Needing some help with TEC strategy after a savage 2v2 beating

from Sins Forums

So me and a few friends decided to pick up sins as a new rts to play and have only been at it for 2 weeks or so and all the games we have played have been version 1.0. I have played TEC since we got it and have always been successful winning a few ffa's and a couple 2v2's. Then came the 1.4 patch...

...and a complete beatdown of me and my Vasari ally by an Advent/Vasari team. I will outline the general strategy my team had as well as the general progression of the game to see if someone can improve my play beyond being massacred by Illums.

So to begin, me and my partner formulated a RA rush backed by TEC economy. Note that this game was played as a 2v2 on the Single Large Random Map (1 star 41 planets). We start fairly close to each other toward the bottom right of the map and I begin what I believe now to be a stupid decision of rushing lrms with a Kol for wiping neutral fleets and mobile defense to cover us both while he expands and rushes empire tech to RA. This proceeded to slow me down to 2 Civils and Trade Ports and thus didn't provide the solid economic backing we needed as quickly as I wanted it to. Despite this, I was still happy with my Kol + 11 lrm fleet that was prancing its way through planetary defense forces while I colonized behind. At this point I was sitting at 4 planets total (home, 1 asteroid, 1 volcanic, 1 ice) while my partner had colonized rapidly and secured 6 including a desert with only 1 planet sitting between our borders. We had even boosted him to being just 2 empire labs away from RA research. Things were looking up.

It was then that a combined force of a Vasari Vulkoras + 17 assailants and Advent Halycon + 7 disciples + 12 illums + 7 drone hosts + 2 guardians hit my ally's outskirt volcanic and quickly proceeded to jump to the next controlled asteroid. At this time I am still sitting with my original force of Kol and 11 lrm and quickly try to scramble over and intercept at the asteroid. If intercepting involves charging in with guns blazing and quickly getting slapped around by beams and missiles while I barely scratch the carrier then my interception was a complete success. Suffice to say, we lost that battle as well as losing almost our entire fleet and were completely on the defensive after that. The only good news at this time is that RA has been researched and the phase gates are going up.

At this point i start claiming planets left and right toward the other side of the system hoping to out eco the other team and keep the pressure on with raids of lrms until I get kodiaks. I was thinking this was a good idea until I had to put all my resources toward defending my ally while gates went up and hoping they would save our lives. Unfortunately, they were not the superweapon we were hoping for. The first time only 6 ships came from RA we knew we were in a little trouble because the enemy force just kept growing as they added ships to it and our small attacks by little forces on their blob didnt even scratch anything. Slowly the massive force destroyed planet by planet with us eventually setting up a final defense on my ally's two remaining planets.

I believe it was around that time of agonizing defeat of defensive forces that I lost my tactical mind and just did stupid things. Rather than put the pressure back on the undefended worlds of our opponents, I mindlessly threw kodiaks and capitals at the blob of enemy ships hoping to somehow get my partner back in the game with a huge RA counterattack. Unfortunately, as I said before, this was our first time to play 1.04 and my first time to experience the carnage of an Advent fleet (especially the improved illuminators). It seemed like I could do nothing to stop it no matter how many shenanigans I pulled.

Long story short, by the time I decided to try and turtle while novalithing from my back planets, it was too late. The force had already consumed my ally and was bearing down on me and I couldn't pull together any kind of a fleet to hold it off.

The point of this incredibly long story is to seek help in bettering my TEC play. I felt like I really didnt pull my weight this last game which really frustrates me because in the past it seemed like I was leading the charge to victory. Please keep in mind that the kind of games we usually play is very similar to this, usually being 2v2 on pretty large maps with either 1 or 2 stars and normal resources, tech, etc.

Thanks for any help you guys can give me and insults will be very acceptable because yes I did make a huge amount of mistakes and deserve to be ridiculed for my horrible performance during that game.

 

strategy
3,430 views 4 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top
Like you say you did a lot of misstakes.

My own strategy when I play TEC like I allways do is to play very eco. As my first cap I chose the KOL becouse of its fire power and its the only cap that can clear plantes on its own with a good speed.
First thing I do is to build 2 civ res posts. And res tradingposts. I am a fair player so I reduce my self to 1 trading post/planet but if you want a fast boost early on then you can expand your numbers of trading posts..

One thing I would like to know was if you used scouts? Becouse if you play TEC eco like me and I think you do the same, then knowledge about your enemys troops/expands. Its very important.
Set up some frigate factory in your border plantes, with your supperior eco you get the advandage to scramble a flee very fast.

2v2
If you are playing in teams of 2 like you did on this map, you will have to know what the other player do. Its hard to know how you should play togheter if we do not know how the map did look like. A chokepoint is good to have. How long did you play?

Usually you can have a strong eco 15-20 min in play. And after that its just getting better.

Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top
Not being an MP guy, I can't comment on your strategy. But I did want to point out this:
Thanks for any help you guys can give me and insults will be very acceptable because yes I did make a huge amount of mistakes and deserve to be ridiculed for my horrible performance during that game.
End of quote
The world would be a better place if more people had this kind of honest self-assessment attitude. ;)

-- Retro


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Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top
My only 2 cents is that yes, if you're playing TEC, you HAVE to have a strong economy. That is our main advantage by far. You cannot fight Advent with a "mass huge fleet - attack other huge fleet" and win... Advent will win even if you have a few more ships.

You have to out eco them and destroy their eco so that when they do lose ships, it's very had to get it back. IMHO, as TEC, you have two main roles.

1) Ensure you have a superior eco
2) Destroy your opponents eco by raids, hit and runs, bidding wars on pirates, etc.

Once their economy is in trouble and yours is strong, you can then start to knock away at their main fleet. Even if you lose more ships than they do, it's fine, because you can easily replace them, but they won't be able to as easily.

Basically, wear them down like this and you win. :)
Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top
I think you should quit being a scrub and step up your game.




















































I was one of the two friends who beat him =P