Scorched Earth tries to re-imagine some of the manufacturing specialties of the various countries involved. The main aspects come down to chassis/armor style, and firepower. The theme for Allied designs is more angular, and generally lighter armor versus the Soviets. The Allied countries have also honed their firing mechanisms, and opted for more clever munitions, to give them a fighting chance against the heavier Soviet enemy. The results of these changes create a rather good counterbalance, faster rates of fire, faster movement, and often better range.
The Allied tanks can outrun their counterparts, in almost all cases. They can fire barrages and get out of the line of fire rapidly. Where this is not feasible, the long range of higher tier support units really come into play. Clusters of GI's can slow the enemy's progress, while a bunch of Grizzlys bear down, and Prism tanks create a deadly pinch point from the sidelines. Clever use of tactics can entirely offset the weaker armor, while the increased speed gives them flexibility.
The improvements to the armaments have yielded great results as well, but rather than think in head-to-head terms, the key is tactically swarming opponents. The firing speed advantage allows even a handful of Grizzlys to overwhelm small groups of Rhinos or Apocs at a lower pricetag, with speedy tactical retreat always an option.
Where the Allies shine in Scorched Earth is stand-off fighting, lunging in and out of a fight, using their full arsenal of melee and ranged units, with air support. Countering the monstrous Soviet tanks, and fending off long range Soviet missiles will require skill and quick adjustments. Especially the unique units each country developed, and if possible, hybrid designs based on stolen technology. Prepare those spies.
Though the Allied base defenses are still very powerful, the additional range on V3's and other missile launching units can clear them out. Note also the Soviet countries have aircraft and paratroopers at their disposal, making the skies another hostile front. Air defenses are much more critical than before, and attempting to achieve the right mix of ground defenses will be tricky. Security will only become possible at a huge cost.
Below is a discussion of some of the new units available to each Allied country, but stolen tech units are omitted for the sake of discovery. Existing unit changes and re-assignments are noted for completeness. Not every country will receive an upgraded unit for the same roles, but this shouldn't detract from the basic units available, as everything has a cost, and availability doesn't imply that they have to be used.
New Allied units:
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New infantry: Prism Trooper
New vehicles: Ranger, APC
New vessels: Escort Ship (replaces Destroyer)
New aircraft: Falcon (replaces Harrier)
All Allied countries now get to make Prism-IFVs courtesy of the Prism Trooper, which fires faster, but without the secondary shrapnel beam of the Prism Tank. These can be a great defensive unit for picking off approaching infantry, or surviving a little longer as edge defense against tanks, since the Prism Trooper can keep firing if the IFV gets destroyed. The Prism Trooper can also be used to quickly raise the veteran level of the IFV, then ejected, to create a very powerful anti-air defense.
The Ranger is almost entirely anti-personnel, with a powerful mortar, and high speed, it's a good backup unit to clear out a cluster of enemy infantry quickly. Best used with ranged support from Prism units, or as a low-cost scout.
The APC is a fairly heavily armored, weaponless, troop carrier. Fast enough to dodge the majority of tank strikes, it can deliver Engineers or Seals into lightly defended areas of an enemy base. Having no natural defensive ability, it should be used with caution, at the most opportune times, ideally with several distraction assaults.
The Escort ship fulfills the role of the Destroyer, but uses depthcharges instead of the Osprey to attack submarine units. It retains the same cannon as the more expensive Destroyer, which makes it excellent for ship-to-ship combat, above and below the water surface. Relatively inexpensive, they will likely make up the majority of any fleet.
America:
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New vehicles: Abrahms Tank, Hummer Transport
New vessels: Nimitz Carrier
New aircraft: Stealth Bomber, Warthog
For land combat, the Abrahms is an excellent tank, one of the most heavily armored of the Allied side, and has a very long range cannon. Relatively slow and expensive it is best used in small groups of 3-4, in conjunction with a larger group of less expensive Grizzlys or other fighting vehicles. They can be effective at the back of the pack with their longer range, picking off defensive structures, while others are involved in battle, or as the lead dogs to absorb the hits while Prism tanks clear their vicinity of nuisances.
The Nimitz can be classed as the "super carrier" of the game, it launches a large wave of Hornets, and can wipe out the majority of buildings in a single strike. Slow and expensive, with no defensive weapons, it must be supported by Escorts and Aegis vessels to effectively combat threats, they will not escape by trying to flee.
The Warthog is a support aircraft, it's specialty is clearing a path with a powerful auto-cannon. Generally good against everything, it has one flaw, it has low precision for targeting, spraying a hail of explosive rounds in a general direction.
The Stealth Bomber is unique to the rest of the Allied airforce, in that it shoots a single guided bomb, that can destroy many buildings with one shot, with a unit cost matching such destructive power. Their flight altitude and stealthiness will reduce the amount of time and distance that anti-air systems are a danger, and sending an entire fleet of them at different targets will likely be successful.
Britain:
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New vehicles: Stinger
New vessels: Battleship, Destroyer
New aircraft: Jaguar
Not much in the way of ground combat superiority, the Stinger nevertheless provides a "sniper" in the form of a mechanized unit. Excellent for picking off targets from fairly long range with little noise, they make a good distraction team even better. Just a few Stingers can quickly wipe out a group of Harvesters. Their one flaw is their recharge time, once their coils overheat from several firing sequences, they are unable to fire for long enough to be in danger.
The Battleship is the premier ship-to-ship fighting vessel, slow and powerful, they can fire their cannons from well behind a melee of lighter class vessels. Great for softening a shoreline for landing craft, or wiping out air defenses for a Carrier attack. A combination of Escorts and Destroyers should always be present against a submarine attack.
The Jaguar is slow but durable bomber. It drops several unguided munitions along its flightpath, and does a good deal of damage to buildings. They are best used in small bunches against the larger critical structures. They are not effective against vehicles or many smaller structures generally.
France:
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New infantry: Elite Trooper
New vehicles: Howitzer
New vessels: Heavy Cruiser, Frigate
New aircraft: Mirage
The Elite Troopers are an inexpensive alternative to Prism Troopers for strategic support. They have a powerful minigun that's effective against tanks and infantry alike.
The Howitzer is a very long range self-propelled gun, not heavily armored, it can move quickly enough to be relevant in a fight, either as a moving defense, or as over-the-shoulder offensive support. They are very effective against buildings, and soft targets.
The Heavy Cruiser is a naval version of the Howitzer, with missile batteries for backup. Although expensive, they can substitute the Aegis in a balanced fleet at times, but ideally used as a shore pounder, destroying large structures in pairs.
The Mirage is a faster alternative to the Falcon, not overly powerful, but with the additional speed, survivability is improved. Great as a rapid response force to help a ground assault, specifically targeting defensive structures or enemy vehicles.
Germany:
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New vehicles: Leopard Tank, Mouse Tank
New vessels: Guardian Ship
New aircraft: Hurricane
The Germans already have a powerful Tank Destroyer on tap, and with engineering prowess, created additional tiers of battle tanks. The Leopard Tank being a better version of the Grizzly, with a similarly powerful cannon, with a significantly longer range. It is a best used for interdiction duties, held in reserve to rush into any conflicts where forces are insufficient for the task.
The Mouse is Germany's attempt to copy the Apocalypse. Keeping with the theme, the Mouse is roughly twice as powerful and durable as a Grizzly, although in combat this makes it far more destructive than would seem. A few can quickly destroy all the important structures in a base, if they get past the outer defenses. They will need the support of lighter tanks however, too many enemies will reduce their effectiveness.
The Guardian is a close support ship-to-ship fighting vessel, armed only with its rapid-fire mortars, it can bring down much larger vessels in pairs. Since they have no depthcharges, they can't fill the role of the Escort ships in general warfare, except in cases where no submarine units are present. One advantage they have in a melee is their ability to fire on the move, a small fleet of Guardians can pass through an enemy convoy in strafing runs to get to the high value target, while softening up any Escorts or other defenders on the way.
The Hurricane is a fast attack fighter, launching precision guided missiles, and quickly fleeing the scene. Great for cutting through light air defenses to destroy factories, they should still be used with purpose. For dangerous or suicide missions, it is often best to use the cheaper Falcons.
Korea:
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New vehicles: Strafer Tank, MLRS
New vessels: Smart Mine, Missile Warship, Black Carrier
The Strafer Tank is a lighter/cheaper Grizzly substitute, contrary to the other countries investing in heavier tanks, Korea decided to choose economy and speed.
The MLRS is a great long range support vehicle, either as part of a defensive line just behind of base defenses, or as close support of a tank rush. Their missiles are not terribly potent, or accurate, but they make up for that in numbers.
The Missile Warship is the naval equivalent of the MLRS, best used for attacking a base too close to the shore, in preparation for a larger invasion or air assault.
The Black Carrier is again Korea's shift away from the heavy combat ships, towards a more elegant Black Eagle launching platform. The incendiary bombs dropped by the Black Eagles are excellent against clusters of infantry, and most buildings. The spread of damage over a long strip gives them very high collateral damage, they can even be more damaging when bombing arbitrary targets because of that.
