Alpha Centauri features a Unit Design Workshop which is very flexible in comparison to other Civ games. For each unit, the workshop presents you with choices for each of a unit's weapon (attack strength), armor (defense strength), chassis (speed and terrain movement), reactor (hit points and build cost), and up to two special abilities (but only one until the discovery of Neural Grafting).
Understanding Unit Characteristics
- Attack - The strength of the unit
- Defense - The defensive strength
- Reactor - see Reactor
Weapon
'Copters, Gravships, Hovertanks, Infantry, Needlejets, and Speeders all equip weapons. Missiles (and only missiles) can carry the Conventional Payload and Planet Buster weapons. Mind Worms carry the Psi Attack weapon. Units with any other chassis must equip Equipment instead of a Weapon.
Chaos Gun
Fusion Laser
Gatling Laser
Graviton Gun
Hand Weapons
- Prerequisite Tech: none
- Attack Strength: 1
This weapon is really no weapon at all: when a unit has no other weapon, it will use this.
Laser
Missile Launcher
Particle Impactor
Plasma Shard
Quantum Laser
Singularity Laser
Tachyon Bolt
Conventional Payload
Planet Buster
Psi Attack
Equipment
Colony Module
Probe Team
Supply Transport
Terraforming Unit
Troop Transport
Armor
No Armor
- Prerequisite Tech: none
- Defense Strength: 1
Antimatter Plate
Neutronium Armor
Photon Wall
Plasma Steel Armor
Probability Sheath
Psi Defense
Silksteel Armor
Stasis Generator
Synthmetal Armor
Chassis
'Copter
Cruiser
Foil
Gravship
Hovertank
Infantry
- Prerequisite Tech: none
- Speed: 1
- Terrain: Land
The default chassis for units. Some units (crawlers, formers, colony pods) do not display an actual infantryman in the unit graphic, instead using a custom weapon graphic sitting on enlarged treads.
Missile
Needlejet
Speeder
Reactor
Fission Plant
- Prerequisite Tech: N/A
- Hit Points: 10
The default reactor for units. Later in the game, it is ideal for worm-killing units since psi combat ignores reactor strengths, and without a strong weapon, more advanced reactors will usually make the unit more expensive.
Fusion Reactor
Quantum Chamber
Singularity Engine
Special Abilities
AAA Tracking
Air Superiority
Amphibious Pod
Antigrav Struts
Blink Displacer
Carrier Deck
Clean Reactor
- Prerequisite Tech: Bio-Engineering
Not to be confused with the unit's Reactor, the Clean Reactor trait comes with Bio-Engineering and while it increases the costs of the unit's construction, it reduces the cost of support.
Cloaking Device
Comm Jammer
Deep Pressure Hull
Allows teh unit to function as a submarine.
Deep Radar
Drop Pod
Empath Song
Fungicide Tank
Heavy Artillery
High Morale
Hypnotic Trance
- Prerequisite Tech: Secrets of the Human Brain
This is probably the most popular special ability in the game, perhaps rivaling Clean Reactor. Adds 50% to psi defense, putting defending land units on equal footing with attackers, and turning sea or air units into veritable psi fortresses.
Nerve Gas Pods
- Prerequisite Tech: High Energy Chemistry
WARNING: using a unit equipped with this in combat is an atrocity. That means if the UN charter is in effect, everybody will declare war against you. You have been warned.
+50% attack bonus.