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My strategy
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I thought I'd write something about the strategy I usually play.
Please notice that this is just one strategy - it won't work for all galaxies, and there are other strategies that makes sense as well. 
I didn't cover every minor detail - I just wanted to give a general concept of this strategy to gives newbies an idea how it works. Advanced players want laern much new stuff here, I guess. Comments welcome!
THE AIM
Most time I play towards Alliance Victory. Why?
- Conquest is rather boring in the endgame.... just go around and conquer everything...
...attack planet Nr.142.. done... go to 142...
- On the other hand, winning through technology is the opposite: Sitting in one corner and
pushing your research: Invented tech Nr.142... done.. go to 143...
- Cultural dominance, to be honest, I find very hard at the higher level 'cause the AI understands what you're trying to do (which I find very cool! - the AI in Civ3 never got it) and starts trashing you.
Alliance is what makes most fun - a bit of war, a bit of trade and diplomacy, a bit of everything.
I've played this strategy on maps from tiny to large, haven't had the time to play a huge map, but it should work there as well.
I have sucessfully played this strategy up to 'incredible' (all AIs set to 'genius')
The idea is to stay out of wars while the AIs quarrel among themselves, build up a strong empire, choose one ally and make one final war to decide the game.
THE SETTINGS
I usually choose Federalists or Populists. The Fed's +20 econ is never wrong and can be useful in nearly every strategy, the Pop's +20 morale helps a lot to keep your people happy and the +20 diplomacy is useful for I do much tech trading.
One ability I always chose is +1 speed. The advantage in the early game is incredible, you can often grab good systems before the AI is there. The other points I spend for some of the following: production, HP, more morale/diplomacy, population growth.
1. THE BEGINNING
At the beginning of the game, just one thing matters: Get as many good systems as possible.
I set military to 100% and the spending rate so high that I finish a second Colony Ship asap, usally in 2 turns. This means I make -xx bc per turn, but hey, I got 1000 to start with.
1.1 The USS Hero
I use this ship for three purposses in the early game.
- exploration
I fly a route that allows me to see as many systems as possible, so I gather information about yellow stars. (and ressources!!)
- surveying
This isn't that important first, but when an anomaly is on my way, I take it. There is one anomaly for which I even take longer ways: The little rocks flying around there - they mean
extra ships which is the best you can find in the early game - they allow you to explore faster and push up you military rating, which keeps you neighbours from bullying you.
- preemptive strikes
If I'm in a particular nasty mood and the situation allows it, I use the USS Hero to blow up ColonyShips of neighbouring races to prevent them from expanding and claim the systems myself.
First when the race for the planets is over, I set the Hero to 'auto survey'.
1.2 Colonizing strategy
Usually, especially on bigger maps, I don't colonize the nearest system with my first colony ship, but fly past it to find a habitable world father away from home. When my second ColonyShip is finished, I launch it (with 200-300 mil people). Now I got two ships on my way. I change to 100% research.
The 2nd ship goes to a system near earth, while the 1st one is allready a bit mor far from home. Both should be able to colonize a system at about the same time. So you can expand faster then by aiming straight to the nearest system with your first ship.
When both have landed and I got three planetes now, I change back to 100% military again and complete 3 new Colony ships at more or less the same time, launch them, change to 100% research again while they are on their way etc.
Anyway, I continue this way till there are no more planets to colonize. If I just need one more Colony Ship, I start building constructors on the other planets.
1.3 Early research
The first techs you research whil your Colony Ships are on the way are:
Communication Theory->Universal Translator
After that, it depends a bit on the situation. If I got neighbours which could become trouble allready (especially on smaller maps) I push to Phasers fast so I can build starfighters. If I'm on my own (isolated cluster), I oftern try do get 'Basic envirement control' fast. Trade has although a high importance.
2. BUILDING UP YOUR EMPIRE
The way I proceed then very much depends on the situation I'm facing.
In general, I now got three aims:
1 Claiming as much resources as possible
2 Building up a basic military
3 Enhancing my planets
Depending on the situation, the priorites may vary.
2.1 Resources
If no agressive neighbours are around, but I discovered several cool resources at the borders or just outside of my area (where others may come, too) it often pays to rush to a first round of constructors with 100% military to get them, even if that means that I'm getting technology behind temporary. Note that Starbases although are useful to extent the range of your spaceships, so mining resources at the peripherie of your empire may serve a double purpose.
2.2 Basic Military
The basic military is NOT made for fighting - it's made to keep the neighbours away.
Especially if the the Drenging or Altarians are next to you, you should make sure that your rating as well as them on the military graph - if you seem weaker, they start bullying you. Build just as many starfighters as necessary to reach that goal, everythink above that is a waste of money.
If you're in a situation where military power seems to be a major point, change to BalleAxes as soon as possible.
But in general, spend as few time and money as possible for your basic military. Other things are more important.
2.3 Enhancing planets
Whenever I can, I build Soil Enhancement and Habitat Improvement on every planet as fast as I can, even before 3.1 and 3.2. PQ is a VERY important point in that game!!
3. TRADE, DIPLOMACY AND RESEARCH
The following stuff is more or less the same troughout the whole game.
3.1 Tech exchange
Playing this strategy, it isn't unusual to fall behind technological in the early game, but that isn't that bad. I usually do a lot of tech trading with other races, minor and major.
It is true that the AI most time WON'T give you something of equal worth, but being pissed off by that and stop exchangig techs is a mistake. You can archieve quite a lot with 'cross-trading'. That means: I researched on new tech A. I go to every race I know and see what I get for that. Most won't give me anything, but one trades A for B. So again I visit
everyone, offering A and B. I to some 2:1 trades - A&B for C, A&B for D. Check again all races: Do they have C and D allready - if not, what can I get for this? Sometimes you'll have to visit all races 4 or 5 times a turn, but it is worth it.
The result is that all or many races are at more or less the same tech level after you're trading marathon, and you are, too - although you brought only one new tech into the game. If you don't do it, they will probably trade among each other and you
will be left behind. It often allows you to get nearly all available techs without spending much money on research yourself.
Of cause, you will never be technological advanced that way, but in this strategy and this phase of the game, it isn't important. Important is: That you keep up-to-date and get as many techs as possible while you can spend all your money for starships or planet improvements.
There are some exceptions, of cause - never give dangerous techs to dangerours civs. For example, if the Arceans are allready 'hostile' and twice as powerful as you, giving them BattelshipTechnology isn't the best idea.
3.2 Give out techs for free!
One thing that gamers usually don't like to do is making gifts to the AI, but it can be a very very useful tool. Here are some reasons why and when I often give the AI techs for free:
3.2.1 Balancing
Imagine there are three races left, for example you, the Drenging and the Torians. The Drengin are stronger then the Torians and at war with them. The Torians are on the way down
and have no money or tech they can offer you.
By giving them some techs as gifts, you do two things:
1st, you make them stronger again, especially if it's a tech that allows them to build a new kind of ship or that gives a bonus to weapons. This makes there resistance more effective, the war between them harder and longer, which gives you more time to power up yourself.
2nd, your relation improves and when the Torians finally are beaten, they may surrender to you.
This way you can try to balance the different AIs and see that noone gets to strong. It works, top, when supplying minor races who fight a mojor one.
3.2.2 Enhancing relationship and trade
If you want to ally with someone, you need to be 'close'. To reach that goal, you most a) establish trade routes b) make them happy with gifts now and then.
Furthermore, techs I always give to non-enemy-races are those which allow to establish more trade-routes - because it means probably that they will build another trade-route to your empire which in turn gives you more money - so keeping the tech for yourself may not be the wisest.
3.2.3 Minors as labs
When a minor race is within my territory and I don't want to conquer them, I often build some trade routes, do a lot of tech exchange and build a godd relationship. It's easy to make them very dependend on you. If this works, giving them all your tech for free when you're advanced makes much sense: Else they are occupied with researching techs you allready know which doesn't help you, but when they're on the same level as you are, they start researching some tech you don't know yourself and then can trade from them in return.
3.3 Research & Trade Goods
What to research when largley depends on the situation. When war will be coming soon, BattleShips and Dreadnoughts should be the aim, along with any other tech that enhances your ships.
But mor important, I try to get those techs early which allow you to build trade goods.
Trade goods are very valuable in two ways - they give you nice bonuses AND you can trade some for good prices (especially in the latest 1.04.059 patch which I highly recommend).
You should choose a few planets (those with the highest PQ) and build everything there what gives you a manifacturing bonus - manifacturing center, fusion power plant etc. Make one of them your manifacturing capital as soon as this is available. Add a starbase with production bonus and you will be able to build a tradegood there in <<10 turns. Build every tradegood there with 100% social, then change to 100% research to go for the next trade-good tech. Use the tradegoods the same way as techs described in 3.2. If another race builds a trade-good, trade it with them for one or two of your own.
3.4 Money
As you allready noticed, I play most of the time with 100% spending on either military, social or research. In my opinion, it often is more effective to reach one goal as fast as possible and then go after the next instead of pursuing both with half power.
Your tax rate should be optimized - find a balance between morale and income. Your spending shoud be as high as possible - with trading a lot, you can easily reach a point where your spending is at 100%, your tax rate aroun 20-25% and you still make a nice sum of money each turn.
A good way to get money, especially when you're in a financial crisis, is to sell tech and/or trade goods to minor civs, which often are quite rich.
3.5 Trade Routes
Always establish as many trade routes as possible. I don't trade with many AIs - only one
or to which I want to ally with. The manual says, longer routes give you more money, but I
prefer short one for two reasons:
1st, if it comes to a war with a third AI, the traderoute will less likley be interupted.
2nd, short routes are more easy to maximize with StarBases - something you should always
do.
3.6 Planet Improvements
Be careful not to build to much stuff because of the maintance costs.
Very important are things that keep up the moral when it gets critical. Entertainment
Network is a must for every planet. Build the other morale-improvements when it is
necesary, but with some initial morale bonus, trade-goods and maybe morale resources, you
won't need much of them.
Build everythink that means: More money - Banks, economic exchange etc.
When you're doing lots of research yourself (usually in the later midgame, when your
economy is running and you're trying to get an technological advance for the final war),
everythink with research bonus is welcome.
Choose a few good planets and give them everything that makes your ship better (Shipyard,
Advanced Quality control etc.). When in a phase of military production, produce your
fighting ships there, while the other planets build constructor to upgrade your starbases.
5. ALLIANCES
Okay, I'm gong for alliance victory... that makes it important to choose an ally. You
should decide whom to you want as your ally early, but actually make the alliance late.
Making the alliance to early can easily result in being forced into a series of wars, while
this strategy focuses on keeping out of wars in the early and midgame, building up your
empire and balancing the AIs against each other through trade.
Do everything to enhance the relation with you future ally and help him against the other
AIs.
6. WAR
To put it short: Avoid it until the endgame.
It isn't that hard to avoid as many newbies think if you keep some things in mind:
- When your military power as shown in the graph is equal to the best, the danger of being
attacked is usually quite low. So keep it at this level. Don't push it higher - it costs
you maintance and stuff. But keep an eye on the graph - if one AI suddenly goes rocketing
for a breakthrough (like the first BattleShips), its time to upgrade your army asap.
- When in the early game someone is stronger and demands money from you, you should
consider carefully wether to pay or not. If he's on the other side ot a large map and three
races are between you, ignore him. If he is your neighbour and his name begins with Dr and
he's not a doctor, better pay him. It may hurt your pride, but believe me: The money you
loose this way is nothing against the cost of a war.
- Another major reason for war in this game are alignments. Especially the Altarians are
very agressive against evil civs. So you should have an eye on your own alignement.
If your new to the game, setting all AIs to 'neutral' can make the game a lot easier.
When it comes to the final war - you and your ally kicking out the rest - just be sure to
attack full force. You can count on your ally in blowing up lots of enemy ships, but don't
count on him on invading lots of planets. The AI isn't very much after that in most cases.
Have a lot of Combat Transports ready to grab the enemys planets asap.
Well, I think I won't write much more about war - if you and your ally have enough power,
it should be no big deal. Just one more tip: It is quite useful to take out the enemys
important starbases first. In my game yesterday, the Yor were mining for military resources
- shooting them down made there Dreadnoughts a lot less effective.
The final war should be short.
[Message Edited]
[Message Edited]
       
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Uhm.... managed to correct the layout in the first half, can't edit any further, sorry. 
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Ehm, I actually wrote about this in my example there: 
| 2nd, your relation improves and when the Torians finally are beaten, they may surrender to you. |
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#6
by Citizen oivindk - 6/23/2003 9:40:32 AM
My teacher whould have been impressed
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#7
by Citizen SkyAshton - 7/17/2003 2:12:57 PM
You forgot to mention about the United Planets. One stratigy is to vote for the 20% humanitarian tax, then goad civs to go to war with each other, while you're keeping on top with economy. Eventilly all the civs will start to get broke and can't do anything. Then they will start surrendering to each other, and if you're lucky, soon all races will surrender to you.
  
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