Yeah, you may want to try a few singe player games with all fastest settings, and try to get used to turtling less by say banning yourself from getting starbases, just to get used to the pace. No matter what game mode you play though you really should expand as fast as possible in the beginning, turtling makes no sense in Sins unless your Empire is at least as big as everyone else's.

As for a faction, I always recommend TEC Rebels. As a TEC faction most of their abilities are releatively straight forward anyways, their efficient units well help you a lot if you need to repulse an enemy rush off the back, plus the Rebels have a better titan than the Loyalists and Truce Amongst Rogues is either a great expansion tool if you're in a safe position on your team or if you're about to lose as it lets you easily relocate to another part of the map.

Depends on where you find yourself in the game, but Corvettes and repair platforms are two military techs you'll want ASAP. For civic get planet exploration if you need it. Generally don't research too much early game, just the basic unlock techs for whatever you need.

I'm actually going to say go for TEC Loyalists...they have the best corvette ability in the game and their Battlefield Promotions tech actually is very viable now (gets you extra XP while in friendly territory) at tier 1...

Their titan isn't as good but who cares, you need to learn the early game first...

Captain obvious here (I will say the worlds greatest chess player was defeated by a supercomputer, I'm sure if they wanted to take the time for it, the "mindless opponent" would be far great than anyone ever could be).

Thanks all for the replies.

Tec Loyalist can end the game with Nova's late game so their weak titan which turned ubber insane after the patch is actually very impressive. "It refuses to die"

I think the coronata takes points for nerfing corvette damage with suppression aura which puts it above the ragnorv in terms of survival and destructive power vs other titans and starbases. 

You need a civ lab, so I don't know if it is worth getting a civ lab over a mil lab super early game...but once you get your first civ lab, I would definitely research it if you led with marza, its tier 1 and only one level...

I disagree.

The armor and laser upgrade of TL Titan research does help a bit and I&I affecting allied an enemy titans now makes it a valuable ally to have. (Try I&I on a allied Ragnarov and watch the massacre.)

Still, it is certainly on the weaker side of the scale.

Its firepower is still somewhat subpar.... and while it is durable enough to outlast most things, any antimatter draining ship will put an swift end to it.

Especially the Kortul will remove its antimatter while regenerating any damage the Ankylon can do to it without effort.

Without antimatter it becomes a flying brick with immensive armor but no real firepower and unlike other Titans, it is quite incapable of destroying or at least scaring away antimatter draining ships.

All Titans suffer from AM draining ships, but none becomes as weak as the Ankylon without it.

Am draining ships VS Ragnarov usually goes something like this:

Kortuls on the approach...... SLAM..... Snipe hits the ship and takes away 40 % of the shields.... SLAM.... rail guns impacts with the force of gods..... followed by a devastating volley of gaus rounds that remove the pity rest of your shields. BOOOMN... scattershot makes short work of your armor..... now Kortul power surge kicks in and tries to bring the shields back online...... but there is no avail against the conventional onslaught of the Ragnarovs main weapons, they barely make it above 50 HP before being shattered by the next rail gun hit. SLAM.... another rail gun hit penetrates the weakened armor of the Kortul doing severe structural damage. Explosive shot lights up several Vasari frigates.... who so far didnt even bring down the Ragnarovs shields.

Another snipe.... another scattershot... of course in combination with the tremendous firepower of the the conventional weapons and the first Kortul is hardly more than a burning wreck.

Finally however the Antimatter of the Ragnarov has been drained..... but that victory is short lived as the first Kortul succumbs to the onslaught.

The second Kortul.... who is still is still in relative good shape, now becomes target of the Ragnarovs fury, who in the meantime has lost shields and is taking significant hull damage. 

And yet... even without any abilities..... the pounding of the Ragnarov is merciless. No amount of power surge can protect the Vasari Battleship from the deadly stream of rail and gaus projectiles and soon it is nothing but an expanding gas cloud.

Still, victory seems to be in reach for the Vasari..... the Ragnarov has taken heavy damage, Hoshikos working overtime to keep it alive supported by a Dunov. The relative unharmed Vorastra believes it is only a question of time now.

And it would be... but then now there is nothing left that stops the Ragnarov from regenerating its antimatter anymore... the arrogance of the Vasari commander evaporates as the entire ships trembles under the impact of a snipe bolt. Soon a scattershot follows, putting the rest of the Vasari support ships out of their misery once and for all. Both Titans are now at point blank range.... normally a situation where the Vorastra would outgun the Ragnarov........ but then the Vorastras weapon still divide their firepower between the Ragnarov, the Dunov and the rew remaining Hoshikos. And unlike the Ragnarov it has nothing to mitigate the enemy armor and so its actual damage is far lower than the ability suppored hail of death thrown out by the Ragnarov.

Realizing that a destruction of the Ragnarov is only possible with the very real risk of loosing the Vorastra the Vasari begins to withdraw. As a passing gift it receives a few more snipe shots before jumping out.

Novalith dont end games.... they are putting a minor dent in your enemies economy.... and thats about it.

true, it's a pity I can't play online these days and try it out... screw you bad internet connection