My 1.3 Strat Experience

[Spawn]

Well, eventually in that game apc got fed up with me keeping him on one pool while not actually attacking and "gave up" so I moved everything into his base.

[Zero Angel]

Hah, APC still plays? I recall battling him on a 4-way map on PB2. When I was distracted by another opponent he crushed my base with guess what?

A bunch of APC's. 

[General BlackDragon]

Where is he?? I miss him.

[Axeminister]

He played a bunch of mpi's with me into the spring, before I discovered that G66 worked on pb3. He mentioned something about having "done that before" when I started to play the same map for the fortieth time on extreme and haven't seen him since.

[Spawn]

That was a long while ago.  Seen him a few times on msn, but not for a bit.

[*GEL*Avenger]

but I do go insane on defense quite often

yea, but that could lose a game for ya...it really is surprizing some of the combacks in vet games where one team just built too much defense, while the other team cut defense to catch up and pass in the offense...i just beat -}GoD{-WeZ on the very same tactic...very close game, and very fun though...

which build do u like best spawn...
offensive:
power, fac, arm, bay...chian and las scouts... <--well rounded
defensive:
power, fac, bay, relay...pump out pulse tanks... <--mostly feild control and fighting...slower build process...

i am just asking in general...not very many ppl talk about the difference between these 2 main strats anymore...

[Zero Angel]

Yeah thats true. I can recall a few games where I built too many rats, but enemy got to chains first and just tore up my defense. So its not always really playing it safe, especially if the enemy has the capability to kill all your pools and scavs faster and collect the loose from that, they can just catch up real easily on defense. You could go for a GT as well but theres a lot of risk involved and you really have to keep the enemy busy or they will hit the cons and stop your entire building process.

1.3 will probably change this a little since theres less risk involved as you cant hover rats easily anymore, and need to get mortars to really kill base rats, or possibly have a full team base hit and get the rats before they can finish off one of the attackers.

[Spawn]

Pulse tanks are really useful if you already went for gts and got them up, usually its just laser and chains.
BBR once told me that the tech level of the two teams will stay about the same with good commanders, taking more time to get blast out when you're winning means the enemy will also take more time.

[Zero Angel]

but I do go insane on defense quite often

yea, but that could lose a game for ya...it really is surprizing some of the combacks in vet games where one team just built too much defense, while the other team cut defense to catch up and pass in the offense...i just beat -}GoD{-WeZ on the very same tactic...very close game, and very fun though...

which build do u like best spawn...
offensive:
power, fac, arm, bay...chian and las scouts... <--well rounded
defensive:
power, fac, bay, relay...pump out pulse tanks... <--mostly feild control and fighting...slower build process...

i am just asking in general...not very many ppl talk about the difference between these 2 main strats anymore...

You guys are talking about pulse tanks in 1.3 right? Because I've tried using PL/Las tanks in ISDF v ISDF  and they dont seem to work well (at least in 1.2), and most thugs dont know how to use them.

I know that they can be employed in ISDF vs Scion matches as a well-rounded dogfighting tank with minor pool hitting capabilities (ISDF tanks vs Scions dont need major pool hitting capability since they can hold the field very well vs scions if they can prevent them from morphing and taking the front line pools). You only need about 2 laser scouts to be effective vs a scion team, with an UG you can equip your whole team in about 30 seconds, without an UG but with loose scrap you can go for the PL/Las tanks.

Also take into account that if you have scavs on the field slurping up all the loose, then you can get a tech quicky for only 25 scrap more than a cheap PL/Las tank. Thats why IMO they arent used often at all. Its too easy to get tech by the time tanks become available. Would be nice though for pulse stabs to do slightly more splash damage vs light armours, but maybe thats already done in 1.3.

[Spawn]

No, we mean in 1.2.
Very good against laser, or when your team already has an edge and you dont want to force the enemy to blast.

[*GEL*Avenger]

Give a pulse take to someone in gel...then comment if they are not effienct...

BBR once told me that the tech level of the two teams will stay about the same with good commanders, taking more time to get blast out when you're winning means the enemy will also take more time.

well, i'd have to say not true...it works in the other thinking direction, if you build less d, the other team will cut d to keep up the pace...if you take more time, you must make sure the other team isn't cutting d...if they are, you must put pressure on thier base, or face a more efficent team...Kronic proved this true, when he brought back and did the 1 turret and rush to arm hit base strat...cmders had to change there way of thinking...he wasn't doing any scrap manage for furture, just put it all on table for knocking out 2 or 3 turrets and hitting rec...

[Zero Angel]

You guys are talking about pulse tanks in 1.3 right? Because I've tried using PL/Las tanks in ISDF v ISDF  and they dont seem to work well (at least in 1.2), and most thugs dont know how to use them.

I know that they can be employed in ISDF vs Scion matches as a well-rounded dogfighting tank with minor pool hitting capabilities (ISDF tanks vs Scions dont need major pool hitting capability since they can hold the field very well vs scions if they can prevent them from morphing and taking the front line pools). You only need about 2 laser scouts to be effective vs a scion team, with an UG you can equip your whole team in about 30 seconds, without an UG but with loose scrap you can go for the PL/Las tanks.

Also take into account that if you have scavs on the field slurping up all the loose, then you can get a tech quicky for only 25 scrap more than a cheap PL/Las tank. Thats why IMO they arent used often at all. Its too easy to get tech by the time tanks become available. Would be nice though for pulse stabs to do slightly more splash damage vs light armours, but maybe thats already done in 1.3.

I retract my previous comment about PL/Las tanks for the simple reason that I recently commanded a game where I went for Power/Fact/Bay/Relay/GTowers (bypassing arm) to stop the enemy team from hovering my base (and killing my turrets faster than I could build them)

The arm wasnt gonna help immediately, so I got thugs to defend base with laser. DS asked for a tank, so I gave him a Pulse/Las/Mortar/Prox tank (the best you can make without arm) and he managed to kill two opponents and give me some breathing room. Mi$ty got a faf missile scout because I forgot that you cant get shads until armory. 

So you really can get PL/Las tanks quicker if you skip building an armoury. But its still not worthy to become a main strategy IMO, otherwise you would see people doing this all the time. I would file it under 'Plan B'. 

[Zero Angel]

Give a pulse take to someone in gel...then comment if they are not effienct...

BBR once told me that the tech level of the two teams will stay about the same with good commanders, taking more time to get blast out when you're winning means the enemy will also take more time.

well, i'd have to say not true...it works in the other thinking direction, if you build less d, the other team will cut d to keep up the pace...if you take more time, you must make sure the other team isn't cutting d...if they are, you must put pressure on thier base, or face a more efficent team...Kronic proved this true, when he brought back and did the 1 turret and rush to arm hit base strat...cmders had to change there way of thinking...he wasn't doing any scrap manage for furture, just put it all on table for knocking out 2 or 3 turrets and hitting rec...

I agree. A lot of BZ2 is about how much pressure your able to apply. If your dominating the field, or are consistently running raids on the enemy base he has to react and be put onto the defensive. If you can maintain a high level of pressure against the enemy, then you can afford to skip building turrets and go straight for fast chains or fast laser. If the commanders are equal than the game is put into the hands of their thugs, which ones can put the most pressure against the enemy. The team that puts the highest amount of pressure on the enemy can afford to bypass defenses and go straight for fast chains or fast las, thats the team that usually wins.

This is why commanders like BB are so good, its because they know how to work the pressure and have their thugs apply it so they can get to fast chains and fast lase and be able to apply even MORE pressure.

On the other hand, If you are pressuring the field, and you build a bunch of rats instead, then the enemy team will catch up to you on the tech tree and might even get to chains first, its a gamble because if they get to chains/las first, it wont matter if you have 5 turrets, if they have a competent team of base hitters then your rats are going to be toast. Its a gamble either way, the stakes are dependent on how much pressure you can keep on the enemy and whether your team can maintain the the pressure even when your base is under heavy attack. (ie: if all four of you are tied up defending base, and the enemy is running a 3-man raid with one guy on pools, then youre gonna lose, because your not applying any pressure to the enemy)