I stink

no no no, the proper term is "still in training for the number one metaverse spot".

And hopefully you are starting out with all the opponents are rated as fools, right? Too many people try to jump right into this game at normal level and get frustrated because they did not learn how to crawl before learning how to walk. And once you learn how to walk, then you can climb the Metaverse.

I recommend starting on the setting they are at when you first install the game... sub-normal, I think. This is not like every other game you have played where "normal" means "laughably easy." In my opinion the biggest jump is between sub-normal and normal. It's only a small increase in the computer's economy, but normal is the level where it starts pulling out the basic killer tactics which haunt you at the higher levels.

-Drake

~SDC~

There are a number of threads about early strategy where you can suggestions from people far more proficient than myself, but some basic things I've found (mostly hearing it from others on this board) helpful:

- If you're looking for practice, play with all the AI's set to pure good and play good yourself, just keep your military rating somewhat respectable.
- The larger maps seem to be more forgiving, since it usually takes longer to meet your neighbors and potential threats.
- If you're playing a large map or bigger and really want to run away with the game on a reasonable difficulty level, pick +2 speed so you can beat the snot out of the AI in the initial expansion phase.
- Once actually in the game, if your start looks bad (ie Earth is low PQ, no other good planets/stars around, or the minimap shows that you're in a small cluster several parsecs from any other star) keep hitting ctrl-n until you get something decent. It can be fun to play the bad starts, but if you're still getting the hang of things...
- For the initial expansion phase, put spending to 100% and set your ratios to 100-0-0 (100% military) and pump out nothing but colony ships and maybe a few scouts, colonizing the best planet around every star you find that has at least a 15+ PQ planet.
- Once you've got a decent number of planets, try switching to 70-0-30 to get started on the tech tree so you don't get too far behind.
- When your treasury is below 100 or so, move your spending slider back to a balanced budget.
- When the colony ship rush is over, switch to 40-30-30 spending and go for the following goals: produce enough military to keep your rating high enough to avoid threats, get your social infrastructure up to snuff (soil enhancement and habitat improvements are musts, and banking centers are no maintenence so you may as well), keep up in the tech race, try to beat the other civs to galactic wonders and trade goods, and try to secure and harvest as many galactic resources as possible (particularly the influence and military resources).

As I've said, I'm not all that good at the game (just now moving up to Bright AI), but the above should at least get you to a half-decent start.

I'm going 0/100/0 and building soil enhancement, habitat improvement and entertainment network.

~SDC~

Thanks for all the pointers, I will give them a try. My biggest problem seems to be running out of money and going into red. I am used to other TBS where you go off and mine other planets (building miners), asteroids, etc.

Thanks Although, things did get so bad that my population revolted and a new government formed and I suddenly now have close the 10,000bc? Weird.
[Message Edited]

I used to do the 0-100-0 bit for soil and habs too (not e.n's at that point, though), and that might be the better way.

As for running out of money... if you're getting low, reduce your spending until you have a positive per-turn income. Also, don't build everything on every planet, the maintenence costs get astronomical.

Don't go crazy with the long-term payment plans, either. Those per-turn payments can really add up.

Oh yea, the leases... never used them, though I have set up long-term payment plans when buying enemy resource starbases