The target audience is primarily rooks who know the civs and have all their infra-structure (in terms of hot-keys and an understanding that you must make 100+ worker, etc) but don't really have any specific focus of what exactly to do.

Now, I am not the best player on the Zone, but I am certainly up there and I (shamefully) often use this same strat when I am in doubt but want to win.

Use of this strat assumes that you have set-up your infra-structure skills properly (use of hot-keys, the understanding that you must make 100+ workers non-stpo and ASAP, etc). If you don't know what I'm talking about, do a search under my name and you will find some useful threads explaining what the infra-structure of good play is, and how to learn it yourself.

This strat is geared towards using the Trade Federation (only cos I am lazy and like the DD base destroying power).
Anyway: First a quick summary (for all non-water RM(Random Map) low resource maps).

EDIT: Quick summary added (forgot):
Summary assumes low, average or high food map. Variations required due to food availablity are discussed below.

T1: 11 workers on food, 2 carbon (stragglers), next 2-3 on food, then all carbon upto about 23. worker 23-24 nova, rest farms till 500 food or 26-28 population - whichever comes first. Build power core & troop centre on way to T2.

T2: Queue 4 workers, first 1 or 2 on nova. The others will go to carbon. Build a mech factory & war-centre. Go T3. Research carbon processing, mech armour, farming, mech attack in pretty much that order as you can afford them. Begin with carbon tech on way to T3.

T3: Strike Mech rush enemy. Build 2nd CC. Pummel (+others) Drop on enemy CC. 3-4 more CC's & full fledged boom.

T4:Massed Droideka with AA trailing while simultanoues pumel drop again - scattered this time.

Detailed descirption of how to execute the above:
Immediately: I put my 3 workers onto a tree and then use 'H''I' (hot-key) to set my new workers onto the same tree. Then I press 'shift' & 'A' to queue up the CC with workers and then set my Scout as hot-key number '1' (using contrl) followed by useing 'shift' to set way-points for my scout as I then set-up around 6-8 waypoints ensuring my scout will do a full circle of my base, clicking on my final way-point to activate the scout's determined path.

nexthere's where the first and really only major deviation takes place.
1If the map is high on nurfs/banthas (i.e. you get 10 from only 1 loop of base), I will send 2 to my CC for immediate butchering by all my workers (who I have dump their carbon first) except for one who will build a nursery and load it up with nurfs/bathas. Meanwhile, I would have all my current workers drop off their carbon and begin processing the food I have sent them.
2Less than 10 from a single loop: I will select them all, and then aim them at my CC, using 'control' to deselect them one at a time so that I may purposefully scatter them at equal lengths adjacent to my cc. I would then change wher my workers come out (through the 'I' hot-key) to one of the food those food sources.

NextNow that start is in solid motion, I will reset my scout's path so that it includes a second wider loop around the entire perimter of my base. Moving any new found nurfs/bathas to the CC or nursery if very many.

NowAs soon as all the above is in motion, your last worker should be just about out and you should research the worker hp/armour tech as it helps to lure dew-backs/etc to your CC. beyond that, you must now maintain constant worker production up until you press T2.

Set-up in action so now you want (with Trade Fed) your first 11 population slots (12 including scout) to go to food sources. Lure Dewbacks (other threads tell you how to do this) and drop a food production centre between your 4 deer-like things. Use 4 guys for this. Basically though - as long as all your guys are working on food up until pop = 12. Your Scout will be finishing his second loop b4 thsi ends, so you will need to reassign his way-points b4 he finishes. After 2 full (widening) loops of your base, have him virtualy go to each corner in a pattern that will ensure he locates your enemy.

Then Now that everything set - all is relaxed - light a smoke if you got one (lol). Put workers 13 & 14 on straggler trees near your CC, next 2 or 3 on food after that. Then reset your scout again so that he's circling your enemy base to see where carbon wokers are working and where his nova & ore is. Then build a carbon plant and put everyone new that comes out onto carbon (using 'I' to set the point on the trees next to the plan).

When you get to about 20 You want your scout to run a wide perimiter run again cos he is looking for t-recruit rush evidence (from your enemy), fill out remaining black areas here and there. You now wanna build a second Carbonj processor on other side of your CC so that any rush that comes wont bother you (just move from one processor to the CC to scare em off, then to the other Carbon when they flee or dead). Use your 23rd (or 24th) worker to make a nova mine flush against your nova, then put the rest to farms (flush aginst your CC) until you have 500 food or 26-28 pop - whichever comes first.

Hit T2. While on the way: build a power-core so that it encompasses your CC & a Carbon processor (& nursery if you got one). Set your scout for another circle of enemy base to see what they're doin. If heavy ore - you got tower rush coming. If heavy nova, you got jedi rush coming. If neither, good, all is straightforward (other 2 require new thread). Then go back for scout for forward builders and more blackness (fog) slaying. Then build a trooper barracks, and queue up a couple troopers so that they are automatically garrisoned within your barracks (using the 'i' hotkey). As soon as you hit T2, queue up around 4 workers to go to nova (but change it to carbon after 1 or 2), and build a war centre within you power core radius ASAP. If you are surprisingly low on food, have all new workers become farmers (as possible). Reassign your scout around 10 distant very waypoints so that you can forget about it for virtually rest of game (done his work) and if you are being rushed, build two towers so that each covers the other, both covering one of your carbon and ideally covering your nova as well (and linking back to the CC). Build a Mech-Centre as soon as you can afford and next an ore mine with a couple excess food guys going to mine ore. Click T3 As Soon As Possible. Generally, you should have around 29-31 workers and should be ignoring most rushes as if they weren't there. Use workers to beat down troopers if there arent more than 4, otherwise work around them. You have Tech advantage coming up so they dun matter.

On the way to T3, research Carbon Proceesing first, mech armour second, farming 3rd, mech attack fourth. As soon as you hit T3, begin making Strike Mechs, and if you have had no rush vs you, some AA as well who go to your most distant carbon. As soon as you have 4 Strike Mechs (your first priority) put them on defensive mode and send them to your opponents base. Put 2 at their carbon and 2 at their nova. If they have towers(or put them up), change your mechs stance to stand ground, and put them individually to stand flush against your enemy's towrs (if outta CC range). Towers have a minumum range and even most so-called experts
seem to forget this for some reason.

Now, Back at home, your next goal is a second CC, ideallly flush against Carbon but also against a resources (nova or ore - nova better). Kepp both your CC's pumping workers directly to Carbon as much as possible moving extra to nova and a couple to ore as you can. Build a Heavy Weapon Factory at home and an AirBase. Have your Factory begin building pummels ASAP. Number 1 priority to put it in action. Your Strike mechs prolly dead by now but keep going - including the odd AA turret and trooper at primary spots. Have your AA base build 3 Transports as you can afford them. Your goal is to make 5 Pummels, 2 Artillery. 3 Strike Mechs, 1 Mech Destoryer, and 4 AA Troopers. Keep pumping workers as possible, but nothing else matters as much as getting thsi ordinance out. Load the 15 units into trannies and now upgrade the hvy factory tech and mech armour as you send them all to drop on your opponents CC. The only micro that yuou needa do at this point is to double click a pummel after they land to ensure that all pummels go for the CC. Also target MD's with your MD, and other appropriate targets as available. Then ignore for a while, build a third CC, and concentrate on booming. Go back and redirect your pummels as required (assuming enemy not resigned yet, many experts wont as they will have 2nd CC by time you hit).

Booming StageEnemy is well distracted now. You want 4 CC's minimum, but ASAP. YOu want the CC resource research, and your first nova & ore research now. You also wanna begin researching trooper upgrades at the war factory and the speed/range upgrades at the trooper factory. Build a fotress in key spot and a reseach centre and go T4.

On way to T4 you are preparing for your next big strike. This time a double combo. You want to max out on trooper research at wra factory and trooper barracks as your main army will be Droideka. Begin making some as you can afford them, along with a seocond Fortress. When you hit T4, research the faster production tech as fotress, and begin massing DD while you complete new trooper research. In background, as you can afford, make pummels and AA mobiles and AA turrets (scattered all over). Put 3 pummels & 2 AA in trannnies as you get them. Ideally, you wnat 3 trannies full (3 pummel +2 AA each) and around 40 Droideka. Doesn't take long for that many. If you use all three nova piles that you normally stratr with. Use a spaceport to sell all your food to get it if needed, excess ore as & carbon as well.

The (oft) final Battle Bring up your Droideka with some AA mobiles upgraidng the mobiles & Droideka to heavy along the way. When nearly at enemy, select three key sites
(generally 2 fotresses and a CC) amongst enemy base and have your 3 trannies go and unload at each site (use control to deslect to save time). Send in unupgraded fighters & other transports first for AA decoys if you can afford. Then bring up Droideka to full use heading for the centre of carbon production for a quick 20 or so kills followed by a CC. Bring up the AA mobiles immediatel behind the Droideka. Whatever number of AA you think you need, double it if opponent is Rebels.

This should spell defeat for most enemies, but obviously there are a number of variables on the way. However, I rarely (if ever - can't remember last time) lose using this strat. It's not fool-proof, but it is the strongest I've got.

Some key points:

*If scout spots heavy enemy nova: go heavy ore yourself with intention of fotress the second you make T3 and pump a couple bounties - proceed with plan working aroun dthe rush.

*If enemy spots heavy enemy ore: if you already have nursery - fully upgrade mounties ands begin auto-garrisoning multiple mounties (as many as possible basically. Else work around the tower push as much as possible, plainnign on a second power core outta the way (or very very close to your CC). Bracing for use of pummels for quick removal while otherwise working around. - nothing wrong with grabbing all your carbon workers and assigning them immediately to a semi-distant forest. Better than idle workers or exxagerated losses.

*If facing a heavy mounty rush: Odds are you are playing Blue_Myrmidon so just resign and find someone easier (I never played Blue but this is his rep) Else, those two turrets mentioned (much ) earlier along with extra troopers instead will usually deal with the quite well. The key is to auto-garrison until you have about 7 troopers. Many bring them out 1 by 1 and get lost in the mayhem. Don't panic and remain directed. Get the trooer upgrades at the war-centre if remotely affordable and try to work around the Mountys by sending Carbon gusy to distant place. Farmers will be fine so nova is likely always primary tegert of you enemy. However, you have 3 nova piles and there is nothing wrong with using one of the small ones until you take back control of the big one.

*After your strike mech rush, your enemy will likely make MD & air for use with their rush. Hence, you should include (on top of all the AA truuests mentioned b4), 1 artillery & a couple MD and several AA troopers for defensive purpose for use once you send off your drop. This is a luxury that you may or may not be able to afford. It gets lesser priority as the resources pay higher used aggresively.

*If map is Rivers (or the like) go heavier carbon and make a shipyard on way to T2 and drop all your times by a full
minute. Make around 4-6 Trawlers and it will pay off vs late T2 or any T3 rushes (expect something, hence usually pays off).

*Smae build if map has no food. Just more carbon earlier and all foodies are farmers. You aim not to ever have more than 50 carbon upto T2 (i.e. cos you have farms instead).

That's all. Hope at least one of you out there appreciates the time this took to write. Ask any questions you like as each and every one will be cheerfully answered

[This message has been edited by ArmageddonUnlimited (edited 02-04-2002 @ 10:17 AM).]