At what level are various units unlocked?

I tried a search on this but did not find a listing anywhere.

I'm wondering when the following units become available:

Marines
Militia
Submarine
Stealth
Sentry Plane

Are these unlocked with SP or based on level?
Can the unlock be purchased with $$$ or not?


I'm trying to figure out if my next opponent is going to have any of these. I got my butt waxed by a guy who had Stealth when I was not expecting it. I managed to down a dozen of the bloody things before things went to he11 but it was not pretty. It will be a lot easier to fight against these "locked" units if I know to look for them.

I'm also wondering if it is worth just tossing the $$$ for the lifetime unlock so I won't have to deal with this. I mean, it is fine if some folks want to spend days of time building up SP to unlock stuff but I don't have that time. It kind of sucks to be sitting in the noob seats 'cause I have a life away from the computer. Of course, I might still be sitting in the noob seats with all the unlocked stuff but right now, we don't know.

Http://afterwind.com/forum/topic.php?topic_id=1055

They are all unlocked with sp and you can't buy sp with real money but premium does give you a slight discount on upgrades.
Marines:1000sp(900 with premium.) You also get these if you are using Master of Stealth or GW.
Militia: 2000sp(1800 with premium.) Should be unlocked if you are using GW but you need to buy it for other strats.
Subs: 100 sp (90 with premium) Also should be unlocked with MoS
Stealth: 20000 sp(18000 with premium) These are unlocked when you are using MoS and SM and I wouldn't recommend buying them till you've bought all the more important upgrades. The only strats where they are really useful they are given to you if you are using them.
Sentries: 400 sp (360 with premium)
If you really enjoy the game I'd say it's worth it to get premium for the few extra strats, private games and things like that. Or you can buy individual options if you don't want the whole package. Plus I think the devs deserve that little extra support. As for most of these upgrades I don't think you should really have any trouble getting these outside of Stealth.

Thanks. I guess unit upgrades are based on buying with SP.

Are SP only available by playing the game?

SP pool counts in the beginner games seem to be pretty small.

I did OK getting points in a Main game even though I surrendered. Seems kind of wrong that someone who seeks out Main games and gets trounced gets more points than someone who works hard at the Beginner games.

I'm still wondering if I can just throw some $$$ at the SP problem. I've been playing strategy games since before there were computers so I'm not feeling the need to spend lots of time "learning" how to use the units.

I guess sp pools are smaller in beginner games because people really don't know what they are doing. (My best guess lol I don't really know.) And you can't buy sp for money.

I picked up premium (for a month) already. I have no heartache supporting game developers.

Just find it annoying that having a job / life outside the computer is penalized by the game advancement structure. Basically someone with time to earn 18,000 SP has units running around that are invisible. Mind, I did make it dangerous for them after they "unstealthed" or got too close to one of my pickets but what the hey. Is this a strategy game or a role playing game? When basement_boy gets extra units on the board 'cause he hasn't figured out how to leave home, I have to wonder.

If you want stealth you don't really need 18k sp. Just spend 1350 on Master of Stealth and you should get to use marines subs and stealth bombers while your playing that strat without spending the sp on them.

Not a bad approach.

Stealth was just the specific example. The immediate response to that particular problem (basement_dwellers with stealth units) is to spend my hard earned SP on the Sentry Plane unit. I would have preferred to save SP for things like improved capacity for transports (sea and air).

The real complaint is that we have a strategy game where not all the players have access the same kind of pieces. Kind of like playing chess where only nationally ranked masters get to use a Queen and noobs only are allowed to have pawns. If the Afterwind masters need that kind of advantage to beat noobs, I am having less respect for them.

Palm,

I am used to strategy games where everyone has equal access to the playing pieces. Chess, Risk, and Command & Conquer are all excellent examples of that. I am also used role playing games where skills gained are cumulative over the life of the game. AD&D, WOW and Skyrim are all excellent examples of that.

Currently, Afterwind has a cumulative gain for the player _beyond_ the end of any individual game. This does not mesh into either the strategy or RPG models described. My game account "i_like_squirrels" is now accumulating skills/capabilities as if it my game account where some wand wielding weirdo in an AD&D game. As an AD&D player who played out of a first edition Player's Handbook, I kind of recognize Experience points (SP) and leveling.

Why am I asking questions about this?


This statement by the game creators:
http://afterwind.com/home/faq.php?faq_id=24
explicitly compares this game to "... Risk and Civilization ..." strategy games, not rpg.


So, faced with a discontinuity between the game creators statement and what I am seeing in the game play, I am asking questions.


If my interest in paying to gain SP so I can access all game features offends you, consider that I am willing to do so if it will support the game creators and allow me to play the game at the maximum designed capability. I'm not asking YOU to pay to play. I'm not asking YOU to surrender anything you own. If all the extra bells and whistles between 0 SP and 100,000 SP effect game outcomes, this is less a strategy game and more an rpg. If, as some claim, those bells and whistles mean nothing with out a skilled player, then it would seem reasonable to allow the rich, unskilled players to spend their $$$ so they can get their butts kicked in a strategy game.

So, is this a strategy game "... like Risk and Civilization" or is it another Role Playing Game?

Right now, it looks like it has RPG flavors to it, complete with down trodden dungeon dwellers.

Nah. I already demonstrated my "Summon a troll" spell.

Ok, stay cool ;-)

if you reach level 9 (9 1/2) you will have alle Upgrades you want, and before you just had to look which one fittest the best to your stil of play.
and Sentrys (400sp) are not nessesary, if you find a way to catch stealt with Walls or something you can do this. (btw 400sp is one game, so not reaaly expensive)

Sentries are okay at some times.

Of cause, i love my sentries, i just want to point out that there are otherways too