Rygarxiii

Oooh, asteroids. I just looked at the preview. Spies? Rebels that extend beyond their races? Female avatars? Asterioid fields?! I'm SO excited for this.

Wouldn't it be interesting if the attacking force had a choice between keeping a starbase for themselves, rather than destroying it? All of the starbase's defensive modules would be destroyed, of course, since they would need to do so in order to subdue it. Once you had 'won' in a battle against the starbase, you could have two options: 1) Keep the starbase with all modules, minus the defensive ones. 2) Mine starbase (destroy it). I think it would

Generally, I like to take over my enemy's planets in one or two turns, but crushing their forces and then positioning carriers for a single mass invasion. They don't get a chance to surrender.

I usually pick a name that suits my chosen race, and then change the 'Mark' number for every upgrade. For instance, my custom race, the Shinra Electric Power Company from Final Fantasy, has a lot of ships that are named in a 'businesslike' fashion. I then put some time and effort into the descriptions. I change the description for each upgrade as well, just to be complete.

Personally, I just get a few well-designed Small craft out (usually with either mass drivers or missiles), preferably with one point in defense, if I have the room. Speed isn't all that much of an issue, since they're around just to defend my planets. Usually I'll try and get them out and defending within the first six months of the first year. It's a good buffer for early aggression, and keeps the cherry pickers off my backside, so I can build my economy.

I want to try out the heavy defenses of Good, but ... Morale boost + Neutrality Learning Centers + FREE AND INSTANT upgradable tiles ... Well, it's just too good to pass up.

Well, what difficulty level was it?

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but the wiki states that all defenses, when attacked by the weapons they aren't made to defend against (say, shields attacked by missiles), use the square root of the defense total to act as a defence (rounded). So 1 point of shields means 1 point of all three defenses. Yay! 2 or 3 points of shield only mean 1 point of missile and mass driver. Not so much yay. But 4 points of shields means 2 points each of drivers and missiles

I've found that even basic starbase defenses, which only cost one or two constructors, can be a great help in warding off cherry pickers. While before a tiny hull with one attack could destroy the base, now they need a significant fleet to destroy it without heavy losses. Throwing on Battle Stations, the upgrade that gives +7 beam attack, and maybe even some defenses is a wise investment ... so long as the station has a chance of being attacked. If it's beyond the reach of a planet wi

If you get the Eyes of the Universe wonder fairly quickly (say, in the first year and a half), little ships can be outfitted solely with engines and support, and sent out to keep an eye on enemy troop movements and development, with no extra sensors necessary.

I've found that my rapid colonial expansion sets me on the path to several hundred billion credits lost each turn, but once I get a world cranking that is devoted to stock markets (with a farm, couple of moral boosters and embassy), it's generally enough to feul my early building projects. The more you spend at first (wise spending, naturally), the more you stand to gain later, and quicker, too. More planets = more taxes, and more production capabilities. I generally use my

Agreed, the auto-focus could be a real bother when trying to get my fleets into position. Good work.

I know that it's slightly selfish of me to ask this, but I would LOVE for the expansion to be available through the retail medium (is that correct usage of the term 'medium'?) So long as it were not, say, to a US-only chain, like Target. EB Games would be ideal. The reasoning for this is that I'm the sort of person who relishes the retail box and paper manual, much like I enjoy th

I generally feel unhappy if my approval slips below 99%. It's quite easy to achieve high levels within the first few months. Have taxes put up until you're at 50% approval rate, then put down one entertainment building per planet (more if you plan on farms). When you have the time, research the morale boosts, and look into the Happy Spices and Happy Crystals They help a lot.

Wierdly, I've started out with the 700% manufacture tile a few times ... without even really trying for it. It helps, a LOT. You can put one factory down and have it as your primary ship base, not to mention that Galactic Achievements and upgrades take almost no time at all to build.

I'm extremely excited about this.

If you need a good image program, download Paintshop Pro ... you can get a free version if you Google it. It was so good that I shelled out the $300 for the full version.

I hate wasting spaces on the Trade Goods, personally. In fact, I even went to the length of invading a crappy 5PQ planet and using it as a 'storage facility' for my trade goods.

I could see myself playing this game on a PSP with a stylus.

I like the idea that all escort ships have to haul out before the weapon fires ... that gives the defenders a last minute chance to take out the weapon, which should have some minor defenses in it's own right - otherwise, it would be just a big waste for the attacker. There should be some serious moral issues involved (in-game, not for the player who is slaughtering billions ). For instance,

I highly reccomend upgrading your colony ships with new engines, so they'll double their speed. It'll take a turn to upgrade your first one, but it's well worth it.

Freidog, have you considered your tax rate? Production goes up and down now according to your popularity, I believe.

I still cannot scroll down in the 'Description' portion of a planet's tile. Not the building, but the tile itself (bonuses, etc.) I'm unsure if this is a hardware problem.

I've just started playing, and I have to say ... I need a better computer. But as far as the patch goes, the 'Blind Influence' option and the new economic/production system has me excited!