Re: Riots
The way this game is designed, the impact of rioting is severe, grinding your empire's production to a halt.
I would refer you to the FAQ for Newbies for ways to limit/reduce rioting.
First, on planets that are angry, I would discipline myself to build many cheap troops (hard to do when you are getting your butt kicked; you are foregoing a valuable warship).
Second, don't give up. Accept the losses you cannot defend. This may mean an entire system, where your enemy has the advantage. Rather than plunge scattered forces to the front to continue battle losses, consolidate a fleet that can challenge the attackers and win. Control the damage, establish a chokepoint or line. Winning battles has the most powerful affect on happiness in my experience. So you must calculate a way to win based on what your foe is throwing at you. If you can't... your opponent is better than you, so learn from him.
Third, come up with ways to harass your opponent's territory. Destroying his planets will make your race happier and divert resources away from you.
Every smart player in this game is cognizant of the effects of rioting, so they will press the advantage to freeze your economy by taking advantage of it.
If you have not anticipated war from the first turn of the game against every opponent, you are wrong. Even if an opponent sneak attacks and sends you reeling, you can pull out of the bad situation by having a counter punch and defense in depth. If you are not a military minded player, your foe will thank you for all those nice planets you built up for him.
My point is that you can lose many fights, systems, and planets and stay in the game, as long as it is not terribly consistant...
I have lost tough games where my opponents' planets were all rioting and angry... but he countered well and reversed the situation. And I have won by doing the same.
So rioting in itself is not something you can "switch off" to remedy; it has to do with your overall strategy and preparedness for war.
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