Help for a total Noob

What's the game setup? Is it all on FFA? Or locked teams?

You've got some odd conditions, though

Oh, wow Annatar, thx for that.

Anyway, yes I am also an exclusive Large, Multi system, random map player, FFA only.

Koda0 (^)

The simplest advice I could offer is to avoid NEVERs and ALWAYSes while playing... The variances of planets and opponents are simply too dynamic. You need to build what is required, not what you want. Build orders should probably be avoided...

Dr.Gonzo

Okay, in that case the thing you need most is to get at least 2 cease fires going as quickly as possible.

It's okay to be really low on the military ranking early on, and actually I always make sure that I am because then all the AIs waste the pirate bounty on each other and I don't have to waste my money trying to outbid an Unfair AI with an income bonus.

Don't expand too quickly, not until you get your second mission - you'll want to make sure that both missions are "give me resources". If you expand too quick you might end up within 2 jumps of some other AI and you could find yourself with a "kill this guy's stuff" mission which is hard in the beginning.

Colonize the asteroid, then one other planet (either a volcanic or an ice would be good, but if you've got a terran or desert you can save some money on the colonizing research). The reason I say volcanic or ice would be good is that that early on you don't need that many resources if you're going lighter on ship building, but the AIs gobble them up like a kid with candy, and they'll happily buy it from you when you list your extra on the black market - that's a ton of credits.

Once you get your 3 planets all running and fully population upgraded (make sure you do your homeworld right away, too), go for the trade ports, with no fleet upgrade to suck up 9% of your income, those will add quite a bit. Then, pick which side of the map you want to start clearing and go around. The idea is that you'll keep one of your borders secure with an ally, and you can freely move around your other border.

By this stage you should be putting out Javelis frigates quickly, and you should seriously consider researching the Argonev constructor - it'll eat away at your main fleet a bit, but if you put down a starbase early on on each planet that you know can get attacked from another side as you move on, you'll thank yourself when a bunch of siege frigates jump in. They don't need many upgrades early on, just get a single fighter one so the sieges can't dodge it.

For the choice of capitals, Sova usually isn't the strongest start. Since you're struggling, a Marza would make the best choice since once you get it up to level 6, fighting becomes a whole lot easier with Missile Barrage that the AI just can't interrupt. Most people go with a colony capital first for faster expansion, but since we're trying not to expand too quickly, a colony frig will do fine.

As you get going keep building trade ports on every planet you colonize, and make sure to not leave it undefended before moving on. Even if it's just a single hangar, the enemy loves sneaking just a few siege frigates right after you jump out.

Hope this helps a bit.

Okay, thx Annatar!

Koda0 (^)

Btw:

Also, I typically pick a Sova for 1. Asthetics, 2 Embargo, and 3. I never really use them for anything other than fleet leaders.

I know, the Sova looks really cool but in your case you'll get a lot more mileage out of the Marza

One problem is that your fighting unfair AIs as a noob. If you start with normal or hard you can start to get strategys and get better. Also, you should try the Vasari. I found them easyer when I first started. You might like them better then the TEC.

Or, since you're so fond of economy, try the Akkan to start of with, makes colonizing new worlds really quick, and can help put you ontop econ wise pretty early.

As for your game play, with your style you should play to your strengths. You can't focus on econ the whole game an expect to come out on top. I'd say start out with civics labs and start getting trade up ASAP. You can use economy offensively with the TEC pretty easily, you just have to know how. Try building extra frigate factories every couple of planets so when you come under attack, you can switch from econ focus to military with ease and just pump out ships, your strength will be in your numbers. Try and keep up with military tech as best you can in terms of ship types, you don't want to be throwing cobalts against heavy cruisers if they come up. When you're under attack focus your superior econ on military, reseaching the passive and ability upgrades on the military tech tree, and continue increasing your fleet until you can repel the attack, or even capture a few enemy planets. Then when all is clear, focus on econ again, until the next battle. It's a balancing game, so build some econ, then some military, then some more econ, then some more military etc. When your econ suffers from fleet supply, just remember you can always get back on top by crushing your enemies.

Also against the AI, 90% of the time they will retreat if outnumbered (in terms of fleet supply) so keep that in mind when you're under attack.

Although it's tempting to research trade ports early on, avoid that temptation.  Colonizing new planets costs less than establishing an fledgling trade system, and you'll earn a lot more money.  As a rule of thumb, ensure you can build a trade port chain of at least length 3 (preferably 4) before you invest in these expensive structures.  The longer your chain, the more money each trade port will bring in.

It's my personal belief that it's actually easier to learn a game by playing multiple factions.  This gives you a better sense of what every faction is capable of, and allows you to understand first-hand their strengths and weaknesses.

That's not a bad thing at all.  That said, you may want to experiment with different proportions of units.  Try a LRM/flak heavy combination, or a carrier (w/ fighters) / Kodiak combination.  Also experiment with different proportions of Hoshikos to find the right balance of damage and support for your playstyle.

Against unfairs, that's not surprising.  Fortunately the AI is an idiot.  Unfortunately, it's a cheating idiot.

The best defense is a good offense. Having a strong fleet to beat off enemy incursions is the best way to keep your empire intact.  Beyond that, one of your best defenses possible is the repair bay.  This humble structure can keep simple turrets alive long enough to hold out until your main fleet arrives.  Having four or five in a tight formation is a great way to buy valuable time, and also serves as a place to repair your fleet after a big battle.

The Sova is a poor choice for first capital ship in most cases.  Its embargo ability is awesome, but you have to put it to use early on for it to be worthwhile, since the Sova is otherwise a very weak capital ship.  If you don't want to rush, the Sova is the wrong choice for capital ship.  On big maps, the Akkan is almost certainly your best choice.  This is because you don't need to pay for an expensive colony frigate.  The Marza is another great choice, since it can singlehandedly take out strong militia forces and capture well defended terran and desert planets early on.  The Kol also isn't a bad pick.

You usually want to pick your capital ships based on your needs at any given moment in time, not a predetermined build order.  The Dunov is a great capital ship, but it's not always well suited to your situation.  I typically ensure I have at least one Marza, Kol, and Akkan in the long-run, and very rarely get more than 6 capital ships.  As a general rule, a few high level capital ships are more worthwhile than many low-level ones.

If you have enough spare cash to do that and you haven't won the game yet, you're not playing right   The Novalith is almost certainly the weakest superweapon.  After all, if you have enough money to spam novaliths, chances are your enemy has so much money that losing a planet isn't a big deal anyways (and if he doesn't, why haven't you won already!?).  You're almost always better served by making your fleet larger, so save the Novaliths for after your fleet has reached size 2000.

As has already been said, avoid the "always" and "nevers".  I used to watch the income rankings myself.  After all, if you maintain an income advantage in the long-term, clearly your research and fleet size will ultimately be the largest.  However, I find the most important advantage to keep is actually colonization.  Your economy is ultimately limited by how many planets you control, and maintaining a large empire is the best way to foster a long-term economic lead.

I will often sacrifice my economy early to raise a military and capture more planets.  This will ultimately lead to my economy rebounding in the future because of the extra advantage of those planets.  It's all about balacing out your short-term needs with your long-term plans.