GC 1.2 vs 1.0

from Stardock Forums
I know this must be old news for most of you, but I have just upgraded to the latest version after playing for quite a while with the original 1.0 Galactic Civ, and I want to share some first impressions. Before going on, can anyone direct me to a document, if it exists, that lists the differences between GC 1.0 and 1.2? Knowing what I face may help me digest the upgrade.
I haven't played a v 1.2 game through, or even to midgame, but here's my $0.02:
There are things I liked and things I didn't.
Good things: the options for shaping your empire, although I notice that more options, some of them quite expensive, translate into less overall advantages than in 1.0.
I like the improved graphics, although the stars are a bit large for my taste.
The new random events are refreshing, even though in the end it all boils down to the net effects of a good, neutral or evil choice, as before.

Neutral things (or those that I haven't made my mind about): I still have to notice any improvement in multimedia, for all that 9.92 MB download. Music sounds the same, effects don't seem to have changed much.
Less stars--I dont' know, on the one side maybe it makes for a cleaner game, but on the other it's like, less interesting. Less to explore.
Less anomalies--same comment as the preceding paragraph.

Negative things: I hate those baby space sharks so early in the game. Absolutely I don't like them. I've resigned several games because they have gotten my survey ship in the first turns, without any foreseeable replacement.
Economics. I used to have the game figured out such that I could manage quite well at normal level. One of the achievements that I was proud of, I had a way of running the economy. Now it seems that I go broke in turn 5 or 6 unless I don't buy anything except a few colony ships. I also usually grabbed the majority of wonders, now I can't get even one.

I used to be quite comfy at normal level in 1.0- now I'm already down to beginner, and considering descending to even lower levels of abjection (cakewalk maybe?)

The question is, will this prove to be a more challenging game, in an exciting way, o just tougher, in a frustrating way?

Comments, encouragment, tips, etc. are welcome.

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Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
will this prove to be a more challenging game, in an exciting way, o just tougher, in a frustrating way?
End of quote

Depends on how you play. There's nothing in it that isn't fairly easy to get around once you know the right tricks.

I hate those baby space sharks so early in the game.
End of quote

I don't like them much myself. But the space sharks only appear from a particular type of anomaly, so if you learn to recognise the planetoid things they come from, you can avoid them.
Also, if you take the +1 speed pick at the start, you can escape them fairly easily, even if using auto-survey. You can even lead them into enemy territory and get them to attack someone else.

I go broke in turn 5 or 6 unless I don't buy anything except a few colony ships.
End of quote

I never buy anything at all, unless I'm incredibly wealthy. Set your military to 100% and spend rate to maximum at the start and you will churn out colony ships at a healthy rate. Later in the game, you can make an excellent income from trade.

~SDC~
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
Trade is OK early in the game, but when you get to the later stages of a gigantic map, trade is not worth much. The reason for this is that the distances are to greate for effective placement of trade boosting SBs (it would cost to much to place one SB in every square the routes goes through) and freighters take to long to replace lost traderoutes. 10 routes with 100-200 bc/turn is not much when you have 100-200 planets each giving 50-100 bc/turn.

In version 1.0 you could easily put 4-5 SBs in each square on the route and generate 500-600 bc/turn/route

[Message Edited]
Ashes of the Singularity II
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
Yes, I suppose that's just my experience of trade. If I play in a gigantic map, I always set rare planets, so I never have 100-200 of them.
I never build trade boosting SBs either. I play in games with lots of major/minor AIs, avoid fighting early wars with them, and research extra-trade-route technologies, which I then give or trade to them. Most of my trade income is from the AIs' trade routes with me.