What Do You Regard As a Good Start?

[PaulMClem]

After 20 years I have 4 colonised planets and 23 corvettes. Tech is slow...need to drastically increase the monthly research gains. Slow Tech aside, the biggest issue at the moment is influence i.e. it's almost non-existent - barely have more than double digits and it's currently 23!

 

[Slynx]

23 corvettes.

my experience tells me that you need about 40-60 corvettes to conquer someone.... hmmm

 

[terrycloth]

From my experience, rushing too many colonies will cripple your economy and make you lag behind in tech.

In my experience, you can never rush too many colonies. Lagging behind in tech isn't a huge issue because basic corvettes are the most mineral-efficient combat units for long enough for your early colonies to start paying off.

Even if you can't afford to develop the colonies, having your pops growing on multiple worlds will still massively speed up your eventual growth.

And always invade primitives if you're allowed to do that.

This is against the AI, though. Human players can take advantage of colonies to do horrible things to you with the warscore system (like make you cede your homeworld or become a tributary). Technically, AIs can do it too, but they're not as good at it.

 

[Sheriff Godwin Law]

My favorite playthrough is materialist xenophobe so I'm happy if I can find a pre-ftl civilization on a 20+ size world. Early slaves give early minerals, and a world that I'm happy to fill with robots.

 

[Summin Cool]

To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women.