I have played it for a while and well, theres a pattern to the game.

When you have a good start the game is over. For instance last game I have played was a Battle of the Gods on Challenging in a Gigantic Galaxy. The human player does not get any alignment bonus in this game because the game does not allow you to choose an alignment like it does the AI. Fair enough. But the AI does stupid build choices. It goes for short term bonus and for some reason builds tons of farms and Research centers. None of them not even the much vanted Yor had my industrial capacity. The AI plays stupid. The game has become boring and predicable.

The first thing I would do is fix the AI and start having a balanced build plan.

For Instance the Acrean empire. They started a war. I did not attack them till I had about 25 various transports from a Mosbey Radier (small hull 2 advanced troop pods) to a Planetary invasion platform (Cargo hull with 5 advanced troop pods). There fleets touched only one of my planets and did not take it over (thank you Invasion preventions building what ever there called). I shot down tons of Troop Transports the largest ship they had in the field was a frigate while my fleets were headed by a Battle ship. After they lost 10 planets did they start making Cruisers geez. They started the war doesnt the AI have any planning or intelligence to it. I went through them like Germany thorugh Poland. They sued for peace and I gave it. All they while holding off the Yor and there pitiful fleets (tiny and small fighters). Then attacked the Yor in force the Torians and The Mimbari wanna be's dog piled on. So I went a huge number of turns doing nothing but upgrading my starbases and such. I was plain boring, The AI rated me from 6th to 2nd in military the whole time. I never once lost an important battle. The AI comes at me the same old way every time.

The big mistake of the AI is that it thinks only in terms of planets not systems. Taking over a system will change an empires boundries. It sends from 1 to 3 transports to a systems and might... might take over 1 or 2 planets. I think in terms of systems its like playing a child.

I would love a tactical similator in this game then you could

1. take out more than one ship with a battle ship
2. if the tactical combat has arcs in it then take small ships and tactically pull the shorts over a large ships head and blow up by getting behind them. In that as IN REAL LIFE speed will equal life in fighters and small ships.
3. Boarding actions. It would be worth while to capture a starbase with some moduals attached than blowing it up.

Please fix the brain dead AI.

Duh