Hi, I can't beat the computer on hardest. I always put my processing plants near food, carbon etc to save time and never stop building workers. I generally don't build a troop center until i can research trooper because i don't want to waste resources. No matter what I do when I've been at tech level 2 for a while the comp hits 4.
If there are any nerfs/nathas around i gather them at the CC and kill them for food instead of building a nursery(I prefer nursery but this seems to be the only way to gather food fast enough). If there are none around it's hopeless because then i have to build farms which slows down my carbon collecting and military units? Forget it I can hadly keep up with producing enough food and carbon to have a steady stream of workers coming :(

Tips Hints anyone?

If you are a newbie I'd recommend you tone down the difficultly levels and work through each until you are beating it 100% of the time on each.

The computer on Hard and Hardest gets extra resources donated to it, because it's impossible to make it "think" like a human, so it gets extra resources instead, this is what your struggling against I'd guess, I believe that on Hardest the comp gets around 500 of each resource donated to it, which means that it can basically go on all day hitting you.

I myself haven't made it to Hardest yet, when I play the computer I do so on Hard, I'm winning more that I lose.

I'm not going to move onto Hardest until I'm fairly proficient with the Hotkeys as I beleive the seconds that they shave off your time will be a bonus.

However someone may be able to give you an idea of how to combat the computer on Hardest!

The computer cheats on Hardest, so if you want to tech faster than the comp, you'll have to be able to kick yourself in the crotch really hard or edit some game file.

Well I can beat the computer on hard but the step to hardest seems impossible. Yes I do know that the computer "cheats" but there has to be a way to handle it without resorting to editors and such.

The thing is since you don't control individual units the battles are as in every RTS mostly decided by brute force. You can handle being outnumbered if the difference isn't to big with equal tech. If u get better tech the difference in numbers that one can handle is also bigger. The problem comes when you are very much outnumbered and outteched, then the computer doesn't need to be "smart" it wins by sheer numbers.

I don't play Hardest (I have enough trouble on Hard, and even on Medium my win percentage is only around 75%). However, given the massive amount of cheating the computer does, I'd say you'd have to be darn near perfect to beat him. That is, you can't let a single worker be idle for more than a second. If that happens, you won't be able to win.

Think, perhaps, about a computer ally. I assume on Hardest, if 'the computer' gets some resources every few minutes, that's true of your allies as well as your enemies. How about doing a 2-on-2 battle, where the comp. is one of your allies as well. Then you can call for help if you need it, and possibly employ a "lets you and him fight" strategy until you're strong enough to fight on your own.

My experience has been, the computer is always faster than I am, even on Medium, at the early stages. Even though I usually get to T2 first, it usually has more workers and more troops. Where it lags behind is in research. If I can just last long enough, eventually my improvements allow my forces to outstrip it.

So, having allies might allow you to do the same vs. the computer. On the other hand, you really aren't winning on your own then, if you have a partner that's cheating the same way your enemies are.

Other than that, I'd recommend, stick with Hard, unless that's just not a challenge for you at all. Hardest just sounds like it's utterly brutal, and designed so that only a very few, very amazing, players, can possibly survive it. AoK was just the same.

Wow! Was it really? Haha, and I thought I was a n00b. Hell, I am an easy to medium level player myself, easiest gets creamed by me in waaay under an hour. Easy is nice and easy, a friendly game I guess, lol. Medium, there, I can win enough for my ratio to be pretty good. And on hard, I average a game on about 2-4.5 hours, with a 5:3 ratio over the computer. Now, on hardest, yes, the computer gets about 500 of each donated to it, and can keep forces coming continually at you. This is all true. However, if you record a game of your own, and play it back to your self, at least 3 times, (the best for improvement), you can learn where you are weak, and what areas you should imporve. Once you have done this, and figured out what you need to improve, I suggest that you go into a medium level game, and focus solely on this aspect of your game. Do this a couple of times, and then try it out in hard along with everything else. If you feel that it still doesnt feel right, go back into medium, and repeat the process. This should correct the problem. Now, as for me, I am by no means an expert player. In hardest, I can hold off his attacks, with minimal damage, and build up a enough attacks to kill him. However, my fastest victory in hardest mode, was a little over 5 hours. My ratioagainst the computer is pretty bad; 3:5, but then again, I do not play much against it, as I said earlier I am more an easy/ medium player. The worst part of this is though, against most average people I play, I feel and act like an easiest/easy player. I guess I take more time to think and control myself in single player ones, oh well. I hope this has helped some.

Record/playback is a good idea. Kind of like a sports team watching tape of last week's game to see why they lost.

I for one, don't like the idea of the computer getting harder because it cheats, so I tend to avoid those cheater levels myself. I get enough challenge on Medium that I'm happy right there, at least for now.

I dont mind it cheating, it just gives you more incentive to want to win against a cheater, lol......

I refuse to play levels Hard and Hardest just because of the fact that the computer cheats. Since I win Medium level 4 out 5 times, I have moved on to Medium level against 2 computer opponents (not teamed). It's difficult because you have two enemies, not one, but the good news is that, unless I am mistaken, the 2 computer opponents should also beat on each other as much as they beat on me. Does anyone know if this is not the case?

SirKai

I think it can vary, and it also can depend on your tactics. I tried 1-on-2 a few times, but often had both computers rushing me at the same time. This may be due to geography. If you're unlucky enough to be between them, they'll beat on you first. If you're on the "outside" they might start fighting with each other.

I don't think they're programmed to team up, but with 1-on-2, it's basically a 50-50 chance that each of them will pick you.

I'm a bit of a rook, however i've been beating the computer very 100% on medium so i almost only play against hard. I've played against 2 'puters teamed up on easy, but that was TOO easy. The only time i've beaten the 'puter on hard is in a 4-player game (no teams - 3 'puters) and as was said in an earlier post - the 'puters would beat on each other as consistently as beating on me, and even that took hours. I think that if you can build your defences well and early enough, then the 'puter will smash his mightier armies against them. Then you amass a big enough army (i.e. you're at max pop with all your building's queued (sp?)) and then you can look to popping it back. I have tried impossible (hardest), only to laugh at my quick and dismal failure. Unfortunately if you're looking to "rush", you're playing the wrong level after medium/moderate.
just my 2cents . . . and they're canadian cents too, so it might be worth some american pocket lint . . . .

I agree about rushing on Hard or Hardest... since the computer "gives itself" extra resources every 10 minutes, it's almost impossible to out-rush it. It can be done, but it's not easy.

I've been advancing through the levels as well.
I get to play a lot at work (there's ussually 3 or 4 others that play at lunch) but I still play against the computer to trya and improve my game.

I started with Medium 1v1 and beat the computer real good.
Then 2v2 (me and comp vs comp and comp) and I won that.
Then it was 1v1v1. The two computer players beat on each other for a while as well as beating on me but I still won without a serious threat to my base.
I play 1v2 the other night and beat the comp players quite easily. I was surprised at how easy it was.

Next comes 1v1 on hard...

My games are Deathmatch btw.

The key to beating the computer is to build up a defense. They will never attack in GREAT numbers. Usually it's small attacks but once in a while there's a bigger one. But never a huge one. If you can build your base to the point where the computer's attacks aren't a threat then you can build up your force and go at his base.

Myself...I do this with canons (~10) pounding the base from a distance with other units to protect them (mech destroyers, destroyerd roids if TF and Assualt Mechs along with some air work well).

DarthNoodles out...