Thanks Highwater. Being raised up by besotted Trekkers, i dig Terran action and try to be all enlightened and good, yet i need ev advantage i can score. So i play fast and loose during the exploration/exploitation phase and then straighten up. Tho, I've been thinking a lot about Starship Troopers Federal style

I hate paying to add modules to starbases and boost invasions.  Also, I put off the good-neutral-evil choice until after the last colony rush so I can get the planet bonuses.  At that point, I rarely care who declares war on me!

Also, the AIs rarely go after the orbital transformer, so the planetary gain from one of the others can be mooted by that.  In fact, I turn off soil enhancement-habitat improvement - terraforming once I get a few done on my core worlds.

Given the bonuses for being Eeeevil (increased military production, huge econ bonus, not paying for starbase modules, having Psionic weapons relatively early in the game, and others....) why would anyone want to play as anything else???

I cannot think of any bonuses that Neutral or Goody-Two-Shoes get that would offset such huge benefits for being evil (the starship armor and research buildings you get, for instance, are a joke, IMHO)

The MCC econ bonus is still there in DA.

Also, the planet bonuses do not go away after an Ethics choice, at least not in DA.

Ah, I just don't research Ethics until I am about done colonizing.

I considered doing that, but the bonuses and other gains in Ethics make it worth the trouble for me.

For examples, there are diplo, morale, and mil production bonuses, and the chance to build the MCC and No Mercy Invasion buildings, also.

In DA, the MCC presents an unintended dilemma.  On one hand, you get a 100% econ bonus.  On the other hand, you'll never influence flip a planet again.  A couple years ago, I did an gamey tactic with the MCC.  As soon as I had several Major AI planets showing the unhappy symbol, I evacuated the MCC planet of all but one colonist, picked a Minor deep within my borders, and gifted that planet to them.

In a few turns, all the unhappy planets flipped to me, I bought/traded back the low-pop MCC planet, and repeated the process a dozen turns later, and so on.

Only 1 main problem with going evil-everyone else paints a target on you so you'd better have the biggest military! - just saying.