Depends on your starting position...generally there are 3 types of starts in team games:
- Frontliner - has enemy on one side, friendly on other
- Eco - has friendly on both sides
- Suicide - has enemy on both sides
Eco players should avoid any fleet upgrades as long as possible...frontliners should start first upgrade after some expansion and investment in mil labs/technology, and after that upgrade as they are being fed...suicide player should upgrade as long as they are being fed (if they aren't going to get fed, they probably need to entrench and stay on the low side of fleet supply)...
To give some specific examples:
As an eco player, I usually expand on two fronts...first front is colony cap, which is eventually coupled with 2-4 corvettes....second front is a normal colony frigate coupled with 4-5 corvettes and 2-4 light frigates...the size of each indivual front depends on the size of the militias I'll be facing, and corvettes are sometimes shifted between the two fronts, so it is entirely possible to accomplish all this with only 100 fleet supply....I invest my resources in 2 civ labs immediately on my HW so I can colonize ice/volcanics and get culture or trade (depends on faction), with the 3rd civ lab coming soon after...it's all about getting trade up fast and colonizing quickly...use corvettes and scouts to wipe out krosovs (and maybe LRMs), and build turrets to deal with the other units...the AM regen on you colony frigates can be a huge limiting factor so make sure to use multiple ones if you have to...
As frontliner, I try to avoid expanding into ice/volcanics if I can (and therefore avoid the 2 civ labs to boot)...If the map is cramped (full), I keep my fleet supply low until I'm 2 jumps within an enemy planet, then I upgrade and build 2-3 factories on my frontline planet and fleet up like mad for the rush...by delaying your fleet upgrade, you have more resources to invest in mil labs, prototype techs (flak, LRFs, weapon upgrades, repair bases, etc.)...if the map is roomy, I may establish trade/culture first before fleeting up, then fleet up like mad...
As suicide, it depends...you may be helping to double rush the other team's suicide player, or you may be entrenching yourself, it really depends...furthermore, if you have strong eco that can feed you, it may be worth your while to fleet up...
Biggest issue I notice with even competent players who are in eco spot is that they fleet up too much...as eco, you should feed those with weaker economies and have them fleet up instead...think of it this way: if player A has weak economy and player B has awesome economy, player B loses more total resources per fleet supply upgrade (since maintenance is a percent value)...so, if you are eco, feed your allies first and only fleet up when it's time to get a titan and assist a frontline directly...
