Consider ACU options through the game, especially those for front-line combat:
- Starting out: about the same (slight HP variations)
- Very early (400M / 5KE):
- Aeon: -
- UEF: (double) drone
- Cybran: stealth
- Seraphim: -
- Early game (to 800M / 25kE):
- Aeon: T2 OR gun range, gun speed OR sensors
- UEF: T2 OR nano, gun
- Cybran: T2 OR gun
- Seraphim: T2 OR restoration field, gun
- Slightly later (to 1750M / 56kE):
- Aeon: shield, chrono
- UEF: TML
- Cybran: torpedo
- Seraphim: adv. restoration field, nano, TML
- Later (to 3000M / 125kE):
- Aeon: T3, heavy shield
- UEF: T3, shield
- Cybran: T3
- Seraphim: T3 (note that nano + adv resto field combo is in this price range)
- Later (to 6000M / 500kE):
- Aeon: RAS
- UEF: (double) RAS, shield gen field, billy nuke
- Cybran: RAS, mazor
- Seraphim: (double) RAS, adv nano, splash gun
- Very late: personal teleporter, Cybran cloak
Very early game UEF gets drones, otherwise there's not much difference (stealth isn't really used here, it's just that cheap). Early game all get combat upgrades, with some choices.
Slightly later we see some differences: UEF doesn't have a direct combat upgrade, Cybran has the torpedo (but not useful in most games); Aeon and Sera both have more options.
At the 3kM / 125kE level, again Cybran is the only one without a combat upgrade. UEF gets its shield, but still feels a bit behind the others.
Finally at the 500kE level, Cybran can get another gun (mostly only used for all-in snipe attempts), and Sera can turn into a monster.
What stands out here are that:
- During the mid game, Cybran is weak on the front-line (especially since T2+gun is not an option).
- UEF also feels a little left out in mid-game, though it's still decent.
- Cybran cloak is never ever used in serious (non-AI) games.
- Cybran and Seraphim have some kind of tele-snipe option late-game; Aeon and UEF don't.
- Cybran mazor is an all-in option (little utility other than win-or-lose snipe attempts), mostly since ACU survivability on the front line is poor late game, especially for Cybran
Some suggestions (while not going to insane black-ops standards):
- Replace the Cybran cloak with a walk-speed boost (around 20%), at about the same cost as the Aeon shield, making this a second-tier upgrade over stealth. This would make the ACU less vulnerable on the front line.
- Maybe give Cybran another mid-game right-arm option (instead of torp or mazor), perhaps a rocket like the hoplite (slightly upgraded)
or AA like a cruiser (slightly nerfed) - Maybe give UEF a second-tier gun upgrade (a bit more power and small splash) in the mid game
- Maybe give Aeon a late-game gun power upgrade to make tele-snipe almost-feasible (less powerful than mazor). (Or maybe forget this one!)