Vilemare:
Yes, screwing up the AI is precisely the reason why I havent altered things farther in this regard. I have been able to retool the AI to function quite well with the changes I have made, but something like that is a bit too radical for it to handle.
I prefer a slower buildup period as well, but not quite as slow as you seem to have there.
I think it is somewhat refreshing to have a semi-fast 'time to engagement' in SE4 rather than the interminable waiting like in MOO/MOO2. I cringe when I think back to waiting 20+ turns for a lousy Colony Ship...
Overall, I'd prefer a minimum pop level per facility. Its in the game settings file, but it doesnt seem to be enabled. I think this would really be the thing to make the early population transfers seem more worthwhile. Of course, they prolly took it out for a reason...perhaps even the same reason as above: the AI couldnt handle it.
Having played a good number of games so far, though, I'm getting used to the quick buildup. I guess the focus is a bit different than MOO/MOO2 etc. Instead of working towards individual colony management and optimization, SE4 focuses the player more on the empire as a whole. I am constantly looking to expand rather than hanging back and slowly developing a fewer number of worlds. Its definately a different pace, but its one that I dont really mind.
That said, though, I'm still looking into ways to make population more useful and necessary. As it is now, I dont really care whether I colonize with 4m, 34m, or 134m. I dont really notice that much of a change.
Talenn