How do you level up to tech 2 and 3

[aflashman]

I have played a couple of games against the AI now and I have a basic but incomplete understanding of how the economy works.

If someone could let me know what I am missing I would appreciate it.

I surround my factories with power generators.

I build four mass storage units around each ofmy mass extractors.

I have no idea what I am supposed to do with energy storage units. How many should I buidl and where do I place them.

I send my engineers out to zap rocks (patrol). I think this gives me mass.

One thing that has me stumped is how to level up to tech 2. I can't see an option for this anywhere. I see units and building seem to have a button for tech 2 but when I press it gives a message saying I need to upgrade my construction units to level 2. BUT I get the same message from engineers. What am I supposed to do?

I am starting to really like this game. I just don't have a clue how to play. I can beat the AI on easy but I notice at the end of the game that the stats show the AI vastly outstrips me when it comes to collecting energy and mass, which indicates that I must be doing something not quite right.

Any advice would be appreciated. Cheers.

[Nebhead]

You upgrade your Factories to increase their Tech Level, then produce Engineers from them at that Tech Level who in turn can build higher level structures.

An icon in the Factory's list of units will look like a building - this is the button you press to instruct the Factory to upgrade itself - consumes a fair amount of Energy and Mass, so make sure you've got enough of both before pressing the button.
A L1 Factory can be upgraded to a T2 Factory, which can then be upgraded to a T3 Factory - A T3 Factory can build all the units available from the previous level and all others before it.

For example, a T3 Factory can produce T1, T2 and T3 units.
A T2 Factory cannot produce T3 units without being upgraded first.

Mass Extractors can be upgraded in a similar fashion, again just make sure you've got enough resources to do so.

The ACU can also be upgraded to the highest level via the customise option for building addons on your ACU - also adds extra health and significantly increases the build speed of your ACU.

Energy Storage can be used in the same way as you use Mass Storage, they increase the rate that generators create energy, however they are quite explosive when destroyed - be careful of causing giant chain reactions of explosions with multiple Energy Storage buildings next to each other and near other Generators.

[belatedcube1021]

I will try to answear those questions but I am not the best (my faf rank is 1100 so there will be others with better advice).

Originally posted by afLaSHman:

I surround my factories with power generators.

that gives you a power bonus where the factory doesn't use as much power. The factory I suggest doing this with first is the air factory because they use more power.

Originally posted by afLaSHman:

I build four mass storage units around each ofmy mass extractors.

that gives you a 50% mass bonus. I do not suggest doing this right away with T1 mexes (mass extractors) because then they would only produce 1 more mass per sec and T1 mexes are killed easier.

Originally posted by afLaSHman:

I have no idea what I am supposed to do with energy storage units. How many should I buidl and where do I place them.

watch sheppard's tutorial video on OC (overcharges); it will help. also they give you a 50% power bonus if you surrond a pgen (power generator) with e storage (energy = power) but it is more worth building another pgen because e storages are volatile and there are times when one T3 bomber (strat bomber) kills all the e storage and the T3 pgen that was being surrounded by it.

Originally posted by afLaSHman:

One thing that has me stumped is how to level up to tech 2. I can't see an option for this anywhere. I see units and building seem to have a button for tech 2 but when I press it gives a message saying I need to upgrade my construction units to level 2. BUT I get the same message from engineers. What am I supposed to do?

the teching in this game is different from many others. in Age of Empires you advance to the nexxt age and everything upgrades, and in Company of Heroes you simply build better structures. not the same with this game. in this game the T1 units don't go to T2 when you get a T2 factory or ACU. when you build a factory there is an icon that says you can go to T2. you have to click that icon then THAT factory (not any others) will go to T2. it is same with all factories, all factions, and with T2 to T3. now... T3 is the final tech of factories. to get the experimentals you need a T3 engy, sacu (support acu), or a T3 com (acu) to build it. now... engies! T1 engies ALWAYS stay T1 and it is the same for all other techs and anything that can build T2 or T3 can build all techs under them (that doesn't only apply to engies). sacus are always at T3 because they are only built with a T3 quantnum gateway (there is no T1 or T2 quantnum gateway). ACUs... BRNKoINSANITY has a tutorial on ACU upgrades on his youtube channel (yes BRNKoINSANITY is the channel name).

hope this helped

[aflashman]

Couple of great replies there guys thanks very much. I have figured out how to upgrade to level 2. I don't know wny I never saw it befroe but where the possible units are listed in the factor an option appears at some point to queue a tech 2 upgrade.

I tried this in a game last night, upgrading all of my factories at the same time and production ground to a halt for a while. Consequently I lost. Next time I won't upgrade them all at once.

I have a lot to learn but I think this is a great RTS game. I can't believe I had never heard of it before until a Steam sale.