I tend to start slow because I build as many colonizers as possible and they are "destroyed" by colonization. Many AIs will be ahead of my total score before I've contacted any of them. (Yes, I always play with scores visible so I can see what's going on.
) Once I contact some AI empires I shift into military build-up and generally exceed 100 ships in any game. If I'm "dominating" the game I'll get close to the 300 limit that I've generally played under. Many of the AIs will reach or exceed 100 themselves but few have been able to build up to 200 or more. This despite the fact that I play in a huge galaxy with a low AI bonus. I think the AI has trouble
balancing its resources properly to maintain a fleet so it falls short of the potential it seems to have just looking at the raw resources score.
One thing I'm always waaay ahead of the AI in is population. The AI seems to be AWFUL at managing it's populations. It's a very rare game that I am not first in population through the whole thing. Since I've altered the production bonuses to give some more advantages for population that may be one major reason that I seem to win against otherwise superior forces almost all the time.
That and the AIs' utter cluelessness about tactical combat.
It might be interesting to see how things would go in a smaller map where I had less time to build up before contact. I just enjoy the 'epic' feel of a large game too much to try it that way.
[This message has been edited by Baron Munchausen (edited 16 August 2001).]