TEC Countering Advent Caps

So, I'm fairly new to this game, but I'm starting to get the hang of playing as TEC. One thing I don't think I do enough of, though, is micromanage battles or realize the full power of capship levels/abilities. I usually end up leaving a lot of capship powers on autocast and then letting battles resolve themselves...

This didn't work out so well the last time I played with my friend. He played as Advent, and his attacking fleet always consisted of two Progenitors, one Halcyon, one Radiance (all at level 4 or 5), and a whole whack of illuminators. It seemed that, no matter how large my fleet was, 3 or 4 battleships with a bunch of heavy cruisers and a complement of frigates, I couldn't even scratch his caps. He micromanages his battles a lot, choosing where and when to activate each capship ability, and my fleet just ends up being torn apart by Animosity, Telekenetic push, Shield regeneration, and some others I don't even know.

So, out of this I have a few questions:

1. Because I was TEC during this game, I always made sure the pirates were going after my friend because I had the credits to ensure this. Meanwhile, his capships were leveling up and such. Should I let them attack me a bit more?

2. How much should I micromanage battles? I always feel, especially as TEC, I can't waste too much time giving orders to each and every ship in a battle because I should be spending my vastly amounting credits in other areas, such as research. Still, maybe I need to.

3. For a fleet, is it better to complement your capships with more frigates or more cruisers? I thought cruisers would be more effective because they're more expensive and you get them later in the game, but here, I've been reading differently...

4. What's the best way to level up your capships? Attack the enemy and retreat? Pirates? Purchasing level ups?

5. I guess in general, what should a TEC player do in a smaller, 1 vs 1 game where they can't fully utilize the Econ Boom strategy? I mean, it's hard to get a good economy up without totally abandoning your military early on, or at least that's what it seems like for me. I spend all my time building trade ports and expanding my borders that I have no cash to spend on building up my fleet.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, even if you only answer one of my questions. Thanks!

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1. Because I was TEC during this game, I always made sure the pirates were going after my friend because I had the credits to ensure this. Meanwhile, his capships were leveling up and such. Should I let them attack me a bit more?

Depends. Were you able to use the extra time you bought to grab extra planets?

2. How much should I micromanage battles? I always feel, especially as TEC, I can't waste too much time giving orders to each and every ship in a battle because I should be spending my vastly amounting credits in other areas, such as research. Still, maybe I need to.

Micro the ones that count. Maybe that's not all that helpful, but only you can judge the ones that count.

Also learn what abilities need micro. Flak burst needs micro if you are going catch a lot of strike craft with one shot. Ion Cannon should be used only at the end of the battle to ensure the enemy cap does not escape. Shield restore and Rail Gun work just fine on auto, as long as you don't desperately need another ability that you just spent all the AM on.

3. For a fleet, is it better to complement your capships with more frigates or more cruisers? I thought cruisers would be more effective because they're more expensive and you get them later in the game, but here, I've been reading differently...

If by that you mean heavy cruisers, then yes they tend to be very effective.

4. What's the best way to level up your capships? Attack the enemy and retreat? Pirates? Purchasing level ups?

Purchasing level ups when possible is what you should start with, then you can do the other stuff. Pirates are easier to kill, but cost you time as you chase them down to the place they are attacking. Attacking the enemy has the advantage of weakening him as you get experience... but getting kills against a human is more difficult.

5. I guess in general, what should a TEC player do in a smaller, 1 vs 1 game where they can't fully utilize the Econ Boom strategy? I mean, it's hard to get a good economy up without totally abandoning your military early on, or at least that's what it seems like for me. I spend all my time building trade ports and expanding my borders that I have no cash to spend on building up my fleet.

You already suspect the answer, apparently. It takes a while to recoup the cost of starting up an economy, and you don't have that time in a 1 on 1.

Also, remember this: There are places and times where your attitude of letting battles autoresolve is important. But...
As the galaxies become smaller, micro skills become more important because each ship counts.
As the galaxies become larger, macro skills become more important because expanding and defending your territory optimally is what counts.

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1. Pirate attacks are useful for delaying the Advent as it forced your friend no doubt to focus on killing the Pirates early on rather than tracking you down and disrupting your economy. Later on, its useful to let the Pirates hit you for the exp for your Cap ships, however what I've found in 1 v 1s is that when your opponent ceases to up the ante in the bounty bidding wars, he is probably not so concerned with the pirate attacks as he is with you draining your credit reserves, which means you should prolly have laid off the bounty and focused that cash instead towards black market resources or research.

2. Micro is huge if you're the TEC, especially if you have Ion Bolt on your Akkan, or you have an Akkan and Kol working in concert with the BB having gauss rail gun, etc. It can often mean the difference between letting your opponent get away with a crippled cap and have some space junk to show for your efforts.

3. Each ship has a purpose, which is roughly represented by the description of the "strong vs." given in the building menu. Recon is going to be your best friend in cases such as these so don't be afraid to get the Remote Sensor tech researched.

4. ALWAYS purchase the level ups first if you can afford it, because the Level 1 capships are just fodder and it isn't until Level 3 that they really become viable in my experience. If your buddy had Level 4 or 5 capships, its usually best to level your own up via *some* early pirate raids (before the numbers become truly rediculous such that your capship can't handle them basically on its own). Hit and run raids are advisable, but in this case, along with #3 your best friend is going to be recon (Get Remote Sensors early). Hit your opponent where he has few ships nearby, strip the infrastructure, and get out before he can muster credible resistence. The only race which could seriously screw up the hit-and-runs would be the Vasari with their phasegates, and in small maps, its highly unlikely that they would invest in such costly measures unless they're going for free ships via Returning Armada, in which case you would definitely want to destroy the stabilizer quickly.

5. It depends, and really, Recon is going to let you know whether or not to econ boom, sometimes your opponent will go for a rush and it is in these instances when econ boom is EXACTLY what he is counting on you doing. So in cases such as those, focusing on military is a good idea although rarely is it a good idea to completely abandon the economic side of your empire especially if it is the TEC.

When it comes to combat, the TEC is really the Zerg of the three empires, as they're ships are usually the least demanding economically and logistically and do the best in large numbers because their effectiveness is also the least spectacular on a per unit basis. Their economic bonuses with the black market and ability to generate credits are a huge asset mid to late game where you can use your cash to quickly beef up your fleet where your opponent cannot do so as ably if he isn't a TEC player...

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Let me just say that those Dreadnoughts are extremely powerful level 6+ if you micromanage them properly.

2 level 6 Dreadnoughts firing off Missile Barrage at the right time can decimate most frigates. If fired on a fleet the entire fleet will go down regardless of numbers. 3 is even more effective,you can wipe out hundreds of annoying frigates in a few moments if you time it properly.

They also do more autofire damage than any other Capital in your arsenal, only the Battleships exceed them in pure damage output and that's only using the railgun special.

Stick some dreadnoughts in the back and focus fire at your discretion. The dreads may be ignored if you have Dunov's or other support ships around, allowing them to do damage to their fullest potential.

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When it comes to combat, the TEC is really the Zerg of the three empires, as they're ships are usually the least demanding economically and logistically and do the best in large numbers because their effectiveness is also the least spectacular on a per unit basis. Their economic bonuses with the black market and ability to generate credits are a huge asset mid to late game where you can use your cash to quickly beef up your fleet where your opponent cannot do so as ably if he isn't a TEC player...

Nicely said. In large maps with an Econ Boom, as TEC use your fleets ruthlessly and buy more. Over-run the enemy with huge amounts of ships. I usually try to have 3 ( or more ) frigate factories near the front cranking out ships to replace losses. TECs version of RA, really.

Not to say you should be careless, just not afraid to suffer losses if it hurts your enemy more.

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