[Ruatha]

I build colonizers, then shipyards as first facility on all planets i colonize, then they make colonizers.
trade for colony tech.
Initially I might build a mineral storage facility or two or three.
When you start to go down to zero in resources and have a negative balance it's time to switch half the production to mineral mines, the rest continue to spew out colonizers.
When every possible spot has been colonized build research facilities.
Later on other things as intelligence facilities.

Research-
I try not to divide research points as I might loose almost an entire turn of research points, if I don't check it every turn (any wasted turns on completed projects are wasted if you divide the points, but not if you have them sequentially)

I go heavily for solar panels. first astrophysics then solar panels 1-3, engines up to level 3 or 4.
I never build supply depots, add 1-3 solar panels 3 to your ship depending on size and it will never run out of supplies.
When I have solar sail 2 I build scouts and sends them out to find strange new civilizations I can trade with.
Not having supply depots gives me more productive facilities.
Any ship that shall be mothballed goes to the homeworld where there is a supply depot from the beginning.
Later I try to research atmospheric modification plants and stellar manipulation for monoliths.
For military tech I go with physics and phased polaron beams initially, later on everything!

(I've never finished a single game though (am a newbie) but I've used this strategy in my current games that I'm still playing)

in other strategy games I've played I've found that expansion is a good winning strategy!

[ November 25, 2002, 10:33: Message edited by: Ruatha ]