Strategy Guides

Couple issues

What type of maps are you playing on?

Your build order is also highly suboptimal. It's not hard to fix.

Step 1 is always to buy crystal (it takes 1 second)

I changed my build, I find that light frigs at the beginning is suboptimal since most people LRM/Assail spam --> Light Frigs end up being dead weight

Desert planets are better than Terran planets (especially for Tec)--> also they are lighter defended

Avoid taking ice/volcano unless you have no choice, although if you're going the 2 civic build, it's not a big loss.

Important, 2 civic build basically just dies in 1v1 (even on larger maps). If the opponent scouts it (and they will if they're good), they storm you with assailants or lrms, and you just die since you only have light frigates.

Don't build static d until you stabilize your frontier. The point of static d is NOT to sit back and defend. LRMs outrange static d anyway. Static d takes forever to kill, so it's a delaying mechanism. Meaning, if they raid you one spot, you can counterraid another spot, and they have to spend time killing all that static d (so... build gauss turrets, lots and lots and lots of gauss turrets)

Only build static d at border colonies (choke)

Akkan sucks. I've done several tests, and its aura doesn't do anything except increase range. The missiles never miss anyway, so the aura doesn't seem to do ANYTHING dps wise. As far as dps went, Akkan + Lrms had no appreciable difference vs straight lrms. In other words, don't go Akkan... ever. A colony ship does the task better. Get that Kol or Mazra up for late game pwnage.

It seems to me that your strategy guide is for comp stomping. You invest in resource upgrades, when they pretty much suck (troops are a lot better early). Your build troops very late, and dies vs any other build (especially since you're spamming light frigates).

Maybe it works on a 40 planet map, but nobody plays those in MP seriously. There ARE viable econ builds with Tec, and if I have free time I can post an optimal one. But your build as is, I think, will lose pretty badly online.

I agree with you on most points. I'm not going to debate the other points I don't agree with, mainly because I made the mistake of adding the word "Human" to the guide, and I didn't define what this strategy is made for.

First I'll remove the word "Human" from the strategy guide, as it is indeed, mostly a comp-stomping guide meant to help brand new players get an idea of optimizing the strengths of a particular race. Not to mention, how to make a good start in Single Player mode. I'll put those as the main points at the very top so people understand that.

The second change I'll make, is that this strategy is mainly for Medium to Large maps, as the purpose of the TEC boom is to prepare for the time when the AI invariably gangs up on you, so resource upgrades are very important to keeping your economy healthy while battening down the hatches against multiple invasion forces. You could probably kill of one or two computers in the time it takes to get the economy boom up, by LRM spamming, but what happens when the inevitable axis of evil comes knocking on your front porch? (I actually have other strategies for this scenario, but thats for another day. One strategy per day. =P)

Anyhow, this is just 'one' strategy for the TEC that I have in mind. Expect more to come soon, and as always. Criticism is always welcome.

I'll be posting others later, and I hope to see you writing up a nice TEC Multiplayer Strategy soon.

Excellent! I've been looking everywhere for one of these! I think I'd make only a few minor changes, I'll get back to you about them! Thanks again!

I would absolutely disagree with anyone that claims that the Akkan is, in any way, shape or form, a poor choice.

Its colonising abilities are absolutely vital for taking land efficiently off other cultures without having to sit around babysitting Colony Frigates, and its abilities, both offensive and passive, are very helpful.

Its Ion Bolt(?) ability, for example, is an absolute game-winner in some cases, when your opponent's damaged capital ships are on the run. If you let a level seven or so battleship or carrier slip, then by the time your fleet has gotten to the next system, enemy repair teams will have fixed it up and you will get completely plastered.

If, on the other hand, you can stop it in its tracks and blow it apart with bombers, LRMs, Kols etc. before it manages to escape, then you have gained a lot of security for your fleet at the next planet along - if you combine this ability to take out fleeing, valuable enemy craft with the quick colonisation of planets, which can then have repair bays all over them to support one's own fleet and get it ready to take on enemies in the next planet along, you have a very quick and efficient route to victory.

All in all, even by the time it gets to level 2 you have a very useful asset for your fleet, that's worth just as much as a Kol or Sova, in my opinion.

Don't forget Akkan's wing of either fighters of bombers. I think it makes up a lot early for its lack of direct firepower.

Especially that you're fighting rebels for the first half an hour anyway and their siege frigates holding you from colonizing are torn into pieces by fighters.

Akkan is the best first choice for TEC except for very small maps where a quick confrontation is imminent.

On very small, I'd go for Sova anyway. Embargo and enemies are pretty much screwed...

Kol is my third choice there but after a while I have usually more Kols than anything else anyway. I just use other ships to boost the beginning, after that I settle for what can hit harder.

Colony frigates are terrible crap, you're always waiting like 20 minutes for them to get enough antimatter while Akkan can colonize right away and doesn't need protection and micromanagement.

Passive skill, even despite being bugged, is still awesome and extremely useful.

A fleet of Akkan and a couple of Cobalts and LRMs with this aura can smash a lot early on...

I too am a fan of the range boosting effects. At level 3, with the effect around them Cobalts and Kodiaks can stay outside of the range of a typical turret.

Speaking of turrets, I just put up a new strategy guide regarding a couple of template ideas for turrets. Take a look!

Although I disagree with build-orders and such, I like that you are putting these up for discussion, rather than as 'the truth'. Pay no attention to HuntingX. He is one of the most arrogant pricks I have ever encountered, and anything that disagrees with him is 'wrong'.

I'm personally fond of the Akkan. Its usually my first Capship built, because it can take on asteroids and even ice/lava worlds by itself. Then the Added range may not add much DPS-wise for your lrms. However, it can add a couple of seconds, and therefore, damage. The Ion Bolt is helpful, but I find it somewhat underwehlming in larger battles.

Another feature of the Akkan I like is the almost instant colonization of a freshly taken world when I attach it to my main attacking fleet. It helps to add a few foward bases and prevents strategic overreach, even if it means throwing money down the hole to prevent a negative impact on your economy. In the long run this is cheaper than a cut off and destroyed fleet and thedrain on your economy. I don't build any more after the initial one though.

On the topic of the guide. I found it competant, but unimpressive. As a disclaimer though, I have not played any games online yet and am still finishing my feel of the game with TEC and moving onto Vasari soon.

I like your defense templates. Any tips on building them that perfectly in a timely manner? I know you can hold Shift to build multiple buildings without having to reselect them and you can hold Alt to see the turret range circles, but it seems like it would be frustrating get the placements exact and symmetrical quickly so you can move on to other things.

Is there any way to have saved build templates that you can create and choose from as in Supreme Commander? Is there a way to easily move an in-place but not yet constructed building?

Could you make a list of the buildings next to each of your templates so that users do not have to try to count everything in the pictures and list the resources required to build everything from empty gravity well to fully tact-out.

Suggestions for placement of logistical structures within these defensive networks?

I disagree with the use of hangers at all (although I play Vasari, and lose 10 tac slots for phase stabilizers). If your opponents send a massive carrier fleet in, you're screwed anyway. There's no way you can have enough hangers to handle that, and you need to call in your fleet. If they don't send a massive fleet in, your defence force should be able to get there fast enough to stop any major damage. Meanwhile, hangers are fragile and do far less damage than turrets.

I agree to some extent. Hangers aren't my favorite defense, I think they cost far too many tactical slots, for minimal usefulness in return. Hence why I'm a minimalist when it comes to hanger usage. One or two at most. (Though some templates will show a decent turret build, for hanger lovers.)

Still, I make it a habit to have at least one or two fighter squadrons if possible. I go out of my way, willingly giving up a repair bay or two for the convenience of having them around. Fighters if left unchecked by Flaks or enemy fighters can do some massive damage to LRM's.

Anyhow, I updated the TEC section of the Defense Guide.

Vasari will be pretty obvious, since most of the builds will involve Phase Stabilizers, and nothing but turrets/repair bays. (I hate Vasari's hangers.)

The big advantage of hangars? Range. They can hit anything in the gravity well, unlike guns which have to be placed? Only 1 way into the system? Guns may be the way to go. 5 phase lanes into the system? Maybe think about hangars.

The big disadvantages of hangers?

~Low damage output for the number of tactical slots that they cost.
~Easily countered by flak cannons, special skills that cost only 100 anti-matter, and enemy fighters.
~Are only really useful against LRM's, Siege Frigates, Fighters, Bombers.
~Hangers are flimsy, and once they're gone, your squadrons start taking damage fast. Once they die this time, they're gone for good.
~Hangers are a priority structure target AFTER Turrets. If you don't have any turrets up, your hangers will be the first thing attacked.
~Advent and Vasari Hangers cost far - far - far too much.

They're useful. They're just not useful in huge numbers like everybody thinks. Turrets and Repair Bays are better.