You build a fleet so that you can take more planets faster. Early game expansion is critical because it determines your future economic potential. Developing them with defenses and trade ports should come later, after you've taken all the neutral planets possible, since these repay themselves very quickly and give you more logistical slots to develop later.

As for fleet builds it really depends on your style and your race. I like corvettes because they can take out LRFs and siege frigates quickly, but they don't do well against much else, and as Vasari you should probably avoid them entirely as they are a tier 2 tech. Just go strait for assailants, and I wouldn't build much else early on besides sentinels if your opponent tries to counter them with corvettes.

A couple of the first tier upgrades are alright if you have a bit of extra cash and don't want to increase your fleet supply yet (and thus permanently hurt your economy). Anything higher level and isn't a prerequisite for something else good should wait, 5% bonus to anything isn't much early on, but once you have several hundred fleet supply of ships it makes much more of a difference.

One big exception to this is phase missiles. I wouldn't build military labs just for them, but as you build them for new ship types max these out ASAP. Once upgraded they are by far the most deadly weapons in the game, and your most important damage dealers like assailants and bombers use them.

The phase missiles as mentioned. Phase stabalizers are also a god send later in the game, but if you're Vasari loyalists your titan can deploy them so you don't even need to research them in this case. Your starting cap should probably either be a Jarrasul evacuator for faster expansion and cap killing power later, or a Skirantra carrier with for raw combat power and dealing with the militia faster. Once you start running into titans the Kortul battleship is amazing, and it was my favorite capitalship back in Diplomacy. Overseers are your repair cruiser, and no matter what race you play as you should get some ships of this type. And if you really want to get into their more elaborate tactics, subverters and mine layers can do some mean things.

That said, much of what you should focus on as Vasari depends on your subfaction. Loyalists for example will mostly be building civic labs trying to get stripped to the core, while rebels will mostly build military labs at first trying to get to Starbase Mobilization.

At least 2 I think, unless the map screws you over so bad you only have a linear path to go in.

As soon as you're able to.

Early on raiding their constructor ships with corvettes can be a good option (they aren't as good against structures now). Otherwise LRF probably does the most damage to structures early on. If you're TEC Sova rushing and as Vasari building a starbase on the enemy homeworld can be game winners if you pull it off (which usually means getting close undetected and doing it fast enough for them not to have a very big fleet to repulse you with).

Any micro is good micro. You don't need to do a lot of it to play Sins, even against harder AIs, but in competitive games its huge.

That said, you should certainly be manually placing everything, and almost all of your capitalships abilities (some like power surge are simple enough to leave on though).

I agree with most that Goafan77 said except to wait to start building trade ports when there is no more planets free to colonize.

At this time you need to invest resources in military labs military research and start upgrading logistic slots and build fleet.

I usually at least as tec start building trade ports when i have first 2 asteroids upgraded to fill up logistic slots. I fill available logistic slots with trade as I colonize and if I have spare cash upgrade them on roids first fill them up with trade then planets. In 1v1 matches most of the time when I start clashing with opponent I get around 50 cred per second. I usually expand in 2 to 3 ways upgrade planets population and build trade simultaneously. 

As vasari early on scouting a map very fast and taking neutral extractors and keeping them is significant boost to their economy. Early game their economy is resource (metal crystal) oriented, When playing them I usually research up to tier 3     extractors boost before I research and build first trade port....

Most important thing of all is to get a feel when you should upgrade your fleet supply.....

Too early and your economy will be under more pressure as enemies.

Too late and you might never catch up military even if you have better economy.

This is sole reason why especially with corvettes in game fleeting from planet with 3-4 factories present is almost a must and much more beneficial than having 3 factories on 3 different planets and fleet this way. 

I had posted a lot of them already.

But once i get one against decent player sure.....

Thanks for answering my bonus questions. If this info is useful for someone like me who's played sins since vanilla I'm sure it well help the OP.

That's the nature of the beast, unfortunately. I feel where you're coming from there... a certain type of person will try to give you a hard time if they won while you were playing your best (regardless of confounding factors). All I can suggest is playing by your own rules: I'm going to keep my n00b teammate alive for X minutes even though he's not building anything, I'm going to harass the heck out of someone while they're busy steamrolling, I'm going to micro like a boss while fighting 1vX so the next time I go 1v1 it'll be no contest.

Basically, if the rules aren't letting you have any fun, the rules suck. Change the rules!

oooooooo...  I hate that.

by the way, this may sound obvious but your strategy really depends on your race.  

TEC have amazing economy and rushing strategies.  They are at their best in the early game since their ships can slaughter militia fleets and expand with ease.  When using the tec you should try to end things as quickly as possible or go for an all out economic boom.  Rebels are better for rushing, Loyalists are unstoppable economically.

Advent do not have nearly as effective of a economy.  Their greatest strength lies in their fleets and culture.  In the midgame, their fleets cream everything because of their incredible buff and debuff abilities.  The advent's support ships as a whole are second to none and cleansing brilliance slaughters frigates with abandon.  (If you ever play as advent first learn how to make a battle ball)  the only downside is that their titans are not nearly as effective as others.  Use culture prodigiously because the Advent have massive upgrades to it.  Culture can be used as a huge resource boost, buffs your fleets, and can even be used as a form of attack.

The Vasari start off slow, with expensive ships and slow resource gain.  Their strength lies in the late game.  Kortul battleships are the only true damage dealing capital ships and are tough to kill thanks to power surge.  Skitankra carriers have the amazing ability to bomber spam to obscene levels.  Desolators have heavy phase missile firepower and are amazing with their final ability.  (You only really need one marauder, even late game). Evacuators have a great final as well.  Vasari titans are second to none.  Subverters are critical to any fleet, get them.  Their minefields are punishing as they can put them anywhere.  The vasari rebels have the amazing ability to phase jump their star base to other gravity wells, this is amazing. Their titan also slaughters everything in sight.  Vasari loyalists are better economically as they can consume planets with their titan.  Upgrade phase missles as much as possible.

Which is the point i was trying to make.. it is map dependant. Calm down darling

On pre made map it comes down to who knows map best. On random maps while definitely not perfect skill not plain repetition has bigger role 

LOL Readhead ????

Thing with premade maps is that you can memorize and automate orders and if not succeed tweak for next match.

Do you remember that 5v5 map we played when I crashed in the end. I played completely automatically and I knew what I'm gona build in first 20 minutes before game even started.....  While map is alright it is made for tec rebels and TAR rush. 

LOOL yes you were dead or at least near to it. If I only haven't crashed ....

As for that game when you were rushing  me with 2 star bases. I played exactly as I described it above. True I died but only because you knew the map and knew what you are going to do before game started. Heck you didn't even go to colonize asteroid near your HW before you had 2 star bases planted 4 and 6 jumps away wrom your HW. If I took that first roid 2 minutes before you came with SB things would be different.