Well...I adjusted my research and targetted Stellar Manipulation so that I could build artificial planets as quickly as possible. I got there, but, I have already (essentially) won the game and haven't even built a planet yet.
This time the game was on a medium type setting(s) instead of easy.
I still don't see the viability of building artificial planets in a competitive game....
This game went this way:
Colonize all green + planets, build research units & a shipyard on all, resource producers on a few, storage on tiny planets.
Made first contact after a short while, established trade & research with them. Colonize, develop & research.
They declared war on me.
Built a navy, lost a system while doing so.
Relaliated, & wiped them out except for one system.
Closed wormholes to systems outside my sphere of influence.
Terraformed, populated & developed the 12 or so systems under my control.
Began to build a sphereworld....
However, at this time, I have completely researched the entire research tree and will need to convert all research based buildings to Intelligence & Resource buildings.
There are still 9 critters out there which tells me that none of them have expanded much, except maybe player 3 who's turn takes a noticeable amount of time. I believe that at this time noone has the technology to defeat me, including player 3 (although, I don't know for sure because I haven't met any of them).
I still haven't built an artificial planet...about 15 turns to go. Which seems to support my earlier proposition that this activity is not useful in a Meglomaniac mission.
I invite comment
Spyder
[This message has been edited by Spyder (edited 26 February 2001).]