if you want a noob friendly low micro mix thats hard to beat but easy to use.. play a large team game and start behind a front player then go shields
aim to eventually get 2 felons (get the first fellon asap after a dozen bandits and a convict) a mix of all other shield units, (but not roach or you might blow yourself up)
expand with defender turrets and claim mex .. use the bandits to protect this start expansion while waiting for the fellon and army mix
make sure you place a few defender or llt in base to protect it and que up a few solars connected to mex
keep a radar on front-line and defender turrets are good anywhere that could get attacked including a few along solar grid lines to kill scythe.
keep shields in a ball .. then expand and use the cons in the ball to spam 'defender' towers while helping they guy in-front of you to push..
dont push if your shields are low and keep making defenders
be careful of claw-lv arty and other skirmisher/arty also be aware shields are slow
a good noob shield fac ratio is imho:
Dirtbag: 4
Bandit: 4
Rogue: 4
Thug: 3
Convict: 2
Vandal: 2
Outlaw: 1
Racketeer: 1
Aspis: 1
use your dirts and bandits to:
charge arty that chase you when you retreat
strike weak targets
strike heavy targets that do not have riot weapons or have a poor rate of fire
keep the dirts in front of your ball of units if your feeling in danger of cloaked units and to maintain los
keep your racks, vandals convicts and aspis safe if you can but keep these units in your ball as they help protect it.. if air bothers you use the vandals to warn air your not worth it by charging at air with them but dont loose too many of them vandals are quite good aa but only en mass
use your convicts to !reclaim! > build porc if you have excess metal > or repair
later when metal is booming make a caretaker and make sure your never energy stalling.. its mostly better to make solars then fusions.. connect your mex up to form a mex grid with solars or use pilons if the solar grid will block troop routes.
porc:
at least 1 razor in a frontline area always build a little way behind a front-line defender turret so your project is not going to get defender rushed mid build and so as to provide warning of incoming attacks, air and arty fire.
if enemy has mass arty do not try to porc front-line just make a few razor to soak up arty fire and mass a mobile army to push the enemy arty
hlt at key points just behind front are good.. dont make too many as they detract from your mobile army and are single target and attract attention of arty and rushes just 1-2 near a small front-line stretch
stardust's are good for stopping rushes but hate ranged units avoid if your getting arty attacked.
focus mainly on making a massive army and not on porc
