I'll agree that the basic damage repair upgrades are highly worthwhile early game (at least before you can get the repair cruisers), but the first upgrades I'd ever suggest anyone get outside of those are some of the anti-matter upgrades. Granted, not too many of them. I find that upgrading thru all 4 levels leaves most ships outpacing any of their cool-down requirements. These mid-game upgrades definitely help your capitals and cruisers. With ships, upgrade just enough to where cooldown is your ability-limiting factor and not antimatter. I can't argue the hard math for it, but when your Kol can flak burst AND gauss cannon as fast as the cooldowns permit...well, that's a heap of space-born hurt.

But aside from the early game repair and mid game anti-matter, I really would spend money on more ships first. More to be said for having a huge fleet first and then upgrading it. Sure, each upgrade makes each ship a better value, but each ship makes another target your enemy must consider how to handle. Each ship also has a seperate rate of fire and repair. Someone who upgrades early simply hopes the enemy doesn't come charging down their throats while waiting to build their own fleet.

I've only played a few AI games, and got this lesson taught to me by a random pirate raid. But the same could be said with any game where production is limited by supply and upgrades are available (StarCraft, we're lookin' at you).

I usuallly upgrade early for first level LRM range or damage increases and then move onto the AOE upgrade. Then during small skirmishes I upgrade armor as I usually don't have the time for more active management

I personally am an eco guy, so I get one of you guys to protect me, then I do all of it in one big whoosh.

Thanks for all the tips.

I haven't been playing long and have played the TEC only.  So take what you can from my reply.  I will try and built a colonizer fleet which is big enough to go head to head against most threats early in the game (one cap and 10+ frigates), med to large maps.  Then, while I am producing more frigates to fill in my fleet, I do some tech upgrades.  Level one weapons first then hulls, trying to research one tech almost constantly if you have the resorces.  If you can micro-manage building one frigate at a time and one tech at a time you can balance the fleet size and strength.  Upgrade your fleet cap. as you get close to filling it up.

With better weapons, you can put a hurt on your enemy (better weapons) and retreat your wounded ships before they die in early combats (once again, mirco-managing).  As the combat sizes grows and the fighting intensifies, I make sure my ships can take a beating and fend for themselves (better hull, repair and shields).  Still making sure I have a stead flow of fresh ships coming in even if I have to put research on a back burner.

Obviously, more of a good thing is better.  It was Civil War General Nathan Bedford Forrest who expressed it the best: “Get there firstest with the mostest.”  This strategy work for me most of the time.  Use your judgement as everybody plays differently.

Thanks, Max

I get the first shield/armor upgrades after I've built enough ships to reach the second fleet logistics cap. Where upgrades get more efficient is that not only do they improve the survival of your current fleet, but all future ships you build. Weapon upgrades I tend to hold off a bit longer, they usually wait for prototype research.

i pretty much dont even upgrade them, small or big map, intill i beat everyone and just make my culture high,get a crap-load of cap-ships and frigates and cruisers and just play around.when i research everything