Walkthrough or Guide appreciated for those stuck!

[Herodotus]

Okay, so I'm getting on in years and don't problem solve like I used to (always sucked at puzzle games anyway). To be sure, this is a puzzle game, not just strategy. Some hove found the campaign easy, but I'm stuck on Alliance Mission 5 "Friendly Competition"...very unbalanced. At the start, the AI seems to go toe-to-toe with me in building the same ships, in the same number to gather resources and/or fight, but soon I am overwhelmed by superior numbers and the tug-o-war becomes very uneven. Have lost the scenario 7 times through time limit consrteictions and cannot advance.
Anyone got a quick strategy they used to counter this unbalanaced scenario, as all my ships are 'stolen' from the fight by the enemy AI...it seems to have faster resource gathering than me, and I have 10 harvesters like the AI. They just send their ships in swarms whereas mine of course are drip-fed. Doesn't matter how long I leave it to build a fleet and attack - lose every time.

[Minerne]

Here's a couple of tips.
1. EMPs can temporarily disable Tractors.
2. Tractors can snowball out of control very quickly.
3. Vanguards are extremely good at reducing damage, especially when upgraded.
4. Focus your first set of gears on the 'General' upgrades.
5. The Hurricane can damage multiple ships at once; Keep at least a few up at all times.

For this mission, the AI assumes the player has 0 upgrades and receives no bonuses. The real threat in this mission are the Tractors. If they aren't handled early then you'll either run out of time or get completely overwhelmed.

Hope this helps!

[Herodotus]

Yes, thanks. It's the tractors that get me every time. No ship seems a match for them. I have upgraded all ships in the Alliance Upgrade section, but to no avail. Only ever get 2-3 EMP's too.
Vanguard - is the shield ship? Could use mouse-over titles for the ships' names at the bottom of the screen, or even locked titles under their icons.

[Herodotus]

Nope. Ridiculously over-balanced in the final 2.5 minutes - just get swarmed by seemingly invulnerable ships. Almost had them then swamped and driven back.
I give up. Tried ten times now...no go. I'll come back to it when this has been looked at. Stuck at the 5th mission of a game - ridiculous.

[Herodotus]

Yay...finally got it. Kept mashing out ships and using EMP's. Only won with ten seconds left, so it was close. Very tough, even on EASY.

[Pitlord]

Tractors are owning me on the very last mission Battle Royale. Any tis there ?