This was my second game (I have only had it for a week). My first game I made custom/evil and got my butt handed to me because there was only one other evil race, on the other side of the galaxy, and almost all the other races were good or leaning good.

For my second try, I used Custom race again, on a large map, normal difficulty. I made them master traders, with more trade routes and more% from trade, leftover points into espionage. Used the mercantile party, played them full neutral. I disabled tech trading, as I wanted to experience some strategy when it came to facing the other race's fleets. The name of this race? The "Walmartians".

I set my eyes on a cultural domination victory, I planned to use starbases to establish my influence, and make lesser planets fall before my cultural magnificence. When it comes to the Walmartians, resistance would indeed be futile.

My strategy was threefold:
Colonize as many planets as possible
Use trade as a source of income
Have a respectable fleet.

This meant (to me) that my first research priority was speed to get my colonies established and trade routes going, and also give my fleet an advantage.


The Walmartians started out towards the middle of the map. President Sam Walton immediately redesigned his colony class ships to a faster version (spent a few tech points on better engines). Starting planet was 10 class, with a bonus production spot. There was a class 5 planet in the same system, used the first colony ship on that one. It had 2 bonus research tiles, whoohoo.
I started pumping out colony ships, using all my starting money to buy them, and researching engines. As soon as I got a new model engine, I upgraded my colony ships if money was available.

After that, things got going pretty fast, I found 3 more sytsems, yielding 5 planets, pretty quick. The Drengin started out in the next system over. I found 2 more systems, for a total of 3 more planets. I had 10 planets before I had scoured everything in range.

Basically things went according to plan for a long time. I set a few BC into espionage each turn, and I was pumping out a metric buttload of BC with my trade routes, canceling and starting new routes as I extended my range. I was not focusing on building the military much, after I maxed out engines I went for ethics, then I got a little into beam weapons, enough to get a 4 damage weapon, then focused on maxing shields.

Meanwhile, the rest of the galaxy went on thier merry way, the Altarians destroyed the Drengin pretty quick, the Torians were dominating the entire lower left corner of the map, they were first in everything but research and bc per turn (that would be led by the mighty Walmartians!)

My starports were pumping out economy and military starbases in all my clusters, and in one deep space spot where a lot of my trade routes merged. I did not start making inf starbases yet, as I did not want to provoke anyone. I soon maxxed out my espionage with the other races, and started checking them out in depth. Based on what I saw, my choice of beam and shields looked pretty good, so I went ahead maxxed beam weapons.

A few turns after I maxxed beam weapons ( I had also gotten to medium hulls), some rogue agent of mine killed the Torian leader. They were way the heck ahead of me militarily, but I went ahead and fought a few turns. I was amazed at the power of my 10 or 11 tiny/small ships escorting one or two medium hulled ships fleets. The fighters had no defense and the best beam weapons availabe, 2 top of the line engines, and whatever life support I could give them. The medium hulled ships had the same engine/life support as the fighters, but maxxed out armor with just one beam weapon. I slaughtered the torians, in one turn I went to #1 military, just in space battles. I had not even built a troop transport yet.

I made peace with them after 2 or three turns and started on influence starbases.

It was all downhill from there. I had so much cash coming in from trade that I rarely had to go above 10% tax rate. I did have a few more "you killed the "X" race leader" events, but my fleets just handed everyone a helping of thier arse. I had 10 ot 12 planets defect to me because of my influence starbases (I would build 20 or so constructors with engines maxxed, zoom across 1/2 the galaxy and set up inf starbases.

When I got to controlling 70% of the galaxy, things got wierd. I had a "you killed to Earth leader, they declared war on you, and recieved military help from unkown sources" event. I swear, over 100 "vengance" type tiny sniper ships appeared all over the map. My PC almost crashed trying to move them all.

But since I had so much cash, I made peace with them bought about 75 of them from the terrans, and upgraded them to my "Mosquito" class tiny fighter, with doom rays and ultimate shielding. I then proceeded to use them exlusively to take out 2 more races and get my 75% for 10 turns to win. That was after one more "kill the leader" event where another 100 vengence class snipers got deposited on the map.



Lessons learned:
Trade is insane if you max out the abilities.
Maxxed out weapons and defenses in a well organized fleet make almost any combo of weapons/defense sent against you pointless, especially if you are on the offense.
I need to try this again on a harder difficutly!

Thanks Stardock, this game kicks butt!