I'm definitely going to try an Immense game, but I'm not quite sure what I want to do with the other map settings.

I'm basically torn between wanting to see how the bigger map changes things with my usual settings and wanting to keep my scores at least halfway fresh at the AltMeta (i.e. finish before autumn ). Rare stars with common or abundant habitable planets sounds like a good compromise.

I don't think i have patients to play on an immense size galaxy .. lol.

That. Would. Rule.

I mean seriously, set everything to rare and get that event and it's literally Ender's Game.

For a fair enough example of the Immense consequences, i'd recommend diving right into the Altaria Resist tournament game;
I could 'almost' stand up to the overall huge distances as soon as i had fast surveyors designed and once i was near enough to the Drengin hold and found a few details about their edgy tricky conditions and advantages (won't spoil it for you, no way) -- everything went smooth after that. Dread Lords had its usual stingy Frigate to wreck havoc in some areas for awhile but i eventually got to it with a vengeance. Kaboom, high-tech Shields, fleet of three. Done & Gone.
Then it was a sllllllooooooowwww process of blockade (to reach some Invulnerability shielding and design a warped ship or four!) the Drengin to their small region of influence, sticking up a few rally-Points for swift dispatch by versatile attackers of any Drenny_ginny_ships daring to leave their sooooo lonely orbit.
All the awhile staying waaaaayyy ahead in research.
Two transports of 2000 troops, soldiering at max - gone, no more mosquitos to annoy me.
Even a Dread transport was able to invade succesfully one of mine! Call it a memory hog. bing-bang-bong -- just four weeks later, i paid them a visit and took right back what was rightfully mine. Damaged, and yet... no longer theirs.
Oh, Lords yo'gonna'get'it'now.

Re-routed all rally-points closeby the pending Dread Holdup guarded with a single giant defensive ship still there. Mind you, they had time to build a second one - not that mattered much. Ship lanes white lines criss-crossing from multiple points make it even more seat_edgy focused. A big polygon starlike objective, full of promises and soon to be deadly Beams all around.

About 25 turns later, Conquest with a Score of 15400.

All anomalies picked up, every planets colonized pretty quickly also. Dark Purple balls of influence - only.

First time ever i felt one of my results was Metaverse worth, somehow.

Which difficulty did you play on?

15k is not THAT much. Does anyone know if it is right, that planet number is limited to the same value than in gigantic? Does immense give an advantage in scoring on the MV? I have just started one game but as you might imagine it really takes time until i can see my score...

Oh, it isn't? Pardon me, but it think i was clear enough by stating **Somehow** in the initial post!
Btw, this is the only recorded win i have on the Metaverse... cuz, to me ranking best or worst would simply become an indirect full-time job.

I mostly always play at NORMAL for a number of reasons;

- Standard stock 4 pistons cars do consume less fuel than any F1 racing V-Twelves, i guess.
- Continual or regular familiarity of constant conditions as it can impact development of my mod(s).
- Highest difficulty settings may just give more points for the money, but any CakeWalk ride is still a formal WIN.
- I'm not that good of a player, i believe. For my progress or better results, i'd seriously need much more time to enhance my skills at scoring high(er-est).
- Satisfaction comes in small dose for the casual gamers.
- Etc.

Complete the techno-tree as fast as possible is a major objective in any games at any levels to me; along with staying outa_troubles - so to speak. But there comes a time when i simply must switch gears to influence or full-scale wars.
I'm not particularly found of epic length never-ending hold-ups for just another turn to get 500+ more score points.
I crank everything to maximum possibilites and takes the very first hint at a quick win for a ride until i'm simply done. Next game..s and so on.

Oh, i got to tough, insane and what else but (all things being relative) to me the 'result' or consequences seem to be constantly the same - plan for a strategy, devise a process, react at randomization events, perform well this once or above earlier feelings or memory of a good_better game.

I guess like all people, there has to be bazillions of different ways to gain satisfaction from GC2 - one of which yours and the other(s), mine plus much-much more.

Blame it on gameplay options, the incredible amount of replayability factors built-in and on a freaky thing call intellectual goals!