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zk has allot of variation in the early game and its made me wonder why some new players are making 8 solars before getting a con and collecting mex on the front-lines.

so i decided to make a short post about the very early start game.
not to mention providing an alternative to the current forum rage wars

my thoughts and advice are that of a player that has allot to learn so expect some flaws.



1. Defense: 1 lotus + 1 defender

the fastest someone can rush raiders or scouts allows you to delay a lotus until after you have at-least 2 mex and a solar but covering all angles around your eco can be hard so a 'defender' is often just as useful for warding off units like scorcher/pyro that can evade the commander and use buildings to block lotus los

radar can also be used along with your own fast scouts to neglect all base defenses provided nothing slips past your forward detection nets. but defenses should not be neglected at the base completely
this strategy also requires good micro and the use of building priority to allow ninja defenses/unit counters

2-3 lotus are able to resist almost any instant bum rush when coupled with the commander however its too costly imho and its better to create a riot or counter raiders that can at-least help to push if no rush appears.


2. economy: 1 constructor

fast capture of mex at the start is huge and is only overshadowed by steady reclaim mid-game
if you place a constructor on high priority expanding 2 mex 1 grid solar until Energy tanks are empty then switch to a 1 mex 1 solar ratio this seems to be the fastest possible metal ecco expansion method but is of-course risky unless your also pumping out units to protect the expansions

the commander can hold his own when expanding and should be put to work expanding even naked if nothing else



my personal rapid expansion:

i use no defenses and only units.. so risky if your not good at micro or they have a scythe rush.

plop, com makes mex, fac makes con, com finishes mex and assists finishing con before building a solar next to mex..
factory set to low priority with produced cheap units guarding base area but mainly guarding the constructor. constructor high priority collect mex, commander collect mex and place a solar next to each collected mex..
once metal begins to pool up make the high priority con place a solar next to each collected mex.. in a 1-1 ratio

keep spamming units.. i try to aim for a mex + single solar on each point. a strong front-line of troops and lotus spam at choke points. as soon as i can afford a second con ill get it to solar the lone mex and return to guard factory for more units.

if any reclaim becomes visible i will make ridiculous efforts to get the reclaim. reclaim is so op its like an early-game nuke.
+2 / -0

4 years ago
I don't disagree with anything, but assuming we're talking about 1v1s, I would say being defensive in Zero-K is generally bad.

Maps are often wide open fields with a small mountain or pit here and there. For the few that aren't that open, spiders get around mountains/pits and amphibious/hovers get around land and water. I suppose people somtimes go gunships, let's toss that one aside for now.

Defending with only units is difficult not just because you need to be where the enemy will hit with your units already placed properly, but also because it's really good to make your opponent feel contained at the start. If you either force your opponent into building more static defense than you, that's metal you can spend getting a con and capping mexes freely.

I'd rather make a few raiders (1-3 units) and wander them around the enemy base to catch unprotected mex or even a con. Keeping those raiders alive is really important. Making your opponent think you can catch any undefended con is really good to discourage expansion, even if in practice you're not good enough to micro that much or don't have that much map awareness. The key is that your opponent has to think that you do.

If I don't trust myself to fully micro my harassment and my base defense, then I'd rather queue like 2 mexes, build at least one solar and make a lotus that can cover all that and my factory. After that I would rather cap mexes out on the map and add solars to my main base without building more static defenses if I can, and all my attention is split between keeping an eye on the minimap and harassing without losing raiders. Insert a radar near my base as soon as I can get a first con, which is after the raiders are out. If my opponent commits hard to defense, build a radar near their base to catch any attempt at sneaking a con or units around the sides or back.

I prefer that approach because it catches players who try to go all cons and expand everywhere asap unprotected. If they actually defend a bit, they could overcommit to defense. If they defend just enough, I have information on what they are doing so I can build units that counter what they're doing rather than building one of everything in case. No matter what the case is, I have information. That's the most important part.

I would much rather raid and get information of a strategy that requies a specific counter (like making a faraday vs scythes) than trying to defend or recklessly expand. If I'm defending, that usually leads to my opponent knowing that I'm defending and sending unprotected cons out. Their eco will quickly outpace mine and I won't be able to win attrition.
+3 / -0

4 years ago
Radar is your most important defence, so important I commonly make my first con build it on high priority. With enough warning, you can divert your own raiders dynamically if you need to, or build "just in time" defence at the expansion the raiders are going for. Or just get an exposed con away from danger.
+2 / -0
I believe it was @godde that described how sometimes they initially don't make any units except cons and then spams turrets. They are a big proponent or rapid expansion.
+0 / -0
4 years ago
rushing 2 cons is good but 3+ cons is no faster then 2 cons because you stall to build eco with that amount of build-power.
and also your left exposed. 2 cons + commander uses 100% of all outgoings to expand for a few minutes. so 1 con and a com allows the factory to still produce cheap raiders while expanding or building lotus.
+0 / -0