After finally getting a copy of SEV, I downloaded Captain Kwok's Balance Mod and started playing.
Map: Galactic Edge, Large, all connected
Empire Options:
- Tech Cost: Low
- Start Resources: Medium
- Home Planet Value: Good
- 1 starting planet
- Home Systems evenly distributed (This is NOT working!)
- Can view all scores
- Starting Tech Points: Medium (100,000)
- Starting Racial Points: High (5,000)
- Number of computer players: High
- Computer Player Difficulty: High
- AI Bonus: Low
Player Empire:
Devnull Confederation, ruled by Dude Devnullicus
Ice/Hydrogen homeworld
Government: Anarchy
Society: Artisans
Traits:
- Mining Aptitude
- Smart
- Foolish
- Builders
- Cowardly
- Physical Weakness
- Environmental Resistance
- High Reproduction
- Mechanoids
- Natural Merchants
- Hardy Industrialists
- Crystallurgy
Extra Starting Techs: Sensors 6
Turn 2400.0:
Started in a binary star system with 1 warp point and 2 other (huge) ice worlds, both unfortunately Carbon Dioxide and thus not breathable.
Seeing as how I was starting in a binary star system, I wanted to get solar collectors as soon as possible as that would dramatically increase my resource production. So I started building a couple colony ships for the 2 other planets in my system and began researching Crystallurgy.
Turn 2400.5:
Researched: Crystallurgy 1, stellar harnessing 1, missile weapons 2
Colonized: both of the other worlds in my home system, 1 as a research compound and the other as a mining facility.
Built: a couple of scout ships.
As soon as my first scout left my system, I get a message that I've made first contact with the Amon'krie. So much for evenly spaced starting positions! Seeing as how I have 1 warp point out of my system and the only exit is blocked by another home-system, it's already time to go to a war economy. Sheesh.