C&C3 Build Orders

[Lion]

Post your build orders in here and share them with other C&C3 fans. Give your reasons why you use certain build orders as well.
I'll get things started. This one is for fast money.
-Build Power Plant
-Build Barracks (Get Engie and capture the nearest Tib Spike)
-Build Refinery
-Build Surveyor and take to next tib field away from your base
-Build second Refinery and place on your expansion field
-Build a War Factory and produce two harvestors
-Build Power Plant
NOTE: Obviously crank out a few infantry squads to scout the map and a couple squads hanging around your base for the possibilty of a very early enemy infantry rush. A Watch Tower would work good too.

[Rolk]

I personally go:

-Power Plant
-Refinery
-Barracks
-War Factory
-Harvester
-Powerplant

And everything else.

[Derek]

Post your build orders in here and share them with other C&C3 fans. Give your reasons why you use certain build orders as well.

I'll get things started. This one is for fast money.

-Build Power Plant
-Build Barracks (Get Engie and capture the nearest Tib Spike)
-Build Refinery
-Build Surveyor and take to next tib field away from your base
-Build second Refinery and place on your expansion field
-Build a War Factory and produce two harvestors
-Build Power Plant

NOTE: Obviously crank out a few infantry squads to scout the map and a couple squads hanging around your base for the possibilty of a very early enemy infantry rush. A Watch Tower would work good too.
If fast money is what you're looking for, try something like this:

Refinery (sell after harvester comes out)
Surveyor (to expansion)
Refinery (first harvester is ready to dump about the time this is finished)
Crane
Power-Refinery (at expansion, sell)
Barracks (engineers)-Refinery (at expansion)

That will get you started with 2 harvesters at each tiberium field before even getting a WF. The sold refineries will also give you riflemen, which you can use to scout or to dig in near the spikes to protect them from enemy engineers.

An interesting note about selling refs: The Ref costs $2000. After selling it you have $1000 + $1000 harvester + $300 riflemen = $2300. So you basically get a harvester for the normal price in addition to free riflemen.

What I do depends, but it usually goes something like:

Power
Surveyor
Barracks (engineers)
Ref
Crane
Ref (at expansion), WF (at main, first units*, harv, then tanks)
Power, WF (at exp, harv then tanks)
Comm center, Power
Tech Center

*If I'm GDI then my first vehicles are two Pitbulls, if I'm Nod they are two Scorpians. Either way I send them to the alternate exp to kill the AI's surveyor (this would not work against a human because they would expand much faster than the AI). This cripples a Hard AI.

Sometimes I garrison the middle with rocketmen, sometimes I don't. I usually have one or two defences in reserve in case I'm attacked. If I'm going to get an AF then I get it while my Tech Center is building, but usually I don't bother.

A variation on the above I use is this:
Ref
Surveyor
Power
Barracks (engineers)
Crane
Continue as above

This gets money faster, but the Brutal AI has killed the engineers before I could capture before. I'm not sure if a human could do the same.

[Lion]

Good build orders Derek! I like your fast money BO much better than mine and will use it. That's what this thread is all about. So let's keep the BO's coming peeps.

[Gaucho8788]

I usually start with:
1 Power plant
2 Refineries (sometimes 1 depending on the map)
1 Barrack
Expand (with the crane, to allow multiple building tabs, and either the MCV or the expansion base (the surveyor or the other one))
get a barrack and refinery there, then start bouncing back and forth.
1 Weapons Factory
After that I start building multiple buildings of my barracks and factories( im already building multiple refinries, just incase you ask) and the advanced structures in between each other.

This is my usual building order but I like to experiemant alot so it could change.

[Lion]

Another build order to get your economy going.

-build crane
-build surveyor (send to right tib expansion field) and deploy.
-build power and refinery at same time using CY and Crane. (Place ref at main base)
-build second refinery (place at main base and sell) use soldiers you get from selling the ref for early base defense.
-build war factory and second power (place both at expanded tib field)
-Start cranking out predators.
-build third and fouth refinery (sell the third to get soldiers and harvester), then set the fourth ref facing the expanded tib field so harvester has direct access to the ref without going around the structure. Take your soldiers you got from selling the ref and have them dig in for defense.
-build barracks at main base, get engie and send to tib spike
-crank out some rifle and missile squads
-build second war factory and place at main base (crank out preds).

[bugglemenot]

Why do people build power before refinery/hand? You make more money if you build power after the resource chain has been est.

Also, the refinery sell thing sucks unless you're willing to sac. tech-up speed for one GI.

[Derek]

Why do people build power before refinery/hand? You make more money if you build power after the resource chain has been est.
Early spike capture and Shadow Team rush are about the only reasons to got power-rax/hand first.

Also, the refinery sell thing sucks unless you're willing to sac. tech-up speed for one GI.
It ties up your CY and Crane, so you can't tech up as fast, but it frees up your WF to produce more tanks. Like most things, its a trade off, you're giving technology in exchange for tanks. However, teching is linear, so if you have a crane in addition to your CY, you can (assuming you have enough money) tech at full speed while still building and selling refineries.

[Daishi]

-Crane/Surveyor

-Build Power, refinery, send Surveyor either way

-Barracks, Refinery

-War Factory, War Factory

Make the WFs and Refineries at both tiberium fields. Take spikes fast, then make mixes on both sides.

-Crane, Command Post, Tiberium Silo, Anti-vehicle turret for secondary base (whatsitcalled...)

And it develops from there.

[Ronbo]

I have been playing this game for almost 12 years I think, and this version is alot like the first two. My expierence up till now with this version is that 90% of ranked games are over in 11 minutes or less using basic weapons. So the best way to win in my opinion is to build the most MOBIL weapons at fast as possible. This is a good defense in case your enemy rushes, you have lots to shoot with. You also have the option of rushing if he is doing something stupid. The game is about money. So if you build small, mixed, hunter killer groups right at the start and GO AFTER HIS HARVESTERS, you can put him under pressure right at the start. If you kill a Harvester he loses that money. He also has to replace it, that cost money, and while he is building it, you are building something that shoots! So here is my BO for a ranked 1 on 1 GDI, works with all though.

Refinery
Powerplant

Weapons factory
builds 2 Harvesters /2 buggys/3tanks/1BMT/Harverster, repeat without harvesters.
This group hauls ass and kills a harvester. If u lose whole group still worth it

Barracks
Depends on map

Refinery

Weapons factory
Builds same mix as above, gradualy go tank heavy with both weapons facs

powerplant

This gets you lots of units fast to go put pressure on the enemy, and keep up the fire.

Ronbo in the House 07

[Apolo]

I personaly go like this

Crane + survayor

Build 2 refineries place 1 one sell one at the same time as going this expand to nerest tiberium field

Then build a power planet and a nother tiberium refinery

War factory ,spam predators as many as u can aford also place tiberium ref at expansion point ,and build a nother ready to go with it. While doing this start thinking of some defence to protect the expansion point E.g tanks prederable maby some static base defence,what ever you personaly prefer.

Then once u have 2 Harvesters at each tiberium field start to tech ect...

This probably isent the best build order out thier but i think its not a bad one.Also remeber to keep expanding to more Tiberium fields.:)

[SgtRicko]

I do the same thing, only I don't sell the refs, because it helps to save time when multiple harvesters are not being jammed up due to the refinery already being used.

[Derek]

I do the same thing, only I don't sell the refs, because it helps to save time when multiple harvesters are not being jammed up due to the refinery already being used.
Sell the refs, the $1000 rebate is very helpful to keep your BO going and the rifle squad can be used to scout and kill engineers (if there are any). The harvesters won't jam because it takes longer to fill up than unload, so as long as you have no more than 2 harvesters/refinery there will be idle harvesters.

[MaXiMuZZZ]

Depends on the map and the side I play with. My 'usual' for GDI/Nod tho:

- Crane(extend) & surveyor (3rd tib field)
- Power plant & ref (main) + 1 base anti-inf defence, ready but not placed
- Ref (main & sell, send inf to scout enemy) & Warfac (1 apc + mass tanks)
- Power plant(extend) & ref (2nd or 3rd)
- Warfac & ref (2nd or 3rd)
- Airfield(venoms or orca's) & ref
- Ref & if economy allows Warfac.
- Barracks when I feel like it(tib spike or not, getting some rockets etc). As Nod sometimes two stealth teams to slow down the enemy. From here on tech up to Railguns or Laser capacitors. Add in some mammoths or stealth tanks. Keep one base defence(obelisk or GDI equivalent) ready to place. Looking to have 1 Ref on all 3 Tib fields, 2 harvesters each.

But then again, the above might change depending on what my enemy does, or if I want to use a certain tactic fast.

[Derek]

Thats pretty good, although you left out where you build a Comm Center.

[MaXiMuZZZ]

Depends on how fast I want to get Orca's or Venoms (or Tech), and when I need a pp I guess. ;)

[Soviet779]

Crane + surveyor
Power plant + refinery
Refinery(sell) + refinery(at exp)
Refinery(sell at exp) + war factory

Basically... with a shredder turret in there and maybe another power plant somwhere. After that i play it dependant on the opponent, i might tech fast for laser ability, or get venoms in aaddition to my scorps. Or boost the economy more and do both albeit slower than if i was to focus on one.

[pietro]

I just installed the latest patch, and in the txt-file they say that selling your refinery now gives you back 300 Belgian francs instead of 1000 ...

Havent played online yet, but scirmish against computer-as-scrin on hardest level ( dont know the level in english; have dutch C&C ) is impossible for me to do. I tried all your BO's so far, but its game over in about 15 min. Only tried this like 5 or 6 times, but my brain then goes "tilt" and I have to cool down in front of the TV and watch some disney-nature-something about lazy animals for an hour.

On hard level ( one below hardest ) its pretty easy to win though from comp.

Any more advise on how to get through first 15 minutes via better BO's is welcome.

[Delta-4]

My build order is usually something like...

1.Crane/Foundry, Expansion Vehicle
2.Power Plant, Refinery, Second Expansion Vehicle*
3.Infantry Structure/Power Plant, Refinery, Anti-Infantry Defense
4.Power Plant/Infantry Structure, Vehicle Structure/Radar Structure¹, Basic Anti-Vehicle Defense, Engineer*
5.Vehicle Structure, Radar Structure¹/Tech Structure, Basic Anti-Vehicle Defense, Construction Vehicle x3*/Basic Human Tank/Devourer Tank x5/10
6.Power Plant, Tech Structure/Support Power Structure, Basic Anti-Vehicle Defense/Advanced Defense
Anything else that's left out is built afterwards.

* = Optional
1 = The generic name I use for the Command Post, Operations Center, Nerve Center.

Go ahead, call me a noob, but that doesn't change the fact that I've never lost to a Human and beaten almost every computer player I've challenged. :D

[Avapodnaught]

recently i've gone like this:

conyard builds:
/ =conyards path
crane and expansion vehicle
......../ .. \ =crane
.....ref..... ref...................from first war: 3 harvies, then some
...../ ..........\ basic vehicles
...pp........... pp ................second war: if other harvies are still building then more harvies
.../.....................................................................\
war fac or infantry structure (depends on map.......... ref (usually in expansion base......... ........and then pump out vehicles
.../ ...............................\
radar (or war)............... second war or ref (ref for expansion base


Then after that tech up, and some other key structures (defenses, air bases, secret shrine, nod needs infantry for most battles, etc)

[Hoppity]

This is my 1.09 BO that I use on TA as GDI:
- PP / Surveyor
- Barracks (build 4 riflemen and 1 engi. Send 2 riflemen to protect surveyor, 2 riflemen + engi to capture/protect tib spike)
- Refinery (place at primary green field)
- War fac (1 harvester (when built send to blue tib) 2 APCs then heaps of preds)
- Refinery (place at blue tib) (at about this time I start building some inf to go with my preds)
- Refinery (place at primary green field)
- Refinery (place at primary green field then sell)
- Command post (place close as possible to secondary green tiberium field)
- Refinery (place as close as possible to seconday green tiberium field)
- Tech center (research railguns)

From there I usually get some more refineries at my secondary green tiberium field, a space command uplink, and an airfield (for orcas/firehawks)

[apple23]

I'm still a noob to CNC3 and am still expreimenting with build orders. However all my buildings tend to some in pairs. It starts a little something like this:

Crane/surveyor (to expansion tib or squish point)
PP/PP
Ref/ref (one on main one on expansion of surveyor deployed)
rax/rax (start pumping out inf)
ref/ref (one on main one on expansion)
wf/wf (predators)
cmmd post/pp (forgot to add: power in between if necessary)
tech lab/whatever

[SurvivorX]

I usually start with:

-Crane/Emissary
-PP/Ref
-Barracks as soon as the PP is out
-A second Refinery
-A shredder turret a little ways in, to defend against any rushers
-A War Factory and Operations Center

and sort of improvise from there. I've noticed a major flaw in my tactic though - I'm waaay late in getting my Tech Center up (I've always been that way, even in Tiberian Sun and RA2), and have a habit of building up my army late also. I'm early to Tier 2, late to Tier 3

[drjordy66]

I'm in Kane's Wrath now, so I don't know if it will help all that much, but I will give it a go.

By the way, it can completely depend on the map you're playing.

A typical build order consists of:

Power Plant
Barracks
-Basic Infantry and an Engineer/Assimilator (if tiberium spikes exist) for scouting and taking any tiberium spikes.
Refinery
War Factory/Warp Sphere
-Basic anti-infantry tank for scouting and killing other infantry and tiberium spikes
-Harvester
-5 or so basic tanks (scorpions/seekers/predators)
Refinery

***After this point, you can wait to build, and build units instead, or u can continue to build and risk an all out rush***

From here, you can either build another War Factory and rush with tanks or you can go for teching up with a Command Post/Operations Center/Nerve Center. Typically trail your base to another nearby tiberium field with these buildings. Then after going for the War Factory or Tech, build some more Refineries at this tiberium field. You should also build another Harvester or two by now. At this point it definitely depends on how the game is going. If you have harassed their money enough by now (WHICH YOU SHOULD ALWAYS AIM FOR), finish them off. If not, think about teching up.

If you want more help or just enjoy playing, look for me online and I'll help you out. You can also ask me if you want some great replays that show a good build order. If you don't believe me check out my record online (especially Kane's Wrath). I'm not GREAT but I'm in the top 10,000 typically. My name online is also drjordy66.

[Derek]

If you want more help or just enjoy playing, look for me online and I'll help you out. You can also ask me if you want some great replays that show a good build order. If you don't believe me check out my record online (especially Kane's Wrath). I'm not GREAT but I'm in the top 10,000 typically. My name online is also drjordy66.
Top 10,000 is nothing at all. Top 3000 at least to be good. Your BO is spot on though, so you've got the right idea.

[tomcat8118]

i have a general question regarding bo.

i notice that about half of the posters on here build a crane, the others do not.

for those who have not posted they build a crane, why not? is it just not worth the costs?

i havent played since the demo and have just purchased the set.

again, just looking for some insight into the methodolgy of a)to build a crane or b)to not build a crane

Thanks!

[Derek]

In the demo you would always want to buy a crane, but in the latest version of CNC3 and Kane's Wrath cranes are almost never worth it, at least not until midgame. You need the early time and money for more important things.

[tomcat8118]

In the demo you would always want to buy a crane, but in the latest version of CNC3 and Kane's Wrath cranes are almost never worth it, at least not until midgame. You need the early time and money for more important things.

thanks for the insight derek

do you happen to have any links to any of your replays?

just needing some strat ideas...

Tom

[Derek]

www.gamereplays.org/commandandconquer3

and

www.gamereplays.org/KanesWrath

You'll need the full game, fully patched, or course.

[Frost Phantom]

cranes are good for versusing AI, but against humans, thats an extra 15seconds u have to wait before u start building, by the time u finish building ur ref, the enemy will be nearly finished with their war factory and u wont have much money left to mount a good enough defense before their first rush is in ur base
most online games i've played are generally decided in the first 3-4 minutes, after all, the $1600 they spend on a new harvester, i get to spend on more tanks. i rly dont see the point in teching up early unless ur that good u can hold off 2 or 3 enemy rushes with minimal units, most games are played out with just basic units, eg predator tank + apc + rocket soldiers. if someone is stupid to let u get ur mammoth or walkers out, then they deserve to lose.

[KingYuri]

Fast expansion plus fast tech: PP, 2 cranes, surveyor, PP, 2 Refs, Barracks(as soon as PP is done), defenses after surveyor is deployed, WF, upgrade structures, upgrades. This works for me in single player as I only do single player and it probably wouldnt be advisable against another human anyway as this will bring your money down very low unless you are playing on a map with lots of tiberium or tiberium spikes.