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The beauty of Homeworld: Cataclysm comes in the interplay of units. Strike craft are inexpensive and work well in numbers, but have a tough time destroying a large capital ship. Multibeam frigates are durable and pack a punch, but possess a slow firing rate. Hive frigate are mostly worthless against other frigates, but work well in defending your capital ship fleet against strike craft attack. Leeches are small and inexpensive, but can cripple a capital ship if left undetected.
To succeed, both in the single- and multiplayer game, you should produce a mixed fleet of ships for both offensive and defensive purposes. Building all strike craft might work in the beginning, but once your opponent starts implementing corvettes or frigates, you're going to have a tough time competing. Your ships should serve to offset the weaknesses of other ships. Multibeam frigates can get torn up by strike craft; so, guard the multibeam frigate with your own strike craft or implement a hive frigate to help offset the multibeam frigate's slow rate of fire.
Sentinels can also play a major role in fleet success. Twelve sentinels can form a shield around a capital ship and help protect it from enemy attack. Cruise missiles can pass through the shield, though the sentinels possess a small weapon that can knock out a cruise missile (though beware if there are several). Protect the shielded craft with strike craft to protect against cruise missiles.
Homeworld: Catacylsm uses the original Homeworld's system of tactics (aggressive, evasive, neutral) and formations (delta, broad, X, claw, wall, sphere, custom) that can be applied to strike craft or capital ships.
Ships set to evasive divert energy from weapons to engines, sacrificing some attack strength for maneuverability. Evasive is best used when trying to evade enemy fire as you attempt to inflict damage. Attack enemy minefields with acolytes set to evasive tactics. The mines aren't especially durable, so it's best to order your acolytes to shoot while evading them to minimize damage and acolyte losses. Ships in evasive tactics also flee when heavily damaged to dock with a command ship or carrier.
When you've set ships to aggressive, they have a greater tendency to remain in place while attacking as energy is diverted from engines to weapons. This makes your strike craft highly vulnerable to capital-ship fire or multigun-corvette fire. Don't use aggressive tactics when attacking minefields. Resource collectors have a special use for aggressive tactics. Set your collectors to aggressive, so they'll continue to harvest even if attacked.
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