Tips by Chris Kozmik (Game Designer)


First, I would start with balanicng court (Empire/Court). Making sure that factions are not too unbalanced (which lowers stability and generate additional rebellion points) and that competent, loyal and uncorrupted people are at the top positions. Not all these could be achieved at once, so you would need to choose...

Then, I adjust my borders, decide what to colonize/conquer next and what planets to abandon. My priority is usually to keep a proper, defensive, shape of my borders. Generally, I tend to keep my borders as short as possible. Of course it's not always possible, especially if an odd placed planet has a resource I desire.

Next, I queue some research, always selecting only one technology per level (so I can reach the top ones quick and to grab the science level bonus). When in doubt I prioritize Sociology field since it's quite universal, I also like Construction for new hulls.

Next, goes my food and electricity production. Not necessarily 100%, but I try to not go below 60% coverage. At the beginning I try to do so by adjusting planetary priorities. Later global empire wide industrial edicts (Industry tab) do the trick.

Finances and budget are my next targets (Finances tab). Keeping corruption in check, making sure there are not too many financial penalties and so on. Budget choice is affected highly by your play style, as for me I like high Defence and Science budgets, especially high Defence is nice for beginners (note that even on highest defence budget you should keep squadrons on all border planets).

Then goes military (Fleet tab). In shipyard I try to set a diverse set of ships (I like investing in Construction field of science for more diverse hulls so I have early all perks avilable). Do not make a mistake of setting very high production quotas for all fleets, the shipyard will never finish those. It's better to prioritize and for example focus most of the production on your offensive armada. Don't be afraid to use the reinforcements priority option.


DISCLAIMER: I'm not the best player of my own games, so feel free to disregard everything written above once you get the hang of how things work.