Any newbies around?

[magnate]

Well, I found the FAQ also, but as I said in my first post, I couldn't make head nor tail of it. Now I've put in a few tens of hours of play it makes more sense - but it's definitely written for the "newbie who knows the game but not the strategies" rather than for the total noob!

Anyway, I think I'm going to win my first game, and it's been fun exploring the tech tree etc. (I deliberately switched off See Full Tree). I have a few questions but the only key one for now is:

How do I start my next game with NO tech? I chose a "low tech" start this time, and still had a smattering of techs everywhere. This time I want to start with the absolute minimum. Is there a way to do this? What about the pile of RPs you start with - can I change that? Similarly, is there a way to start your home planet with fewer facilities and stuff? This might sound like madness to some of you but I like building up myself, how I want to. I don't like being presented with a ready-made planet with all the facilities built.

(I realise I've got to start with something, even if it's just Research Centre I, otherwise I can't research even rock colonisation etc. But I would like to start with the minimum possible.)

Thanks in advance - only about five years until I'm ready to take you all on multiplayer .....

CC