Ironline Command: the first two minutes decide the match

Ironline Command punishes greedy openings. I lost a dozen skirmishes before I understood that the first two minutes set the ceiling for everything after. The map tells you what to do if you bother to look.

Scout before you build. Knowing where the choke points and resource nodes sit lets you claim the ones that matter instead of fighting for the obvious central one everyone rushes. Half my early wins came from quietly taking a flank node the AI ignored.

Supply lines are the real game. An army cut off from its line grinds to a halt, so protecting your routes often beats pushing aggressively. I started holding back a small defensive unit purely to guard my supply, and my win rate jumped.

On the campaign, use the pause-to-plan generously on the harder missions. There is no shame in it, and queuing a careful set of orders beats panicking in real time.