Hi erverybody. I played GC now for a couple of days and I have come into a difficult situation. I don't now if there's any point in playing the game any further if I could still win it. Also, I don't know how I could have avoided this situation to start with. Maybe you can help me? Here's the situation.

I started with the settings large and common. I left the morale setting of the major races as they were but I set their intelligence to somewhat stupid. My plan was to play a *good* game, and win simply by being more civilized, have more money and make more trade. I spent little on military but most on colonizing planets, building and upgrading starbases, researching diplomay and trade etc. For about 8 years or so it went well, I was by far the most advanced civilization, all planets on 60% morale (at least), I controlled 50% of all known resouces, I was on 1st place on all statistics, I gave presents to the other races, traded with them, had war with none of them. I had friendly, warm or close relations with *everybody*. We had an economic high, production soared, we all made money, everything was fine, I built Cultural Exchange Centers, one minor race even joined my imperium.

Then, suddenly, there was this event (? I think): a minor race called the Fundamentalists appeared. Allegedly because the morale was too bad - but my planets had a morale rating over 60% - some even at 80%, how is that too bad?!?.
Anyway from one month to another they suddenly owned about 8 or 10 Planets, because they overtook them from the other races. I lost 4 or 5 planets myself. No-one had military means to oppose them at this point and I couldn't trade any military stuff in from any other major races, because I was already leading. For no reason the Fundamentalist kept attacking me with shitloads of ships. They went to war with *all* other races, major and minor. The other major races kept asking me for help so I gave all my military knowledge and lots of ships to the other races, so we could all fight back but it did not change anything. The Fundamentalists distroyed all my starbases and all my ships in orbit. I changed production and research to military, but by the time I was able to build Battleaxes, the fundamentalists already attacked me with a seeming neverending supply of Battleships. The built all Galactic Wonders. They offered me peace a couple of times (as if *I* had ever attacked them!), I always accepted, but in the next month they would simply attack me again. I kept building Battleaxes to defend my planets, but all my planets were constantly attacked by their Battleships which destroyed every of my ships as soon as they were built.

The Fundamentalists being a minor race I cannot even destabalize them or spend money on espionage. I have no knowledge of their wealth, their military, nothing. Apparently they are superior in diplomacy so I can't deal with them, I have nothing to trade for them - apart from the fact that they can't be trusted since they broke their own peace treaty three times! - I also can't get the other major races to fight them.

So have the feeling that the game is utterly out of balance. I have no idea what I should have done to prevent this fromhappening or if there is any point in playing on any further.

Based on the sheer amount and neverending supply of Battleships which the Fundamentalists are using, my impression is that there is some glitch in the program that tipped the logic. They are not trading with anyone and they did not build any starbases on the ressouces which are now free (since they destroyed all other starbases). Were do they get the money from?
At one point - as an event - on one of my planets ancient spaceships were found. Ranger class or Frigate or something. Strangely: they found 100(!). This can only be a bug, can it not? Anyway, I thought I could oppose the Fundamentalists now, and sent 20 to each of my planets to stay there in orbit and to defend the planets. Well, only one turn later *all* these ships were simply blasted out of the sky by a handful of Fundamentalist's Battleships. How can this be?

Any comments and suggestions are welcome!

Quite frustrated, Andreas

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