One problem with LRMs currently, is that their counter (carriers) are the main componenet of most fleets. This is not to say that you should avoid LRMs, it's just a factor you need to consider.

TEC, contrary to most people's instincts, don't have many good "eco starts" in a multiplayer situation (unless you're in the pocket, but then everyone's strat is the same - don't build a real fleet, just keep capturing planets and feeding the front players). If you're on a front, you need to be fortifying choke points, which is expensive, and you just don't have the extra resources to spend on trade and, arguably less importantly, culture (without some serious feed).

You should have at least three military labs before you consider a second capital ship.  As great as caps are, especially if you level them up early on, you're just leaving yourself vulnerable.  If I put money into carriers that you put into a second capital ship, I can mince your LRF and leave your capital ships very vulnerable to my LRF.  Typically you want to have a well rounded fleet that can't be easily countered before you get extra capital ships.

As mentioned, TEC doesn't have very many economic opening options.  This is because if you put money into trade ports and get rushed, you have no chance of survival.  If I send a scout (and I will) and see two civic research labs, I'm going to hit with everything I have and it's very unlikely you will live.  As a result, unless you're defended by allies, you should always lead with two military labs.  Upgrading your planet with population infrastructure is still reasonable, but investing in civic labs is too expensive and leaves you too vulnerable.

Remember with 2 caps, you 1/2 the amount of exp they get for each ship you kill if they are in the same grav well. This can slow doen the time it takes to get MB on the Marza.

I have seen MP games with 2 TEC fleets fighting - one has two marzas at lvl 5, the other has a lvl 7 or 8 and is able to fire off MB and survive while the 2 lower levels ones keep having to retreat to repair...

Yeah, that's right. Other ships don't suck up experience.

And anyway: if you go dual cap + LRM spam, you expose yourself to carrier spam, which is a very solid strat anyway. So be aware of your weakness if you do this. At the very least, I'd back the LRMs up with flak. That's the same lvl of tech, so they fit together quite nicely. Also, flaks are decent if he also throws LRM against you (something that is unwise against an LRM spammer, but it might happen).

Hoshikos are, IMO, the best unit in the game. They don't do anything except heal and bot, but those 2 things alone make them a force to be reckoned with. Don't make a whole fleet of them, but putting a healthy number in any fleet is a great move.

One thing that is VITAL for TEC is to send your colony ships after the neutral mines.  The vasari tend to take these over early on, but a colony ship with 3 lt. frigs will hold most neutral gravity wells.  The anti matter regenerates SO slowly that it almost doesnt pay to move the colony on (unless there are neutrals 1 jump away).  Leaving a colony ship in the area along with 3-4 lt. frigs in each grav. well (depending on how many mines are there to defend), makes for a very strong opening.

This fascilitates a stronger rush, and opens up options for a heavy rush (lrms/carriers with lrms/HCs & flak) while building your economy (building one civ lab, and getting all the lvl 1 techs isnt that expensive, but hugely effects your long term game)....and with a few neutrals, you can do this while producing fleet non stop.  I've even done this while producing carriers nonstop from 2 factories.

Of course this depends quite a bit on the map layout, and poor planet distribution messes things up horribly.  However, it's an option.....

Also not to be avoided (much) is the TEC scout spam    (thanks bordy!)

hope this helps someone.

RM

Here's an interesting one:

Quick Start/ large fleet sizes-

Start off build 1 sova, 1 colonizer & 1 military lab. Sell 200 metal and buy 100 crystal. Research Cap Ship fleet logistics upgrade. Send Sova & colony to colonize nearest asteroid. Purchase sova #2. Sink point in both sovas in embargo. Upgrade asteroid logistics and build extractors. Send sovas to nearest enemy HW (3-4 jumps MAX)set one to autocast and the other leave autocast off. When they jump in the well, wait until the first embargo ability cooldown is half way, then active the second sovas and turn it on autocast. Set both to cirlce the well if nemies are present. Upgrade HW logistic and build 2 more military labs & a frigate factory. Research timed explosives & LRMs. Start building scouts set their build waypoint to the nearest safe gravity well to enemy hw. Micromanage sovas to keep them alive then send in a massive fleet of scouts (30+) to destroy all enemy buildings in the well and then start targeting enemy lrfs, start mixing in lrms with your fleet to take out what left of his. This works well against stranded opponents in large team games. Requires a decent amount of micro management skill however.

One of my personal fav tech starts:

build cap factory (que marza)

crystal ext

2-3 scouts +2 LFs +colony frig (send the colony and LFs to 1st asteroid)

civic lab

2 metal ext

(scuttle cap factory after 1st cap)

send marza to meatier planet (desert/terran) the LFs and colony can handle the first asteroid atleast

(do research 1 point for terran pop upgrade and 2 points for cheaper extractors)

build 2 mil labs

(research repair bay and LRM)

BUILD LOTS OF LRM then 1 more lab and get hoshis

...