You see a new game. You see it is FREE! You installed it, play skirmish/multiplayer, next next next, and suddenly, you don't know what to do.

Or maybe you've played RTS before. You've played SupCom, all of it, from original, FA, and Supcom2. And Planetary Annihilation. And Ashes of Singularity. You think, "this is another TA clone". But all of sudden you struck with confusion because your economy is always in the red.

First thing first, welcome fellow players.
Thanks to install Zero-K. And may this great game continue to prosper.

Zero-K is RTS game with similar economy to other games, namely SupCom series. The main difference between Zero-K and SupCom is that there's no tier, especially metal, in Zero-K.

I myself are not pro players. I've play Zero-K for 100 hours (non steam ver), but only Level 3, and can only defeat Easy AI (that's why this guide only aiming at defeating at most Easy AI). I only done multiplayer once. I seldom watch pro players, so I'm not actively learn to improve myself. So if you see in my guide one of "beginner mistake" or "bad habit", please let me know in the comment.

Resources in Zero-K only consist of two resources: Metal and Energy.

First thing first before getting started. In general, two things you want to do when playing Zero-K:

• You want your metal income is almost the same as your metal outcome, preferably more outcome (so your metal bar is always empty). But not too much difference between outcome and income.
  
• You want your energy bar to be never decreased, at all.

Metal can be gained from two things: Metal Extractor and from reclaiming.
Metal Extractor (short: Mex) allow you to have steady supply; reclaiming, done correctly, can be the difference between winning and losing.
(I cannot write too much about reclaiming, because I'm not very good at reclaim)

Energy comes from various buildings. There's actually a "tier" for energy generator. With increased tier comes with increased energy generated, also increased hazard when they destroyed.

• Tier 1: Wind/Tidal Generator and Solar Collector
  
  Wind Generator is cheaper but extremelly squishy (blink at it and it will get destroyed), while Solar Collector is tougher and have damage reduction if it get attacked.
  Wind Generator is good if the map is having good wind speed or isn't that flat (hilly or watery).
  Solar Collector is good if the map is not windy and/or having more flat land area.
  
  
• Tier 2: Fusion Reactor and Thermal Generator
  
  I think Thermal Generator should be tier 1.5...
  Anyway, both of these things can generate more power compared to tier 1.
  And, starting from this tier, these generator will explode if get destroyed.
  Do note that Thermal Generator can only build above geovents (little crack on terrain with constant smoke)
  
  
• Tier 3: Singularity Reactor and Advanced Thermal Generator
  
  Likewise, Adv Thermal Generator should be tier 2.5...
  These thing will create energy so much that it will remove poverty.
  And these things will explode violently (think nuke) when get destroyed. Singularity Reactor will create blackhole that can not only do nuke damage, but also drag any units that happen to be nearby.
  Be advised that you can get Adv Thermal Generator from upgrading Thermal Generator

Overdrive is literally overdriving your mex. If you have energy production surplus, you can use that surplus to overdrive your mexes to generate additional metal. You enable this by connecting mex grid to energy grid and having energy surplus (you see there's a whiteish circle when you want to build energy generator? That's a energy grid).


The whiteish circle is Wind Generator's Grid


The whiteish circle is Fusion Reactor's Grid. The red circle show explosion range should this Reactor explode.


The whiteish circle is Energy Pylon's Grid, the largest grid


In this example, by connecting Reactor (on the left) to Mex (on he right) via Energy Pylon, we can override Mex when we maxed our energy supply and having a surplus. The yellow circle is each buildings grid.

So, with this system, can we just turtling on our base and overdriving our little mex to supply us with metals?

No.
NO!
BIG NO! HELL NO!

I've done this, I've seen others do this, and, oh my, what a terrible choice we have.
Zero-K simply can't be win by turtling. It rewards us if we expand, expand, expand. Build free mex, destroy light-guarded enemy mex and rebuild it.
Overdrive should be a side effect, not a goal and not a cause.
As side effect to having good economy, you'll have good overdrive.
Not by having good overdrive, you will get good economy. Nope. Never happen.
(Okay, maybe you see someone really have good economy by having good overdrive. But because this guide is aiming to newer player... let say that never happen :D)

Make no mistake. Overdrive is important. But making it first priority and relying too much from it is fatal.

Now let's go into section about application of Zero-K economy.

First thing, economy in Zero-K is quite complex. Maybe I tell you this, but someone tell you that. Maybe what I tried to explain at this guide is wrong at all.
Stick to strategy you're good at, and never stop to improve by comparing it to another strategy.

Second, let me repeat general economy strategy:

• You want your metal income is almost the same as your metal outcome, preferably more outcome (so your metal bar is always empty). But not too much difference between outcome and income.
  
• You want your energy bar to be never decreased, at all.

After you spawn your commander, always don't forget to deploy your first factory. It is instant, free, makes you in strategic advantage compared to do otherwise.

Put a mex, or maybe two. Accompanied them by putting one to three winds/solars. Maybe put some defense too (you don't want your mexes to be raided, don't you?).

Example of basic layout

Another example

Zero-K economy revolves around expanding, so expand, expand, expand.

Expand, expand, expand, never stop

Sometimes, you need more metal or energy. Solving metal problem is easy: Either by expand more or by reclaiming. Solving energy problem is not so easy, and that's why I will write about energy first.

Remember the second general strategy? Never let your energy bar decreased. There's two things to make this happen:

• Have more energy income than metal income
  Both metal and energy will be used when building something. For example, you want to build Solar Collector, which have price 70. That means 70 metal and energy will be used. If you use your commander to build it (buildpower 10m/s), that's mean when you build it, both of your metal and energy income will be reduced to -10 per sec.
  If you don't have enough income (that will often happen), you want your metal to be depleted first rather than energy. Because energy is used everywhere. Having more energy income will be beneficial, because metal only used when building (repairing use energy), while energy is used everywhere (repairing, cloaking, shielding). Having more metal income than energy is useless.
  
  
• Have more energy income than energy outcome
  Repairing need energy. Aspis need energy to shield. Iris need energy to cloak. Maybe some others will need energy to do anything else. If you have energy deficit, many of your unit/base functionality will not work (slower repair, no cloak, no shield, no overdrive).

Solving energy problems at its core is easy: just build generator. What makes it complex is the relation of energy and overdrive.

• Energy pole
  You want energy. You build generator. Simple, correct?
  Not so. Consider this [example 1]:
  
  
  What's wrong with picture above? The fact that only one mex that having overdrive is the problem.
  Overdrive have diminishing return. By having 16 overdrive energy, I only get +100% more metal income, resulting 4 metals per sec from 1 mex. Adding three un-overdrive mexes resulting 4 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 10 metal per sec.
  
  Instead, consider this [example 2]:
  
  
  By sharing that eight solar by making energy generator from one mex to another (like electric pole, that's why, energy pole), we share that overdrive. Roughly speaking, each mex only get additional 4 overdrive energy, resulting only +50% ,3 metals per sec from 1 mex. But that 3 metals per sec from one mex. There is four mexes in that picture. You do the calculation, how many four multiplied by three? Compared it with [example 1] before, having additional +2 metal per sec is good.
  
  There's a cons for having a vast web of energy poles. It will be harder to defense and maintain your energy network because you must spread your defense too. If you're struggling, consider to forfeit the benefit of overdrive from energy poles, and instead choose build generator near your base to hold your defense (it is easier to defense [example 1] than [example 2]).
  
  By the way, this is one of the example of the concept of having good economy, therefore having good overdrive.
  
  
• Overdrive Color
  You do share your energy. You build Singularity Reactor to add to your energy production. Suddenly, all of your energy grid turned yellow, or even red. What is this means?
  
  
  
  Simply put:
  
  • Purple or pinkish color means that grid lack of energy. Put more energy or connect it to existing one.
    
  • Yellow or red means it gains too much energy, resulting inefficient overdrive. Expand grid to contain more mexes
    
  • Cyan, blue or green means you're okay. Keep doing whatever you want.
  
  At least it's yellow now. Notice how strong Singularity Reactor is. Even with all of that mexes, it's still yellow.
  
  Mind you that neither of these color means bad. Maybe your expansion and energy management is so good that you have almost no overdrive, resulting in constant purple.
  Maybe you simply had overwhelming energy, resulting constant red.
  

And that's it!
That's the end of this guide.

See also my another guide:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1380290799
I think there's should be more noob strategy that should be covered. If you think this guide should cover anything, or anything wrong within it, please message me.
Critics and advice are always welcome.

Thank you for reading it.