Yes, TEC is techincally the attrition style fleet

that said a couple points about them

One, Sova, Akkan = Awesome, Marza= Excellent (MB FTW) Kol, Dunov = meh, need help early game though can get going late game if played right

yes, best Eco in game, Trade ports are awesome at full tech and with their ability to get discounts on the black market you don't need to worry much about refineries though they are affected by the extra research that affects Trade ports

BRB (big red button) the TEC starbase is solid and if their fleet gets too close and you are hurting bad the BRB is awesome (have only seen a lvl 3+ cap survive one)

Hoshikos are your best friends. period. end of discussion. Do not repeat Do not leave home without them

Repair Bays are best in business

superb armor and hitpoints

poor shields

Kodaiks are the best HC in the business

good LRFs(Illums still the best sadly)

good LFs

good Flak

With TEC, you really gotta focus on their best traits which are:

Eco
Cheap ships
EXCELLENT armor

Your Kodiaks which as ryat said are best in the business, need the armor upgrades and hp upgrades. Then theyre tough as nails, and when supported by Hoshis, which are also the best in the business, you've got a formidable fleet. If you get your eco running strong, the very cheap TEC lrfs are quick and easy to replace. MY favorite thing to do is go Sova + Eco. Once the sova hits level 6 you get rapid manufacturing. When you use that with 2+ frigate factories, you can be pumping out ships in a ridiculously short amount of time. I once pumped out 60 lrfs from 3 frigate factories with 1 use of rapid manufacturing, also did 25 Kodiaks from 2 frigate factories in around 2 minutes. TEC also have the best AOE damage abilities in Missile barrage and big red button. 

But again, focus on Eco and armor and you pump out cheap ships that live significantly longer in battle.

TEC doesnt have much of the fancy abilities like Repulse and Distortion field, but what they lack in abilities they make up in raw power. And while Advent caps synergize better, I'd argue that TEC have the best caps in the game. Sovas have the most firepower of any single cap below lvl6 with missile batteries, not to mention the amazing rapid manufacture, Akkan has IMO the best colonize, and at lvl6 can protect all of your ships should you run into a bad situation. Marzas with lvl3 siege cannons tear down planets faster than any other, and missile barrage will put some serious fear in your opponents. Dunovs can rid enemy fleets of their AM while simultaneously doing damage to their shields, and with flux field, all your abilities take hugely reduced AM consumption. The Kol has the second best anti SC ability with flak burst, and at higher levels can handle a boat load of punishment. People may disagree with me, but IMO TEC has the best caps.

with industrial juggernaut, rapid manufacturing, and that artifact that increases production time, just IMAGINE the fleets you could make in a few minutes

they do not attack a grav well that you own (unless you are dealing with another TEC player who has the tech) but if you enter a grav well that they are in then yes they will attack you

*cough* they also sound the gayest *cough*

You should see the voice mod I made for the Hoshikos.

Hoshis are completely necessary for any TEC fleet. TEC is strongest early-on, with a great starting economy and good capitals at level one (Akkan, Sova, Marza). Capitalize on your early-game advantage is completely necessary.

playing as tec is like ordering pizza. you gotta have extra cheese, no matter what. think of the hoshikos as the cheese.

I like the demo bots, though they take some microing to be useful, they can shut down a good chunk of the other persons fleet.

They're good, particularly against heavies, but they are such antimatter hogs.  In quick and vicious fights, demo bots can be absolutely invaluable, keeping your capital ships alive better than any healing would.  In long drawn out battles, typical of the TEC mirror match with lots of hoshikos on both sides, you're better off conserving your antimatter.

As Carbon says, you need lots of hoshikos and some manual micro to make it work.  A level 6 Dunov is a miracle worker here, but a level 6 Dunov in multiplayer is also a miracle.  I've personally never seen one.

I got a Dunov to level 7 a few weeks ago in a pretty awesome 5v5 (MP).  Unfortunately, it died before I could put it to much use.  The game was great though, and quite unusual (featured a guy who fast-teched to kostura cannons - yes fast-teched).  Perhaps I should post a replay.

To comment on the OP's post, I sort of consider TEC the no-frills, non-fancy, come straight at 'cha faction.  Sort of like a football team with a huge offensive line that doesn't do anything except line up opposite you, hand the ball off, and run straight up the gut.  You know it's coming, the question is if you are man enough to stop it.

I also consider them the faction with the big, bombastic guns.  Watch and listen to a marza blasting away at your planet and you'll see what I'm talking about.  This is also true of the marza missle barrage, the novalith cannon (just blasts a huge smoking crater into the side of an enemy planet), and the anti-structure cruisers (forget their name).  Like I said, nothing fancy, they just blast away at you with big guns, and they got all that armor people are talking about.

Oh yes...  Indeed they are.  Cielos are waaaaaaaaaaay underestimated.  Those things increase damage by 40% to the target, that's a pretty dang good damage buff that is great for bringing down hard targets (such as SB's and capitals).  All of a sudden, that maxed out defensive Argonev or that Kol that your opponent thinks is invincible is taking a ton of extra damage.  As Carbon said, one Cielo with Designate Target can very easily change the course of the game.  Sure, their other ability is nice, but if you like ffing your enemy to death (just as any MP player would), then DT is a great ability to have.

But once again, be careful about setting up TP's too early.  If you are in the pocket and TEC, get ready to feed your allies, but if in the suicide position you may just want to pack up your Akkan and go somewhere else.  Just be frugal.  If you have money and time, do it.

And Hoshikos are well..  They're hoshis!  What else do I need to say?!?  

Also, here is a more detailed rundown of TEC ships..

Kol: Giant, invincible hunk of self-healing metal that floats through space and chews up any strikecraft that dare to approach it.

Dunov: Ugly?  Yes.  Kills enemy AM reserves?  Oh yeah.  Also has been known to turn GRG into a good ability and to make demo bots spammable.

Sova: Carrier that flies around enemy gravity wells dropping off little presents that spit missiles and turns desert worlds into assembly lines.

Akkan: Two words: Colonize Plus.  This makes the TEC expand very quickly and gives you a huge boost to your economy.  Want to know two more?  Ion Bolt.

Marza: Think of this as the Chuck Norris of combat ships.  You get close and it will roundhouse MB you into oblivion.

Hoshikos: Live! I say LIIIIIIIIVE!!!  Rise my almost dead fleet and conquer the enemy! 

Cielo: "Hey guys, see that exhaust port?" Nuff' said.

Kodiak: They didn't name it the Kodiak because it shot out peace rays and had a happy aura.  No, they named it for something that will rip you to shreds and no matter how hard you try, refuses to be brought down.

Percheron: Are those pesky LRF getting you down?  Invest in Teracorp's Percheron Light Carrier and we'll throw in the first squad free! *offer applies with enrollment in Triple Advantage

Javelis: Just in case shooting at enemies from a few thousand kilometers away wasn't enough, now you can blow multiple enemies up at once.

Garda: Ever wanted a ship that was a damage sponge?

Cobalt: Having troubles with support cruisers?  Guardian spam got you down?  Well look no further than the Cobalt Light Frigate available at your local frigate factory!  It has been specially designed to do die against LRF!  Now, for a limited time, this wonderful feature will come with every ship you buy at no expense to you.  Order now!

Normally, I wouldn't turn a post like this into a joke, but I'm tired so ehh..  What the heck?  Its a joke now.

lol you mentioned every ship BUT cobalts

haha thats perfect for cobalts. all they do is die until you get them upgraded and supported.

btw, tnewton, idk if you read into it or not because we discussed it up in earlier posts but you didnt mention it, the best technologies as tech are

cargo hold upgrades, which basically will increase your trade and refinery income by 15%. but another nice thing is they lead to pervasive economy, and that makes every purchase your enemies make add income to you. if you want to be an ass, or you need to relieve some pressure, pick up insurgency. modular architecture and expedited permits reduce the cost and build time of some of your most important structures, induestrial juggernaut decreases ship production times, rapid development makes it easier to develop your planets. for military, cluster warheads with your javelis's are pretty decent, if you plan on making a lot of cobalts, then pick up sabotage reactor, kodiak with intercept, cielos with designate target, and btw, hoshikos!

and you can pick up advanced maneuvering, which will cause your capital ships to turn around at a whopping 15% faster!

and on a side note, if you completly research their armor upgrades, your light frigates will have the armor of capital ships.