Well the good news is defense seems to be a major theme with the TEC loyalist subfaction in Rebellion, which apparently gets the ability to build two starbases per gravity well as well as a lot of other defensive bonuses and the ability to build superweapons early (sounds a bit like the superweapon general in Command and Conquer, Generals, which was also defense based). Also as of diplomacy the AI is quite bad at attacking well fortified positions, and it is not had to repulse them with even just a small fleet at a properly fortified position.

The bad news is competitively defense is a very bad idea, and even against the AI you can't turtle right away. In Sins planets are everything, they determine the maximum extent of your research, economy, and thus fleet as well. If you turtle with only a few planets under your control and let other players take the rest of the map, you are going to lose. Early on everyone needs (or at least should) to be aggressive in capturing neutral planets. That means getting your initial fleet supply maxed out quite quickly, perhaps get the first fleet expansion, and focus on taking planets until your borders eventually all meet enemy planets.

At that point if you have more or less as many planets as other players, you can turtle up and focus on research. In a way Sins sort of encourages this, as the fewer fleet supply researches you need allows you to have a larger economy. In large games the main risk is that another player will take over another player's territory and thus once again have substantially more planets than you, which in the long run is a losing situation for you.

That's what I was worried about.

I'm not saying that I don't expand, rather, in what little multiplayer experience I had I always made sure to grab as much territory as possible as quickly as sustainable. My question pertains mostly to mid-late game, where I already have a large territory as do my opponents. Once I hit those enemy territories, I'm hoping to be able to become super defensive and only attack when I have overwhelming force. I'd take advantage of any weaknesses in my opponent's defenses or of attacks by other players on said enemy with a massive attack from my own fleet, but I'd mostly just turtle what I have and take anything and everything that presents itself. I just like to have an excessively strong infrastructure and defense as part of my strategy, relying on overwhelming force and unbreakable defenses to win matches. I won a few games against friends in this way during Diplomacy and Entrenchment, but I'm curious as to how this will stand up against Rebellion players.

Also, I'm finding the Vasari increasingly interesting with this new titan of theirs. I've never really played the Vasari, so how do they seem to be working out? An incredibly mobile, unstoppable fleet also appeals to me in the absence of a strong defense. With the ability to harvest/destroy planets, would my Vasari fleet finally be self-sustaining, allowing me to basically become a full-time attacker? That's my other favorite thing in RTS, I'd often build a powerful force and rampage around destroying my enemies, only stopping to build bases/harvest resources when I absolutely needed to replenish. Is this possible with the new Vasari?

Hmm... I just noticed I could've used my own avatar... derp.

Single player here(hard AI). Diplomacy.

My main problem is that i expand so fast that i (occasionally) end up locking some AI expansion + start wars on 1-2 more fronts even in early games. Sometimes I even snatch planets in last seconds before AI, then build repair bay and eventually turrets(for quick solutions, then scuttle afterwards). I end up being behind in research for some time, but eventually catch up pretty fast when all my back-end planets are producing at least some good income.

Sometimes I even think that fast expansion MAY be not the best choice cause of the more front lines. Sometimes it's better to let one AI to get some planet just for letting that AI attack another AI(wasting resources, that is).

Then, harassing is a great option to distract AI. Just use optimal movement to get behind enemy lines, then pew pew here and pew pew there and throw main fleet into the front line. By that time a starbase is kinda a must to advance. Or just send some quick punches to get some structure down.

If harassing is not your style, then use diplomacy - declare peace and watch AI's are ripping themselves apart. Send pirates to say hello to those AIs who have an upper hand or to those AIs, whom you going to attack first. Even without attacking you can snatch planets here and there, if you have peace between two AIs who are at war with each other. With that strategy, choke points not available.

Now, with rebellion, I don't know anymore. Just got Rebellion and read and reread all the techs and I'm pretty much disappointed in those techs. I will write about that later in my own thread, though. Quick hint: rebellion is much more about offense than defense(except tec loyalists) and economy is pretty much neglected(except twin fortresses for tec loyalists). Bigger issue is that rebellion is streamlined for the very specific gameplay multiplayer people so adore - 5v5 or 4v4, locked teams(AND faster speed of everything). Like, ultra-specific. But I guess I have to research a little bit more before starting ranting.

I like chaos.