Well, as you saw in that game where I was HQ, most damage to your base was done with the Basilisks, which are all round Epsilon, so it wouldn't have mattered it I was PC, SC or HQ, I still would've used them.
Yes, I actually tried using my Shadow Tanks to block off ground unit production from your WF (idk if it was successful because the next time I checked, you already had some Wolfies in the air.
That small group of Stalker I used, was just to harass you a little bit but your Wolfies, once again, took quick care of them. Same with that group of Brutes, but all were single uniit type groups. I didn't have enough mass during your desperation attempt where you sent in everything you had, but you could have beaten me, but I guess my unts were just a little bit faster to that last standing Battle Bunker.
That Irkalla of mine was used properly, TO DEFEND my remaining base
I admit I am not the most professional HQ player and I just tried out a few small things on you, but 1 thing I did notice, is that you were relying solely on Nuclear Power Plants lategame (selling your Tesla Reactors) which really cost you the match when my Basilisks came in.
Having 50 Wolfhounds in the air would also be considered OP, just like having a lot of Scuds; Each subfaction has their own strengths and weaknesses and you just got to learn how to properly take advantage of those weaknesses when you get a chance.
Like that other match, where I was Russia for instance. No need for T3 at all
1. The Basilisks alone could be handled, and it was only via my lack of foresight that they managed to do as much damage as they did. My point was that they can be dealt with on their own, but when combined with HQ, they become much, much more deadly.
2. Those Shadow Tanks did indeed block my WF's production, and forced me to use the Wolfhounds to deal with them (the Wolfhounds, unfortunately, can't detect stealth). The problem I had with them, though, is that it is so easy to get a hoard of them and then just park them a little ways outside of your opponent's base, and then letting him try to scout or expand, before ambushing him thus forcing him to hole up in his base. As with the Basilisks, they can be dealt with given time, Wolfhounds, and a lot of dead troops to flush them out, but together with the rest of HQ? Exploration becomes impossible, and full retreat just results in dead man walking.
3. The Driller/Stalker combination is painful on its own, but can be dealt with (albeit not before a lot of damage has been done). The problem is that combined with the Cloning Vats, they can be spammed easily, and then paired up with the Colossus, Shadow Tanks, and Basilisks. Stalkers alone are not the problem; it's their ridiculous synergy with the rest of HQ.
4. The Colossus I went into great detail why they are so damn overpowered: absolutely nothing I send at them seems to land a single hit on them. Absolutely destructive and overpowered on its own, but with everything else the HQ has?
5. The issue I have with the Irkalla is when it's used to escort a massive force of Colossus, Stalkers, Shadow Tanks, and Basilisks; defending a base is different from providing covering fire support. In every match I've had against HQ, the Irkalla was used in that fashion.
6. Nuclear Power Plants I find more useful than Tesla Reactors, since they provide far more power than a Tesla does, and easier to wall in and defend against spies. Having Tesla Reactors lying around my base renders it vulnerable to sabotage.
6. Having overwelming numbers of any unit is ridiculous in any case, but can be beaten when properly dug-in (those Wolfhounds, for example? Copious amounts of flak. The flak may all die in the end, and the base wrecked, but all dead Wolfhounds in the end). The problem is that the same situation doesn't work in reverse: using 50 Wolfhounds to defend a base from an invading HQ force results in nothing but dead Wolfhounds and barely any HQ casualties. In fact, no matter what unit is spammed in response to defend against invading HQ, even when spamming multiple different units and using them in tandem, absolutely nothing works. Spamming defenses doesn't work, spamming tanks doesn't work, spamming infantry doesn't work, spamming aircraft doesn't work, spamming everything doesn't work.
7. The last problem is, of course, the sheer cost in trying to defend against HQ. When you have an army of Colossus, Stalkers, Shadow Tanks, Basilisks, and the Irkalla, trying to maintain an economy while under attack becomes impossible. You lose units almost as fast as you can build them, you can't enough money from your miners in time, the miners themselves are being harrassed and destroyed, you can only build one type of unit or structure at a time, and even if you stockpile up all of your units to defend against the HQ army on your doorstep, the enemy still has his production infrastructure intact and still sending in units, making such an endeavor utterly fruitless.
8. Tier 3 may not be required to beat HQ at all, but most people just don't have the speed or micromanagement skills to beat HQ before they get to Tier 3 themselves. Hell, I tried reproducing the strategy you used against me, but by the time I get the Borillos, Pyros, and Crazy Ivans as required by the plan, I'm either already under attack on another front, the opposing base is already too well defended, or both. The window of opportunity is so small that it is nearly impossible to achieve victory in the required time needed; once you lose your chance to attack, you are fucked.
