How to be a better OpenRA player

OriginalAuthor: blaknite

Source: https://www.thelanbox.com.au/stories/how-to-be-a-better-openra-player

Joining a session of OpenRA for the first time can be intimidating. Not only are you having to learn all of the mechanics, but you're having to do it at lightning speed while someone's knocking at your door with an RPG. For your first few matches you'll be at a distinct disadvantage but there's a few key points you can learn up front that will make the experience much more fun.

Hopefully what you learn here will improve your game and make competing with us much more fun. Oh, and if you're an experienced player and have other tips, leave them in the comments below!

##The Very Beginning How the first few minutes play out can make or break your game. If you get it wrong, even by a few seconds or credits, you've opened yourself up to a rush attack. To get you on on the right track:

• Don't waste time moving your MCV around finding the best spot. Resources are always within reach of your starting location, a pre-game glance at the map and clever placement of your first power-plant usually reveals them. If it does, you know where to place your refinery.
• Economy is important throughout the whole game and getting a leg up early will set you on a path to victory. Ore fields with mine shafts regenerate ore, you should concentrate on those first. Building a second refinery and then selling it off is a good way to get a second harvester built early and save some cash.
• Don't rush straight into building units until your economy can support it. Build just enough that you can hold of any early game harassment.
• If you haven't set starting points manually you can figure out where you are on the map by scrolling until you hit the edge. If you made sure to study the map this can help you find ore and natural defenses early on.
• Watch your power; if you run out you'll reduce your build speed until you're back in surplus.
• Do some scouting. Surprise attacks suck.

##Your First Expansion The game is always won by the player with the strongest army; to get a strong army you need a strong economy. Base expansion is critical step in winning any game of OpenRA. Here's some tips on base expansion:

• You'll need a war factory and a service depot to build a new MCV.
• Expand your base to near-by ore fields.
• Have a pre-built refinery and base defense structure in your queues ready to pop down as soon as you deploy.
• Don't leave your money makers vulnerable.
• Forward bases are an excellent place for distributing power generation. Don't let one attack cripple your defenses.