Basic Strat Online to not drag down team

Vasari

So I just got Trinity, and have started playing online (played entrechment offline a couple years back). Most game seem to be 5v5, and problem is that I mess up the game for 9 other people whenever I play. Was hoping I could get some strategy/build recommendations that would allow me to hold my own against inters if I'm near an enemy (3 jumps) on those big maps.

My current build is egg, scouts for neutrals, take 1-2 asteroids, weapon lab, assailants + phase missiles, spam assailants with a couple scouts thrown in, expand capacity + cap ship for carrier, level up cap ships taking desert/terran (if there) or even neutrals and dead asteroids. 2nd lab and sentinal soon.

This is where I usually get in trouble. I'm usually in a well next to an enemy and they win a battle (even in my well with regen bays or even starbase), destroy a cap, and then I'm dying slowly or needing feed/help, which I understand shouldn't be happening playing OP vasari with this kind of build. Especially against advent carriers and disciples.

What am I doing wrong? I get 2 levels of phase missiles asap. I don't use transporters, usually try to get 2nd carrier cap instead, is that wrong? When I get starbase, I go assault, defense, hangar, eco (colony or trade), frontal shield.

At what point should I start building imperial labs (when not teching to trade then RA in econ spot) or build that 3rd/4th/5th mil lab for phase missile swarm, overseers, enforcers, & subverters. Is it ever worth getting hull, shield, armor, antimatter upgrades? At what point.

When you are at the point where you have homeworld/asteroid/2nd asteroid or desert and expansion is curtailed, what can you do economically besides fight for neutrals or tech to trade ports? Is 2 imp labs worth it just for matter extractors and to grab an ice planet?

Just FYI I usually end up against advent carriers/disciples/illums and later battleball or vasari w/caps/ass/sentinals and later overseers/subverters/enforcers. Haven't really had problems with TEC yet.

Thanks,

Kunal

strategy

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First of all, ensure you declare that you're a beginner. That way it's not a surprise after the game starts, and we can redistribute the teams accordingly.

At the start of the game, you want to evaluate your position and respond accordingly. If you have allies defending your flanks, go for economy and get a trade network operational quickly. If an ally's got your back and you're in attacking range of an enemy, get a fleet to challenge him. If you're deep in enemy territory, put up some aggressive starbases to keep multiple players distracted and give your own team some solo time on the enemy front lines.

The most important skill you need to develop is balancing colonization and military expenditure in the early-game. If you're lucky enough to have the opportunity, economic expenditure becomes another factor (though usually the combination of fleet and colonization will take all your cash). This is a combination of scouting to gain information, then rapidly acquiring high-priority planets while ensuring you get a developed and functional fleet ready in time for your first encounter with the enemy.

It sounds to me like you're probably outnumbered here, and your opponent had significant time to build up. The fact that you had a starbase, repair platforms, a fleet present, and you still lost the battle indicates to me that this isn't early-game at all. Starbases with any upgrades are virtually impregnable in the early-game when your fleet is present, so you probably let things drag on in spite of the enemy being advantaged.

You have to be aggressive and take initiative. You can only play passively if your economy and empire is larger than the enemy's. Sitting back and defending is suicide if your empire is smaller, since the enemy will just pour his money into economy while you're putting up defenses, and your fleet will never catch up after this point.

My current build is egg

In the current version of the game, always lead with the Skirantra. Particularly at close ranges, the egg suffers from its low armor and low speed, making it all too easy to kill. To match the Halcyon, you'll need either a Kortul or a Skirantra, and in the current version the Skirantra is definitely the superior.

Haven't really had problems with TEC yet.

You will; TEC has a brutal rush-game.

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thanks for the advice, one problem I have with vasari is I never know when to switch to eco and get those imperial labs up, but you seem to be recommending not to do it as vasari are too slow, and instead try to steamroll with ships

also, is skirantra lead still true post the nerf in 1.20?

also, any advice against TEC embargo, you are right, their rush shuts you down before you can do much about it

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but you seem to be recommending not to do it as vasari are too slow, and instead try to steamroll with ships

This depends on your situation. Sometimes it's better to steamroll with ships, other times it's better to build up the economy, and sometimes you want to do a little of each. Generally speaking, in teams this is a little easier since you usually have someone playing dedicated economy and people on the front lines playing dedicated military.

When you do go for trade ports, you want to put up several in rapid succession. A single trade port is very inefficient, and building even a small chain of 4 or 5 "connected" planets will greatly increase their income. In that sense, you want to put a lot of money into trade, or none at all. Especially for Vasari with the steep 4-lab cost, you won't get your money's worth out of 1 or 2 trade ports.

also, is skirantra lead still true post the nerf in 1.20?

It's still a great pick, but it's not the default anymore.

For more economic positions, the Jarrasul is very viable since it can clear militia easily with nano-disassemblers and its colonization bonus is actually significant now (if weaker than the Akkan and Progen). The Kortul is also much more comparable with the Skirantra post-nerf. The Vulkoras is another opener that can work, though it's a little hard to pull off. The idea is to harass the enemy and knock out planets early with your capital ship.

also, any advice against TEC embargo, you are right, their rush shuts you down before you can do much about it

Don't let the Sova get to your homeworld. If it does, your only real option is to throw all your firepower at the capital ship and force it to retreat. Kanrak Assailants work quite well here, particularly if you can afford a fair number of them plus the first level phase missile upgrade. You can focus on his frigates and try to knock out the supporting firepower instead.

Unfortunately, embargo is only one of many tricks in the TEC's early game arsenal. He'll be backing that Sova up with his highly cost-effective units, such as the Javelis LRM and Garda Flak Frigate. If you're really unlucky, he'll have hoshiko robotics cruisers cleaning up the damage you're dealing. The only way to deal with this is to present an overwhelming amount of firepower to challenge his units. Be sure to focus on picking off one target at a time, to minimize the effect of hoshikos.

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