Smart Power Management: How Do They Do It?

[Molotov]

If your playing style is ANYTHING like mine, you quickly find your power meter is almost always in the single-digits, your vehicle production is unbearably slow, and both of your research facilities are dead in the water.
This usually happens to me once I get Medium bodies and try to make tanks. Sad thing is, I usually only try to make three to four before I end up without power, so I end up waiting forever to try to fund adequate defenses.

So...
What's YOUR strategy to keep decent power reserves?

[Kreuvf]

What's YOUR strategy to keep decent power reserves?

Not wanting everything at the same time. Either do research or build defenses or build up an army.

In most situations you just cannot pay for all three or even two things. And whenever you try to get everything at once, you will find yourself with having none of them (factories are collecting energy, trucks collecting energy for defenses, research facilities collecting energy for their research topics).

Another possibility is to not use your full research/production/construction capacities. Don't build 4 tanks, build one only. Don't research 2 topics, research one only, don't build a line of bunkers, build two only.

Of course, this can make you weak against several strategies, which is why I tend to concentrate on one thing with one other thing as secondary which gets less energy.

[themousemaster]

Here's a way that works for me. And, I'm assuming it's not the SP compaign ;p.


I start by making the full allotment of research facilities. I use them all until I finish researching whatever my starting strat is.

During that time, I only build a few attack units (usually for escorting trucks trying to build remotely), and a couple defensive structures, more as a deterrant than anything else.


Once I have my basics researched, I then RECYCLE all but 1 of my research labs. I then produce whatever units I plan on using as my army's backbone (+ 1 or 2 to stay at home as mobile defense), using the produced units as base defense until the construction of the full group is complete.

Once said battlegroup is ready to go, I stop building all units (save for replacement trucks if necessary), put 1 research facility back up (total of 2), and use the bulk of my incoming power for base defenses.

Once about 33% of my base defenses are done, I send my attack group out to do whatever it is they are going to do. And once my base defenses are done, I put back up the rest of the research facilities. Usually by this time, I can tell if I will either have good income for the remainder of the match, if I will be on the defensive, or if it's already over.

[Molotov]

Hmm. Interesting strategy, mousemaster. The problem that has for ME though, is I don't usually have much of a strategy... well, other than to get VTOLs before ANYONE else, and to have at LEAST ripple rockets researched and set up in rows for defense... As far as pvp goes for me, well.. I've yet to actually do any, really. But it would help me if i could figure out a general rule of thumb for skirmish so that I dont end up with 1-2 power as the CPUs start bumrushing me with low-tier units.

[Troman]

Molotov, this is more a problem with game balance, not a problem with your strategy. The technology's cost rises faster than its value. This is why usually you do better investing your power into many low-tech units instead of a few hi-tech ones.

Because of this power output level was boosted in beta 4 (see changelog) - no one was playing with the lowest power output level anyway, so now there's a bigger choice - and some technology costs - mainly bodies and weapons - were adapted so that newer technology has better value and not vice versa.

More tweaks are still necessary, but it should take less time than forever during T2/T3 now until you can build a few new tank on stock maps.
A good side effect of all this is that it defeats the purpose of the relatively boring flat mucho oil maps to some extent.

[cruise]

First of all, decide what you want, and research only that: http://casual-tempest.net/projects/wz2100/ will give you the minimal research tree for a given selection of techs.

Build as many oil derricks as possible - defenses are optional at first, as they take minimal resources to build, and they'll repay in very short order, even if they get destroyed later.

My early build list is:

Starting two trucks: Factory, Research, Research, HQ
As soon as the Factory is up, I build another three trucks. First builds two or three power stations. Second builds derricks. Third helps finish off anything left remaining. Then send two or three trucks out scouting for more oil wells, building derricks as you find them.

Once you have the HQ, then you can design the viper-mg tank and send them out as scouts/guards.

While what techs you prefer is up to you (and should probably vary from map to map), getting the power module and it's upgrades quickly will add up over time to a lot more power income, so it's one of the two main research tracks I focus on.

[lone commander]

Hmm...Well I'm one to use cheats, but sometimes i like to test my abilities on the real deal... Anyone up for a battle?..I never played multiplayer on this before, i'd like to give it a go... =]

[Tiberian]

how do you manage power you ask?
the answer: you don't

you mercilessly rush EVERY single oil derrick you can find, and build on it, with most of the oil derricks you don't need to manage anything.

personally, i have one truck at my base to build a factory, and one truck scouting for oil 10 seconds into the game.

[styrofoam1994]

how do you manage power you ask?
the answer: you don't

you mercilessly rush EVERY single oil derrick you can find, and build on it, with most of the oil derricks you don't need to manage anything.

personally, i have one truck at my base to build a factory, and one truck scouting for oil 10 seconds into the game.

Or you can put in the "more power" cheat. +1000 power every time you enter the code in the chat bar. It is really handy, although I never use it unless I am in a dire circumstance.

[coolkid]

really if your a decent player you should never have more thant a $1000 to spend as it wasted money other wise.

[doom3r]

The most important thing to do is trying to get more derricks then the enemy, this way you can count on an energy advantage which translates in technological (research) or army (units) supremacy if you make use of your energy properly. That means you have to send trucks in search of oil as long as your main structures have been built, or as lon as you made some other truck for the base building process. After that, it is important to protect your derricks with appropriate defenses. I usually build bunkers, as they are resilient to almost every type of enemy weapon, so that you have enough time to send a support army to eliminate enemies trying to take your derrick. However, it looks like flamers do their best against bunkers, so watch out.
Remember to attack enemy derricks, always. They will start to burn and even if you can't build your derrick, the enemy will suffer from some minute of inactivity of that derrick.
Always try to figure out how many oil derricks your enemy owns, if he has too many, it's time to take them for yourself!

[Lev_Arris]

SK bum rush... Darn computer players and their wheeled mg's >.<
One tip: Machine Gun Bunkers!

I've not played multi-player in years, was an original beta player for this on "Mplayer"
Still have an autographed version of this game from all the guys at Pumpkin.

For sk battles though, computer players can't beat bunker battles. They just continuously drive their units into firing range.
Groups of three (3) mg bunkers are very effective. Ever increasing defense emplacements slowly beat your enemy back into the corners of the map.