HuntingX HuntingX

HuntingX's Build Efficient Build Orders: Tec

HuntingX's Build Efficient Build Orders: Tec

Detailed, Explicit Builds

   Let's get this show on the road.  Today we start with Tec.  We'll move on to Advent at some point, then finally Vasari... at some point.

These builds are explicitly for 2v2 and 1v1.  They are not for comp stomping (although they WILL comp stomp quite well), or for playing ffa (again, you can pretty much kill a few people before their bad builds get online).

Build 1:
Standard 1v1 (non rush) build on small-medium map:
1.  Buy 2 units of crystal
2.  Upgrade home planet
3.  1 Worker on Cap ship, 1 worker on crystal
4.  Build 2 scout frigates, scout
5.  Start Mazra or Kol (either works fine) when cap ship fac finishes
6.  Start 2 metal extractors
7.  Build colony ship
8.  Take nearby asteroid (all maps have 1 nearby asteroid)
9.  While taking asteroid, scuttle capital ship factory
10. Build 1 military lab
11. Finish the asteroid, colonize it, upgrade so you don't bleed cash
12. Mine all asteroids, and add 2nd military lab
13. Research lrms, start producing
14. Asteroid #2 should be cleared and ready for taking (there's almost always a second asteroid, if not, find a lightly defended terran or desert)
15. Take asteroid 2, build it up as before
16. You should be popped out now on LRMs, start research on flaks.
17. Your scouts should see opponent enemy composition.  You have 3 colonies, you can decide whether to take more or contest neutral extractors (I usually do neutrals)
18. Start research on popultion upgrade
19. Whichever colony is CLOSEST to opponent, should build at least 2 frigates factories
20. Depending on opponent unit composition, start production on Flaks and LRMs
21. Your capital should be 4 or 5 now, continue pressuring
22. Win or lose, depends on you :)

Build 2:
Hardcore rush 1v1, small map
1. Buy 2 units of crystal
2.  Upgrade home planet
3.  1 Worker on Cap ship, 1 worker on crystal
4.  Build 2 scout frigates, scout
5.  Start Soya when cap ship fac finishes
6.  Start 2 metal extractors
7.  Build 3 light frigates, then a colony ship
8.  Send Soya to enemy main base with embargo
9.  Take nearby asteroid with light frigates (all maps have 1 nearby asteroid)
10.  While taking asteroid, scuttle capital ship factory
11.  Continue harassing with Soya (jump in, embargo, jump to nearby star, recharge mana, jump in, etc.)
12.  Get asteroid operational, while building the 2 military labs.  Send the light frigates to your Soya to confuse opponent
13.  Start LRM production immediately, queue to your Soya
14.  Research pop upgrade, take neutral extractors with colony ship, and continue LRM production
15.  Since they have almost no income (no trade income early, almost all income comes from home planet which has no income due to embargo) your mass LRMs should overrun him and end the game

Build 3:
Economy build, larger 1v1, medium large 2v2
1. Buy 2 units of crystal
2.  Upgrade home planet
3.  1 Worker on Cap ship, 1 worker on crystal
4.  Build 2 scout frigates, scout
5.  Start Mazra or Kol (either works fine) when cap ship fac finishes
6.  Start 2 metal extractors
7.  Build colony ship
8.  Take nearby asteroid (all maps have 1 nearby asteroid)
9.  While taking asteroid, scuttle capital ship factory
10. Build 1 Civil lab at main
11. Finish the asteroid, colonize it, upgrade so you don't bleed cash
12. Mine all asteroids, and add 2nd civil lab
13. Start research on trade, and continue taking any planet within reach
14. Start placing trade ports as income allows, research ice or volcano depending on allegiance to home and mineral quality.
15. Deserts are a priority, you can support a ton of trade ports per desert planet
16. You're doing this with little to no units, because you expect the opponent can't get to you in time.  If they can, you shouldn't be doing this build anyway.
17. With spare slots (or upgrade as you will), add 2 military, start LRM production
18. Tech up, start mixed LRM/Flak production
19. Add static D (Gauss) at outlying colonies, continue building trade ports at inner colonies
20. Once an economic advantage is secured, mass an unholy army of LRM/Flak and charge.

General micro tips:
Flak/defense/sentinel frigates do poor dps, but have incredibly high hp for frigates.  Here are micro tips:

Target weak units first.  LRM on light frigate, etc.

Afterwards, if opponent is massing flak type units, use existing lrms to reduce their capital ship hp, while you can produce flak type units of your own.  The multiple angled shots from flaks are actually a BAD thing.  It REDUCES flak dps since they can't use all their guns at once.  Their effective dps is horrible, but since LRMs don't really kill them, it becomes some horrible attrition fest.  Ignore that, and kill their big ships.

Use Mazra's aoe abilities, or Kol's gauss, to quickly destroy flaks (very quickly).  Flaks cannot damage capital ships.  Not even 10-20, will do significant damage (they barely break your shield regen) --> it ends up being something like 1 dps per flak after damage reduction and shield mitigation :(

If you need, the heavy cruisers pack a good punch.  With Tec, you are strong at two points.  Early game, LRMs are highly efficient killers.  Mid game, your economy is much stronger if you went build #3.  Stay with your strengths.

1 more note, Akkon appears to be bugged.  The aura adds no dps to the units (although increases range), making it worthless.  I'd suggest a buff is needed.
117,639 views 56 replies
Reply #51 Top
Jodonnell, the thing is, if you're buying ships that cost more, like say, a heavy cruiser, which is nearly the cost of the tech upgrade, then the number of ships required drops a bit.


I don't get your point here? Yes, each ship will have different break-even points for their respective upgrade techs. The magic number for Kodiaks is going to be lower than it is for LRMs, etc.

Plus, with getting a free capital ship, pretty much everyone is going to have a capital ship or 2 before reaching 48 LRM's. The weapons tech affects the capital ship and you get additional free damage.


It seems fairly clear that buying additional capships is sub-optimal, considering their immense cost and relatively minute damage (per cost.) Anyhow,OK, sure, my Marza (if I got a Marza instead of a Kol) will benefit from missile tech, but the benefit is tiny - only 5% more DPS. I want efficiency, and until you have around 50 missile frigates, buying the tech is simply not cost-efficient. You won't be getting that much extra utility out of an extra 5% damage on your capship to justify getting the tech before you amass a larger frigate fleet.

If you're forced to buy some specialty ships that don't have quite as high DPS per credit value of a LRM, then the number drops also.


How? The magic number for LRMs is set in stone, for all intents and purposes. If you get some Hoshikos, great, but once you go back to maximizing your fleet damage output, it will still be more efficient to just buy more LRMs until you have about 50 before you get the first missile ugprade. The exception, I guess, is if you get so many support ships that you have to tech more supply than you might have needed otherwise, but that would imply a rather large support fleet.
Reply #52 Top
How do you figure that number, though?


I just did it with a recursive spreadsheet, though that wouldn't be 100% accurate due to shield mitigation and regeneration. You can also approximate it with:

SQRT ( ((1.05 * X * X) - (1 * X+Y * X+Y)) / 1.05)
Y = 2.4 for the cost multiplier.

Simplified it is 40.494 * The cost multiplier for any +5% damage.
40.494 * 2.4 = 97.19 units to be worth it.

Again, that leaves out mitigation and regeneration, but it's a good general indication.
Reply #53 Top
Well, with light frigates vs light frigates, the point is around 85 light frigates before the research is worth it. That's really not that much different.

What it shows is how cost inefficient weapons research is in this game.


The missile tech here is affecting not only LRMs, but also Marzas, Dunovs and Bombers. Plus, you need it to get the Novalith, but that's a different aspect altogether.

Missiles are also one of the least used technologies. Try calculating for Autocannons, which help Kols, Akkans, Dunovs, Marzas, Gardas, Fighters, Kodiaks and Gauss turrets all with the same technology.
Reply #54 Top
Hi HuntingX,

First of thanks for the tips I only just got the game a little over a week ago and was finding it overwhelming trying to work out what to do and how fast i needed to colonize as i was under the impression you needed a lot of planets to be able to launch any offensive which i think is due to me playing games like civilization etc... where you really need a lot of cities to conquer anyone.

So I came across your tips for the TEC and i must say it simplified the game and made it easy to work out the important things and the not so important things instead of bumbling along, as well as seeing how you can do well with just a few planets up ands running instead of trying to beat everyone to all the planets. I really enjoyed the insights to the game and am looking forward to more of your posts in the future for newbies like me it really does give us a chance to at least hold our own against the more experienced players out there (instead of getting wiped out before being able to work out some stuff) this at least gives us some time to get to grips with the game and develop more strategies ourselves to sit along side or evolve our own startup builds. Keep up the good work mate and if you can steer me towards more of your posts would be great, i look forward to your reply.
Reply #55 Top
I love Akkan, too. I think Armistice and Ion Bolts are great, the aura needs work, indeed. Lovely strategies, btw. But, how do you deal with Crystal shortage in your games? Do you just keep on buying them or tech up the gathering process?

P.S. How does karma works in this forum? I want some.
Reply #56 Top
How does karma works in this forum?

Given by the thumbs up post under each post not your own.

I want some.

And I want cookie. :p
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