And you said the AI is easy?

[spacefan]

Everyone has been saying that you need to give the AI a bonus to make it fair. So I decided to play my first game with the AI having a bonus.

I set my empire up as psychic, cause I was planning on capturing as much tech as possible. So I started with two warp points, and 12 possible colonies. Great system to start with.

I start building colonies, and the eee show up with a damaged ship through a black hole warp point. so I stop building colony ships and start building attack ships with missile (still escorts at this point. I started with Pyschic Tech research)

I manage to hold off the EEE, later they declare peace. Ok but while I'm fighting off a bunch of eee colony ships that keep coming through that black hole warp point, another empire Jraener I think, shows up. missile ships, they start with escorts. Either I don't know how to fight with missile ships or something, but both of my ships were cripple to destroy his. So I get frigates I'm building up. He destroys all my colonies except my homeworld(none have WP on them).

Ok, I manage to repel him, and build 3 frigates and a escort. Then I build those colonies again. I notice the construction and maintenance is giving me a loss in minerals.

I get attacked by destroyers next. (about turn 20) I had 3 frigates and a escort with missile 1, he has a destroyer with missile 2. So I lose one frigate, and destroy that way. Next thing he breaks through with 3 destroyers and I'm building more frigates. He destroys all my colonies again!

About turn 25 he has light cruisers and I have no colonies, and working on military science to get PDC, but he has enough force to take out my ships defending the homeworld, and I can't expand. So I resigned. A loss.

Is this something inevitable, that sometimes no matter what you do you lose. Or would you start up differently and not research Psychic Tech so early? normally I don't get PDC right away, but should I research for that right away? and should I go with weapon platforms right away instead of ships?

How do you start up, when playing on high dificulty with a bonus? And how do you react when you find 2 enemies on both sides of you?