Really great thread! Keep it up!

3.5.1) Get Docking Booms on the starbase if you are TEC.  I've gotten run over too many times by high level AI's because my repair platforms ran out of antimatter.

If you are facing a TEC or Advent opponent, you have to watch out for the anti-structure cruisers.  If you don't have much fleet and are relying on the starbase, I've found that the AI builds lots of them.  You need to find a way to get lots of fighters into that gravity well to kill them before they get your starbase.

If you are TEC build a Marza as your first cap ship.  As soon as it hits level 6 you win the game.  Park it next to the SB and hit the kill everything button if they come at you with anti structure.  This is a simple recipe let's not get too hung up on the various flavors. 

AI is a challenge in it's fleet output but has no dimension and no tactical thought.  You rush early defense at a chokepoint and it will never do anything but mass attacks against that one spot.

I always read about synergies, but i have never gotten a really good explanation on what they are. In a Multiplayer 1v1 what would you consider a good AL startup that is not a rush to kill, if i wanted to rush my opponent then i would play Starcraft 2.

I think i really started something by asking how i did vs the AI. I don't want to learn how to beat the AI, i want to learn how to play well. Practicing against the AI is just because i don't always have the time to play for a couple hours straight and sometimes i have to pause or save and come back. I want to learn a good early game strat for the AL and then how to be competitive against Vasari in the late game.

Synergies are just using ships that combo together, mostly by buffing each other. I.e. having your entire fleet under shield projection while a progenitor restores the shields of the guardians, with a Rapture nearby to further reduce enemy damage, while a Halcyon is boosting your ships damage while Discordia is nerfing their armor etc. When you have a lot of advent capitalships/support cruisers/titan together, they are far more powerful than the sum of its parts.

This brings up an excellent point.  You can NOT become truly competitive against human opponents by practicing against AI.  Humans do not mass attack against your single strong point over and over again, and yet at hard enough difficulties the AI does it at a level that requires you to focus solely on defense until it's strong enough to repel the repeated attacks. 

This actually has a NEGATIVE effect on your multiplayer abilities because it reinforces a play style and habits that will get you torn apart in a multiplayer game against competent opponents.  Single player games against easier AI can give you a good opportunity to practice your early game research paths and your build/expansion process in a fairly safe environment.  Beyond that, the only way to improve against humans is to play humans, watch replays, and learn what the pro's do.

So would you just keep the entire Advent fleet in one control group under one fleet on close position? What would you do if you were being attacked at more then one location? How do you split your fleet? What is the optimum order to get capital ships?

What are some competitive research paths/early game strats with AL? Am i supposed to fleet up or research or go for economy?

I agree with you, but if you don't know even the basics then it can be hard to learn what to do right. What are the most common races online? What are the most common strats?

The Advent are strongest when grouped closely together with their entire fleet in one place. This is actually called the "Battleball Strategy". Properly done you can easily destroy a fleet your sized with almost no casualties, but this formation is extremely vulnerable to unlimited Area of Effect (AoE) attacks, which most titans now have.

As an Advent strategist you should try to not put yourself in a position where you have more than one front. If that's not possible, obviously you'll need to make some sacrifices, and that really depends too much on the situation to give any general advice. You have to read your opponent and decide you can at least defend against it with what ships you send.

The big concern about capitalships is while the Advent strongly benefit from them, having to many capitalships in the same gravity well causes them to share experience. In general, its better to have a few strong capitalships than many weak ones, and having a high level titan is obviously one of the most important things to have in the game. So its a fine line between having adequate capital ship ability support for your fleet and building too many capitalships so that they don't get enough experience. That Advent military tech that increases experienced gained is obviously a huge advantage if you can get it.

Your first two caps will probably be a Progenitor and a Halcyon (like every other race). Discord is a good third pick for offense, a Rapture for defense or if you're carrier spamming. The Radiance should only be built when your opponent builds a titan or has a lot of capitalships for detonate antimatter. As for the Revelation... well you should probably never build one.

What type of strategy you adopt isn't usually determined by your race, it's the map. If you have plenty of breathing room or have allies nearby obviously go for the economy. If you're two jumps a way from the enemy homeworld, you really don't have much choice but to go for the military. What your race determines is how you develop your fleet, economy and research.

I will say most new players go for research too much (probably the 4X players in us not realizing Sins really is an RTS at heart). You should focus only on techs that unlock frigates, abilities, colonization and structures for the first half hour at least. There are a few other ones that can be worthwhile early game but you should generally avoid them.

Would you say that carrier spamming is good early game or is it better to start building up a illuminater fleet? I hear illuminaters are really good but have shorter range and less single target damage then the other LRF's.

What is a good early game fleet comp and how does it usually progress into the mid-late game?

How does culture fit into this? I really like the Advent culture, especially AL with the auto spread with Global Unity that also increases max allegiance. Is getting some culture early to much of a risk?

What are some common maps used in multiplayer games? Are random maps ever used? I mostly play on random maps, but i imagine that OLM uses specific maps that are at least remotely balanced.

Something else that i am curious about is what the standard game type is online? 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4, 5v5? which one is most popular or "standard"

Depends on what your opponent does, but all else being equal the Advent Corvettes, Light Frigates and Defense Vessel is probably their best ship comparatively. Illuminators were OP for a long time but since late in Diplomacy, and thus all of Rebellion, they're probably the worse long ranged frigate. Advent carrier cruisers are good and early but you really need a good number of them to hit a critical mass to be effective. Carrier capitalships, on the other hand, are good early for all 3 races.

In multiplayer it usually ends late game with lots of carriers, corvettes and support cruisers to counter titans. Again your fleet should be based on what your scouts reveal your opponent to have, this isn't starcraft with dogmatic build orders. I believe my previous post should give you a basis for what to work with though.

Culture... it depends. As an economic factor, it totally fails to make up for the Advent disadvantage in trade. However, culture has other uses, mainly putting pressure on close enemies, buffing your fleet, and preventing colonization, so for these things it can be useful. Global unity in particular is only for the max allegiance and to ensure you have your military culture benefits at all friendly planets. Getting anything early, trade, culture, whatever, can be a risk if you don't have the military power to protect it, as human players will attempt to take these out early if you can't repel them.

It's actually all random maps. 5v5 is the preferred though 4v4s are also common if only 8 players are available. I'd hope they're using the competitive maps by now though it seems many MPers still don't really know what they do, at least back when they were added when I checked.

Where is the mid game? no Destras?

Do you feel like pressuring the enemy with a really strong culture mid game would be better with Advent then other races?

Does anybody get the pacts from Diplomacy in MP?

I play on the random competitive maps, maybe i will try MP later this week.

I'd consider getting HCs to be the beginning of late game unless you rush for them. Desdras are good ships, but the problem for heavy cruisers in general is that late game there WILL be lots of bombers around. The Vasari Loyalists are the only ones that should really seriously consider them.

Mainly the guardian, learning to use both of its abilities is quite important. However the Domina is now much easier to use in Rebellion, it's totally worth having a few to keep your capitalships and titans alive, assuming you can spare the cost for the research.

You do not pressure them mid game. You do that early game. By mid game any competent enemy will also either have or be able to get culture, at which point you're unlikely to make a significant impact with it. Early game it works because most players focus on military labs, and may not be able to get culture, or if they can it will slowly them down or force them to scuttle a factory.

Not really, no one has time to get those. Maybe if you're in the economy (ECO) position with another eco player next to you.

Really nice that ur giving out great advices Goa, and that both of u having a good discussion about the gameplay etc. But please keep it of this thread because I'd want it as clean as possible.

To all experienced players:

I'm a very new sins player, just starting to learn the basics. I'm hugely into competitive multiplayer games such as Dota 2, SC1 & 2 and am willing to learn. Well not only am I willing but I positively encourage new players to strive to better their game. Nothing better than playing a game against equally high skill players.

Well anyway I'm on a break from Dota 2 due to the high amount of ragers and stress and I sold my SC2 account to a friend last month, so this week I picked up SOASE:R in the steam sale. I've been learning the very basics and had a couple multiplayer games which I unfortunately didn't know I could record. Anyway I saw you and several others on ICO the other day, all with high games played so figured you'd be the guys to talk to.

I was wondering if I can get in on some games which I will then record and you can advise me on where I can improve after the game. Also I notice only a small handful of players on ICO at any one time, is the multiplayer on this game pretty dead or is it all done through private matchmaking to keep leavers/newbies out?

Anyway I have a headset as well as TS3, Skype and Mumble so getting on mics is gonna be the best way to bring me up to a competitive level, pm me on the forum if you have the time to teach

ShottyMonster what is your name in game?  Mine is always Mr_Book.  If you see me I'd be very happy to play a game or two with you and give you some pointers.

Hi Guys,

Can you look at the game replays and tell me how to improve my gameplay/tactics. My handle is ASUG. The first one is 5v5, while the second one is a 3v3.

Thanks,

A

http://www.2shared.com/file/BZUk-bjF/5V5-12151835.html

http://www.2shared.com/file/E9ggb43_/3V3-12162242.html

http://www.2shared.com/file/CvKJdjFq/AutoRecord-12172103.html

This is a 3v3 on random medium-large. I'm red.

Thanks for the reply Ruby. Still have to work on scuttling stuff, that's something I never think of.

Thanks,

A

So Dwish caught me the other day with a well executed SB rush.  I'd gotten cocky and went with two civics labs at the start and so was slow to start putting out LRMs.  Goes to show, you HAVE to play to the situation and not to your desire.  This point alone is what separates good players from targets, and online players from single/comp stomp players.  If you aren't willing to adapt you will lose.