In my really big game it is turn 20. Politics are as follows. Initial score/rank in parenthesis, then current score/rank, then current number tech levels, then current systems/planets, then units/ships/bases, then wars-w/no treaty-n/treaty-t, then my relation with the race. I am at war with Drushocka, Rage, and Sallegra by their choice. I still have no treaty with the Cue Cappa, but they never declared war - cautious I guess. I am behind schedule on race contact, slowed by the war effort. My ships are light cruisers except three colony. The LC are population transports with three mine launch bays (330 pop/ 6 small mines) except a half dozen retrofitted to missile (!) ships to defend the Central system. I do not have shield tech so cannot afford beam fights. My trade treaties give me very good dividends, well worth the effort. With my mines being swept at four planets, I have switched production to small mines with only one 300 kt warhead, which is 2/3 the cost in minerals and 1/2 the cost in radioactives of a two warhead mine. About half my planets have a base space yard in orbit on repeat build of mines. I am at 500k minerals throwing away 40k per turn due to lack of storage for a total loss since start of game of about 1000k minerals, which breaks my heart but the AI do no better. I am half full on organics at +20k. I am quarter full on radioactives at +5k. I just built my first intelligence center at a sphereworld. It took me this long to plant, build a yard, and build a base yard plus some mines and misc facilities. I have planted only Rock/None and am defending Central and the ten nexus sphere worlds. I have moved over 1000k population to all of them. Except for Ike the original home planets are still nearly full on population, cranking out a transport LC every two turns. The Ike nexus homeworlds have just now switched to building base space yards every 3-4 turns, with space yard 3. The next step is to have the nexus worlds colonize their 3-6 secondary sphereworlds. Once those are secure I can start thinking about the 900 large planets... I have planted then abandoned eight ruins worlds searching for useful tech starting two turns ago. The Sergetti have not gone Mega Evil Empire since I set the level to 5000k rather than 500k. It seemed ridiculous to me to see anybody going MEE before turn 70.

Sergetti ------- (213.6/16) 513.9/01 - 58 - 05/25 - 0082/57/11 - 2w/1n/1t - TR Warm
Clays(me) --- (213.0/18) 462.8/02 - 58 - 20/30 - 1426/40/18 - 3w/1n/9t - myself
Krill ------------ (220.1/11) 450.9/03 - 41 - 03/19 - 0069/52/00 - 1w/1n/5t - TR Cool
Pyrochette -- (287.6/01) 444.5/04 - 62 - 05/20 - 0406/28/05 - 1w/0n/1t - not met
Rage ---------- (261.7/03) 431.3/05 - 53 - 09/24 - 0394/41/03 - 2w/2n/4t - War Displeased
Cryslonite --- (218.9/12) 420.9/06 - 49 - 06/20 - 0246/41/02 - 1w/1n/1t - not met
Sallegra ------ (220.2/10) 420.7/07 - 51 - 05/28 - 0177/29/06 - 1w/0n/7t - War Murderous
Amonkrie ---- (235.5/05) 397.7/08 - 50 - 03/42 - 0337/17/00 - no contacts with any - colonizing
Drushocka -- (213.9/15) 381.4/09 - 46 - 06/25 - 0098/28/03 - 1w/0n/4t - War Angry
Abbidon ------ (217.2/13) 380.4/10 - 38 - 04/33 - 0168/29/01 - 0w/1n/0t - not met
Toron ---------- (278.8/02) 369.5/11 - 62 - 06/18 - 0901/18/02 - 1w/0n/5t - MA Brotherly
Eee ------------ (223.9/08) 365.2/12 - 35 - 08/33 - 0248/15/00 - no contacts with any - colonizing
Narn ----------- (257.6/04) 359.1/13 - 49 - 10/14 - 0296/25/02 - 1w/3n/3t - TR Amiable
Toltayan ----- (213.1/07) 351.7/14 - 40 - 05/18 - 0243/30/00 - 2w/1n/0t - meet on his turn
Cue Cappa -- (211.7/20) 346.3/15 - 42 - 06/19 - 0106/23/03 - 0w/5n/5t - none Warm
Xi Chung ----- (212.1/19) 345.9/16 - 39 - 06/15 - 1168/47/04 - 2w/0n/3t - T Murderous
Piundan ------ (226.8/07) 324.0/17 - 49 - 06/17 - 0992/28/01 - 1w/0n/1t - MA Warm
Phong --------- (228.3/06) 296.1/18 - 41 - 04/17 - 0063/21/00 - 1w/0n/1t - TR Receptive
Colonials ---- (220.5/09) 277.7/19 - 50 - 05/13 - 1424/17/01 - 1w/1n/2t - MA Receptive
Ukra Tal ----- (216.0/14) 201.3/20 - 37 - 04/12 - 0058/15/00 - 2w/1n/4t - TR Brotherly

Notice that those races not at war are actively colonizing and will eventually surpass all others (except hopefully me). Most of the Sergetti and Krill score is in those ships, so they are not the threat they seem. Perhaps the AI would be better off doing at least a modest amount of colonization even during war time. The Colonials, Piundan, Toron, and Xichung in particular would have been better off colonizing than building that huge stockpile of fighters. With three wars to fight losing mines (launched mines not in my score) and population to shift I have not done any colonizing myself in a long time, but that will soon change....

The Ukra Tal are caught between the Rage and the Krill. They have lost three homeworlds. I guess they are gonna die....

I am about to lose my treaty with Xichung. I am stalling off his break treaty by giving a resources gift (which he refuses) to keep him from initiating a message on his own. Definitely a stop gap measure till my colony gets defended since he just keeps getting more angry.... I expect a problem with the Krill soon. I will not make that mistake again.