Power

In the long, drawn out games that seem to take forever, a single mistake can spell the difference between victory and defeat.  When faced with that scenario, you must be able to weather storms and breakthroughs in your defensive line.  One of the first targets is usually power.  Having two or three different "power farms", each one capable of supporting your entire base, will protect you against raids against your power structures. Once an enemy can force you to idle structures and reel on the defensive to rebuild power structures, they can redouble their efforts to take you down.

Smelting your ores

The next topic of discussion is multiple smelters per mine.  Generally speaking, the time it takes to fill a cargo truck at a mine is far less than the time to deposit the ore into the smelter.  I find that 2 smelters that close with 2 trucks each is generally sufficient.  Too many more trucks and the mine will get backed up.  Plus, doing this will provide storage for the metals so that rapid deployment of vehicles doesn't get slowed down by lack of materials.

Multiple Factories for quick generation

Next Entry: Multiple Factories

This is an absolute necessity.  How many you need depends on how fast you go...I personally can generate tigers out of 6 factories easily, possibly more with keyboard shortcuts (TAB, then B).  This allows you to mass a huge force quickly.  Whether building the backbone of your attack force or adding rapid defenders, multiple factories is the only way to go.

Rapid Response Force

When you begin expanding your base and cutting off every entrance, you feel very secure in your defenses.  However, your opponent will take great delight in showing you just how many flaws there are in your defenses.  That's where the rapid response force comes in.

If your defenses have been breached, you need to have some sort of recourse other than trying to build up a force quickly at your vehicle factories (though you should be doing that too).  Having 12-18 lynxes ready to go is your response force.  Headlights off and in the corner of your base, they will be available should your primary force fail you.  Making sure that they are fully healed and that you have the Scout Class Drive Train Refit research completed, you will be able to use these tanks as a response to any emergency...just don't use volatile tanks, like starflares or acid clouds.  You don't want to destroy your own base in process of killing your enemy's tanks.

And the nod to the Thor's Hammer Tiger

Two quick posters...a nod to the awesome power that is the Thor's Hammer Tiger...

So, have you been playing a game for too long?

If the lights in your house go off, and you say to yourself, "Caution: Power Levels Marginal", you might have been playing Outpost 2 for far too long...