Simple strategy question, i.e. how do you start

[Raapys]

Unfortunately the Survey System command is rather buggy; it always eventually drives into a sun or two in the system, which makes it stop surveying completely. *shrug*

[tmcc]

I agree with the basic expansion strategies above except that I emergency build colony ships immediately while dumping research into sensors, missiles, ship hull, point defense and projectile weapons.

I send the colony ships that are churned out each turn as far as they can go and then colonize the best world available and build re-supply first on those.

I also always colonize the best planet in my home system on turn 5 and build a space yard so that it will be ready as soon as the e-build rate on my home system is burned out.

I don't build a single a combat ship until I find an enemy.

Also in the early game I always optimize surveying by doing it manually.

[Captain Kwok]

What I do with my explorer ships is to a quick round the sun trip in a new system and then towards the nearest suspected warp point. Afterwards when I've colonized one of the planets a second ship will arrive to survey the system (which will work almost always perfectly in this circumstance) with a move order to the colonized planet afterwards where it can re-stock and move to the next partially scouted system.

[aegisx]

I really don't like to colony rush. I find that sometimes when I do take that route, I over extend and can't fight effectivly. Now I tend to move slower and consolidate my territory.

[Jeku]

So many good ideas. I might start a new game later and just research specific things like that. I've found that I've spread myself a bit thin with research as I try to level everything up together.

I finally researched colonizing Ice and Gas planets though, so would hate to have to start that over again hehe.

But building a bunch of colonizers and colonizing the best distant planets in distant galaxies sounds like a good idea. Then at least you can have a presence on a large part of the galaxy early on.

[RonGianti]

Jeku said:
I finally researched colonizing Ice and Gas planets though, so would hate to have to start that over again hehe.

When possible, try to trade for this. Getting another 400,000 research point item like this in the early game can make a HUGE difference...

[Jeku]

I would trade but after about 4 years of playing, I have yet to come across another race. In the SE IV demo I met two others within the first 10 turns.