Allegiance has numerous game creation settings, a rich tech tree, diverse factions that offer different strengths and weaknesses, and distinctly different roles that players can assume. Taking all of these factors into account, planning your game is always your first step.

Plan

Gameplay really begins in the Team Lobby, where overall strategy and the various roles team members should take on are discussed in relation to the game settings.

Pilot: As a it is your responsiblity to be able to fly any of the various craft that are available.>

Turret Gunner: As a your sole concern is racking up the kills while someone else handles the navigating.>

Commander: As the you must plan the strategy for your team. You need to organize and group your forces where and when needed. In a tech tree game, you also are initially responsible for tech tree development; however, you may choose to designate someone else as your team's investor.>

Investor: As the of a tech tree game, you need to develop the tech tree continually. You need to understand what is the best course to develop for the ongoing game.>

Once the different player roles are understood, the easiest way to get a handle on a game of Allegiance is to break the gameplay down to its most basic components:

Establish

Immediately establish yourself when the game begins -- your location within the sector, yourself in relation to your teammates, and your new fledgling squad in its home sector. This is mandatory no matter what type of game you are playing -- a game with or without a tech tree, a battlefield with or without sectors, and in a game where the player roles are defined or in every-player-for-himself free-for-alls.

As a single player, make sure you have the best setup feasible for your ship. As a teammate, make sure you work with the rest of your team.

If you are the commander, establish your mining operations and possibly ready some defensive forces for any early assaults by the enemy. If playing investor, establish your development goals and get additional miners up and working as quickly as possible.

Scout

Next, scout. As soon as the game begins, scout pilots should immediately get to work. If you're a single player in a scout out the competition. If you're a teammate, join up as part of a wing of scouts and organize your scouting process.

If you are the commander, send out your scouts to find the asteroids needed for mining and development. Discover the alephs that lead to new sectors of space for necessary resources and asteroids. These alephs will also be the portals from where your enemies emerge, so set up minefields nearby. Order probes to be dropped off at key points to get notifications about enemy activity.

Attack

Now, attack. Use the best craft possible and take the fight to the enemy. In a tech tree game, always scan your loadout options for new ships and equipment, making your attacks increasingly more devastating.

As a single player in a brawl map, the decks are stacked fairly evenly, so go after the lame ducks, the craft that are in over their heads -- put the other side on the defensive.

As a team, attack en masse and utilize the strength of numbers. Organize yourself to go after single targets and take them down quickly.

If you are the commander, develop the strongest and best fighters as quickly as possible, and then gather your fighters together by an aleph that leads to the enemy and attack. Be sure to support your fighters with bombers and to defend your miners and constructors.

Destroy and Conquer

Finally, destroy the enemy. Launch from afar with your missiles to soften them up, and then finish them off with overwhelming numbers and ruthless heavy weaponry assaults.

If you are the commander, you should be preparing the conquering assault force while your forces continue to destroy the enemy guard.

Conquer is your last strike, by launching bombers, APCs, and capital ships to take out the enemy structures. Take their Garrison by capturing it, just to rub the defeat in their face.

Oh yeah ... while you're doing this to them ... they'll be doing the same to you.