Need tips on Econ Tec.

Well, just like the Advent get tier 2 culture towers, the TEC get tier 2 trade ports. A good starting strategy if youre going eco (for me anyway) is to start with 2 Civilian labs on your homeworld. This gets you trade ports and volcanic/ice occupation tech. Get an Akkan and a few light frigates out and start expanding along the best possible trade route. Keep it to probably no more than 3 planets at first or youll get over extended. After you get a few trade ports up, get both levels of the terran planet population boost tech. This is a tier 1 and is one of the first things I get if Im playing eco.

Other things you can do, research an early civilian tech that reduces the cost of common structures (all factories, ie frigate, cap, titan; extractors), make sure you develop the populations on your planets as much as possible, and spend more time in the civilian tree than the military one.

Once you have some trade ports up, work on military for a bit so you dont get hosed by anyone. Then put up some broadcast towers. Planets fully in your culture give additional credits and resources, the closer to your home planet, the greater the increase.

The line of technologies that includes trade ports and refineries is extremely important to the TEC economy as it increases gains from trade routes and refineries.  If you wind up playing very long games, the tier 8 tech 'Pervasive Economy' is a pretty awesome research as it gives you credits any time anyone in the game makes a purchase or gets income from trade.

If you want to be more specific about what he is or is not doing, or is or is not building/researching, we (the forum 'we' ) could probably be more specific. I hope this helps some.

It all depends on how he starts it, make sure he gets an Akkan first as well as a colonizer to colonize two low level players((moons/Asteroids)Assuming he is not playing on stock maps) at the same time. Modular Architecture is actually really good place down one civic center first and max that out it reduces extractor cost to 150 which pays itself off after 9 extractors are built.

Sometimes rushing trade ports is not the best thing because maps can have very random picks for what they want to do with asteroids, some might be dead after all. For actually continuing your trade route should you come across a Plasma Storm or Dead Asteroid you can build an SB to continue your Trade Route.

If you don't know what a trade route is read this. Remember money not spent, is wasted money. Specifically early game, if you hit a dent in your plan. You need to adapt the quickest to your surroundings.

Edit: A correction to what I said money not spent, is wasted money, unless its an investment.

OKay, thanks for your answers:)

His attempt last night only netted him 30 creds per sec before the enemy was hitting him with a three way attack.  By the end of the game, I had 170 creds per sec (Advent) and he had 40 (tec).  Someone was saying they can get 100 cps in 20 minutes.  We'll upload our next match tonight (yawn fest for pros, I'm sure) so you can see what he's doing.

In the meantime, any suggestions on the first hour build?

Actually, if someone could write the instructions on how/ where to post replays, he can load up our last autosave and post that.

Are you using the ironclad match system or direct play? I could join you guys and try to help him, we can do a 3 vs 3 unfair...

Add me n him.  Fyrstar2002 and Fyrstar.  We play around 6pm est.  What is your sn?

crisaron

6est i can make it i think. It is a bit early but I'll get so subway at the worst.

Also is he loyalist or rebel? Not that it changes much mind you!

He plays Loyalist.