Help this newbie; the docs for this game are vague

[gregdabuckeye]

Thanks for all the info:
Reproduction and happiness then have nice production mods. I bet tolerance is a modifier to reproduction on hostile (domed) worlds.
When I get the full game, I can learn more. A few more dry runs bumping against the 100 turn limit should have me paying $40 soon!
The 3000 point ability (I agree with an earlier posting) seems steep for an ability which also would seem to prevent good things from happening too (real happy people).
The natural merchant ability seem quite strong to me (free spaceport) when facility spaces seem to often be at a premium.
Am I stupid, or does picking a neutral race with no mods seem to be a bad choice when you can get a +5% research advantage with no disads?
Thanks for all the help. Does anyone have a complete tech tree laid out? This game has a great tech tree, but it can be quite daunting. A tech tree with hyperlinks would be awesome.