is it more productive to jus start an express set with a tech start or to jus go on with whatever strat u use and buy tech off the market? ive been stuck around 13 mil to end sets and was wondering if the 500-600 turns i was using to tech start was a waste and was actually slowing my initial/overall growth down?

don't spend the turns, stock them and wait for the market to drop.

that is what i do, at least.. many other people do far better than twenty million nw, though, so they'd know far better than me

tech start works for some strats and is less effective for others. the only way to test it out is to try... but generally tech starts are less effective in express for the reasons braden gives.

13m is very low though... post up more details of your strat so people can provide more specific advice (or at least say if you're going casher, indy, farmer etc)

i try to build farm/research facil and tech till turn 800 or so as a demo farmer. too long of a tech start? not long enough? i tri for 200 i.c./1200farm/1800 or so research facil. to star my set. i was thinking of jus cutting the research out completely and buying tech.

outside of construction sites and enough farms to feed your population, on 3200 acres you should have at least 3000 labs if you are teching.

once you tech enough to last you.. i don't exactly know.. afaik can answer that, but at least two batch explores i would wager, you destroy the labs and then build your farms, start the batch exploring, and then buy tech once your levels fall below 200%.

or you can wait, save 360(300) turns and buy tech for maybe 2200 or under.. maybe higher, but if it's higher just wait a half hour and it should drop a large enough amount, especially as demo

and hold your land, buy turrets! :)

i would destroy your labs and build farms before exploring. cheaper costs of destruction of labs, cheaper cost of constructing farms, higher bushel production with high tech on low land.

also, you'll be less of a land fat target and will have been able to build up more spies

^^not a word of a lie, very good advice

I think your TPT may not be high enough to make it effective. You need your land built as mostly labs. I'm still testing things out but teching at 1900 acres with 1500/200/200 labs/CS/other to 70k Agr seems to work.

If your going to tech off 1900 acres you should go for 4500

well, i didnt do a techphase this time around and still got the same damn result..almost at 14 mil this time. trying to get up too 20 mil n express...

i had 15k acres and all farms with my tech levels for ag 210 or higher the whole set...

is better to jus sell the food as i need money and stpck pile till last 24 hrs orkeep selling all the food every chance i get?

try a tech start all-explore CI:
a) 1900A, 500tpt, 40bpt and tech till turn 450. (mostly in industrial tech)
b) switch to a commie indy and start batch exploring producing turrets and some spies for defence.

Store max turns before doing batch explores and play as delayed as possible.

Let me know if you still finish below 14m =) Then the problem may not be the way you start, it's probably the way you finish.

Lol