a single object in the game to add to a commander's war effort if it is reclaimed, allowing for a rapid recovery by the opponent if employed carelessly.
 * Tempest Submersible Factory: Carries a long range energy cannon and six torpedo launchers. The Tempest can quickly construct naval units up to destroyers and cruisers; however, like the Fatboy mobile factory, it can only construct units while surfaced and not moving.

Cybran Nation

 * Soul Ripper Experimental Gunship: A beetle-like gunship with outstanding durability for an aircraft. Twin iridium rocket packs capable of dealing splash damage provide it with respectable firepower against massed land targets, while its twin heavy electron bolters can deal further damage against single targets and its twin anti-aircraft missile launchers provide modest anti-air firepower.  Usually meant for frontline help with air support and anti-air weapons.  If used correctly, it can do a great deal of damage to the enemy.
 * Scathis Experimental Mobile Rapid Fire Artillery: The Scathis consumes a considerable amount of energy, but can quickly saturate a large area with its cannons. Its durability has been greatly enhanced in the latest update; even so, it should not be left unsupported for any period of time.
 * Monkeylord Spiderbot: The most iconic of the experimental units of Supreme Commander, the Monkeylord is armed with a heavy microwave laser, twin heavy electron bolters, anti-aircraft missiles, and even a torpedo launcher for protection while underwater. It can also conceal itself from radar systems for a moderate energy cost, allowing it to sneak up on unprepared bases in order to unleash its microwave laser, which suffers from a relatively short range.  The microwave laser continues firing as long as units are in range, even if on the opposite side of the Monkeylord, resulting in a garden hose firing arc as the turret turns to meet the target.

United Earth Federation

 * Fatboy Mobile Factory : A tracked mobile base that can crawl across land and the ocean floor. It is heavily armored and has a variety of weapons, including 4 triple-barreled gauss cannon turrets, torpedo tubes and a pair of anti-aircraft railguns.  There are also short range machine guns located in the sides of the hull for added firepower and protection against units too close for the heavy turrets to hit.  These are joined by a strong shield generator that can protect other units in its range.  The Fatboy can also construct land units at twice the rate of a fully upgraded factory and can repair and refuel aircraft, but cannot do either of these when submerged.  The Fatboy may be very loosely based off of the Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte, being an extremely large tracked vehicle with battleship-like weapons.
 * Atlantis Submersible Aircraft Carrier: Can hold, refuel, and repair up to 150 aircraft, depending on size. It has several anti-aircraft weapons, mainly Surface-to-air missiles and AA guns, but primarily relies on powerful torpedoes (from four torpedo tubes) to inflict damage.  The Atlantis needs a large body of water to submerge completely, for if there is not enough room, part of it will jut out and become vunrable to surface weapons.  The latest patch gives it the ability to construct aircraft internally, further augmenting its abilities.
 * Mavor Strategic Artillery: An extremely expensive artillery structure, the Mavor possesses effectively infinite range, and can fire extraordinarily accurate artillery shells across the largest of maps. Requires a very long time to build, and has very high resource costs in order to offset its decisive firepower.