Supreme Commander/Factions

The nations of Supreme Commander are comprised of three fictional factions from the game Supreme Commandar, 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.

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 into 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 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.