I keep getting stuck in the same loop. Help me be a conquering scourge.

[Biv]

I want to conquer the galaxy.


But I keep running into the same problem. Even with the smallest empire, you need a fleet of at least 2k to win a war. Their fleet isn't the problem, it's their spaceports. I've never seen a spaceport with less than 1.3k.


But, by the time I get my fleet big enough, he has already formed a defensive pact and I've missed my window.


I've had too many games destroyed by forming defensive pacts with empires who got me into stupid wars and I'm not joining a federation I don't control.


I've tried building fat, but I can't get research fast enough. I try building tall, but I don't have enough resources.



So, for you vets, what are your first steps as you conquer the universe? How do you build your fleet fast enough to stay the most powerful force in the galaxy?

 

[Ribencortez]

Play smart, for example, if you make all your neighbourg(neigtbourg or neighbourt?) as rivals, they'll probably form a defensive pact they may not do in the first place.
My advice, use his colony, IA will generally won't build a spaceport immediatelly, ruin his economy and fleet.
Or wait for the first wars between IA to strike.

Edit: And ALWAYS deny possibility of colonization of IA, ex: I'm actually oceanic preference and the first IA i encounter was tropical, i've checked asap all tropical planet around(2 18 size, one with rich mineral modifier) that was my 2 first colonized planet.