[Lucanos]

-DISCLAIMER-
This feels alot like "the blind leads the blind" -thing, but I'll do my best.

I promise!

"How do population and happiness affect production?"

...ummm more population = more production and faster construction rate.

First bonus starts with 100m pop, giving you 10% (or was it 5%?) bonus. Next is 500m giving you 20% (10%). Then it's 1000m, 2000m, 3000m - for the next bonuslevels.

"Happiness and reproduction bonuses seem worthless."

Taking drugs and screwing around could be dangerous, but it's not worthless.
...
Actually, reproduction is one of my Favorites, happiness can be fixed (increased) with troops, ships and/or buildings so I don't put any bonus there...
...PERSONALLY...
...but some might want to. "Why?" I don't know why.

"What does the tolerance modifier do?"

Now we're talking "worthless". It wastes your racial points and it increases your reproduction in relation to the planets condition, I think (as in "I BELIEVE").

"How does intel work?"

Sometimes it don't, actually - which is pretty annoying.

BASICALLY
As your researchers gain lvls in "Applied Intelligence" you also gain access to more intel-project. And some of them are pretty neat, like the Resource Proscurement, which steals resourses from another empire (not much else to steal from). You also got the Puppet Political Parties which creates new dump AI controlled empires by inciting revolutions on enemy planets.

"It doesn't seem to be allocated like research..."

Really? Well in my Version of the game it _seems_ to be allocated almost EXACTLY like research, but in a different window of course.

"The 1500 racial advantages (e.g. temporal and psychic) seem of marginal value. Does their special tech tree ever seem to do anything but give you cool text about your weapons that seem just as good as standard ones?"

It's all about strategy and taste. The traits don't just give you weapons, they give you builings and other components as well. But I agree - they could be more ...umm - characterized.

Sorry I can't help you with the cargo question.

Bye now...