This is my first AAR and I don’t know how to capture a screenshot and how to post an image. Can anyone help me? Anyway, I’ll try to describe more to make it up.

Game setting:
Large map; Abundant Habitable Plants, Number of Planets, Number of Stars, and Number of Analomies; Random Star Density and Number of Asteroids; Normal Tech rate; 4 Minors; Tech trade disabled; All victory conditions enabled; Random 6 AIs at Painful. I chose Thalan and added: +20 Research, +30 Military Production, +10 Morale, and Tech Party (+20 Research, +1 Sensor). So, I decided to play the all factory style.

First turn:
I decided to play the first map they gave me. Apparently it is on Tight Cluster density. I’m on the central eastern boarder of the map. To my north are the Iconians. To my south are the Korath. To my west are the Altarians. North of Alterians and east of Iconians are the Terrans. East and somewhat South of Alterian are the Yor. Finally, in the northwest corner are the Arceans.

I’m surrounded on 3 sides! Luckily, Korath is a bit isolated in the southeast corner with 3 star systems. They will need to travel 2 sectors to the main star cluster. The Arceans are even worst. They have no nearby star systems beside their home system. They’ll need to travel 2 ½ sectors to the main star cluster. Yor need to travel 1 ½ sectors to the main star cluster but they have a decent amount of stars nearby. Iconians and Altarians are situated in the main cluster while Terrans and I are on its boarders.

The colony rush is on:
Despite my HW only has a food bonus, I’m building/buying factories on my HW. Factories are cheap to buy with Thalans, only 144 BC. I’m planning to use 100/0/0 but right now, I need to balance the spending distribution using all 3 sliders. To my initial dismay, the closest star system contains a minor race, Lentzlentians, a PQ3, and 2 extreme planets. Traveling west to the next system, it only had 1 extreme planet. This doesn’t look good. I finally found a habitable PQ 8 in the next western system. South of my newly colonized 2nd planet, is the Jessians. It had a 4 good habitable planets around it and I tried to get there, but being closer, the Altarians got them ALL!! My survey ship did find a Research resource north of my HW, slightly inside of Iconian influence. Being an all factory style, I really need the research bonuses to make sure my tech rating can keep up with the AIs. For now, continue the colony rush. I got a few PQ 12 planets right between northern Altarians’, south eastern Terrans’, and southwestern Iconians’ influence boarders. My survey ship went through a worm hole and revealed nice patches of systems with habitable planets between PQ7 – PQ12 at the central western area, between the Yor and Arceans. As most planets in the main core are either taken by Altarians and Iconians or too extreme, I sent my Ion Drived colony ships far west to those other systems.

The 1st colony rush is over:
The result: Iconians, with their super ability, colonized the most (around 13 or so planets), Altarians and Yor are in second places, Korath and Arceans are in third, and I’m dead last with only 7 planets: ½ from the eastern to north central and ½ on the west side of the map. It really doesn’t look good for me.

I did beat the Iconians to the Research resource thankfully and had discovered a research resource in Yor’s territory. Not far from that, an economy resource at the central southern area, near a PQ17 but extreme planet. I beat the Yor to that research resource but lost the economy resource to the Yor. Right next to my western factory planet, I got to a morale resource before the Arceans that helped out my economy a bit (push my taxes into the 40’s now). So far, out of my 7 planets, my HW in the east, 1 out of 3 planets in the middle, and 1 out of 3 planets in the west are factory worlds. Rests are econ worlds. I tried to keep morale at 100% for new planets and it paid off well. Getting Banking, Trade, and Republic quickly helped my economy, as well as setting up all my trade routes from HW with 1 Econ starbase to boost profits. A couple of extra survey ships help out the treasuries in needy times. With the new found economy surplus, I’ve upgraded to enhanced factory and started to research the desperately needed Extreme Colonization.

The 2nd colony rush is on and was over pretty quickly:
The 2nd colony rush really helped me even though the Iconians and Korath beat me on Aquatic and Toxic colonizations in the east (I got the west though). I barely beat out the Yor on Barrens in the west as I got a few PQ 16 and others in east. I mostly owned the rest of extreme planets at the end of the 2nd colony rush and went from a measly 7 planets to a whopping 36 planets (influence flipped an Altarian and a couple of Iconian planets) and now lead AIs in planets. During that period, I got Impulse MKIII and it really helped speed up the colony ships and being that I can crank out these colony ships at 2 turns a piece at all 3 of my factory worlds, I really expanded my influence and colonies faster than AIs. I even got a good PQ 16 extreme at the southwestern corner in the Yor territory before the Arceans (who before had settled the 3-4 planets next to me at different systems). My influence now expanded tremendously and with the completion of the Restaurant of Eternity, the east and west influences finally joined as one. It looked like a snake starting from my HW to the north central planets (took a chunk out of Iconian influences as I settled a few good planets before it did, by the way, heh heh), to the western and southwestern planets, and a little "leftover" pocket of influence at the southwestern corner, with that 1 planet. I setup 1 more Econ base at my HW and a couple at my other 2 factory world to get more profits from the expanded trade routes. Also declared myself neutral and got more trade routes from Neutral Shipping. More factory worlds and Econ worlds were setup. Democracy researched, as well as a few missle techs. Build Eyes of Universe, Harmony Crystal, Nano Research, Micro Repair Bots, and Galactic Privateer, which was prompted by Terrans finished building Galactic Bazaar message (I had to research Master Trade and actually build it before they did). Arceans build the Xintium Armor before I could finish mine (darn). I tried to plant spies, but only got to Medium level with Korath while Altarians and Iconians eliminated mine before reaching the Low level.

Despite very minor set backs, everything looked rosy now, except for my military rating. I was using my missile freighter as decoys to fake out the AIs but now that I got so much more planets and a 7th in military rating (the decoy Bait class is out of date), I could be in trouble real soon. So I used my new found money power and bought a Korath vs Iconians (my closest rival) war. After that finished, then a Iconians vs Yor (Iconians later signed a peace treaty with great losses, said a diplomatic message popup), then Arceans vs Korath (both were at the opposite corners of the map) and Korath vs Altarians (with the side effect of Iconians declared on Korath again) at the same time. With the completion of Medium Hull, I thought I have some rooms to breathe before anyone would be gunning for me. Boy was I wrong.

War!!
The Arceans and I were both neutral towards each other, but despite being at war with the Korath, it suddenly declared war on me. I guess it wanted to expand as its influence was a flattened line that ran across the western boarder from north to south, squeezed by yours truly and the Yor. Since Yor was the strongest in military rating and I was the weakest (beside the minors), I guess I was its natural choice for expansion. In 3 weeks, 3 Econ worlds fell, even an UN proposal of waiting 1 week after declaring war didn’t help me. I hastily build my medium sized Protector classes with 8 Missle attacks (Stinger II and no engines) and hurried one from the western factory world to slightly southern world to prevent the 4th planet from invasion (it repelled the first invasion due to sheer numbers). It tried to invade my lone planet in the southwest corner, but luckily, I had turned that planet to factory world and it held off a couple of heavy fighter attacks with the new Protector class. Pure defense could only last so long. I had to design an attack craft. The Battle Axe class (I have to work on more insect names for these designs), has a movement of 5 and a Missile attack of 6. It was a substandard but better than nothing. I build one in that southwest factory planet and a transport as I researched all the invasion techs and Planet Defense 1. After that, I geared up and invaded my first planet in the whole game. Perhaps it was luck that I got a Graviton MK III mass driver out of it. It had Mass attack 3 and size 8. All I had until that point was Missile attack 2 Size 16. The weapon tech differences were 2 generations apart!! That was the turning point of the war. I rapidly redesigned my Protector and Battle Axe classes to fit only 1 Stinger II and the rest Graviton MK III and upgraded ALL my existing ships. It cost a pretty penny and my reserves went from 6000 to 600 in no time. My 1000BC/Turn went to 50 BC/Turn due to the leases from the upgrades as well as I turned more planets to factory planets. I also build the Tir-Quan Academy to strengthen my soldiers. I build Battle Axes from most of my factory worlds and send them across the galaxy to the west. It was at this moment, I discovered that Terran had built the first Large hull Battleship. The funny thing is, its weaponry were even punier than mine. They had declared war a couple of minors in its effort to expand, so had the Korath, and Yor (conquered Dark Yor). I cannot be left behind (even though my tech now was 1st). It will take me 4 turns to research Large hull. Around that time, my manufacturing capabilities were starting to wake up. I had taken quite a few Arcean worlds (not the ones that had fallen to them) from middle and southwestern corner using my newly Mass attack 12, Missle Attack 2 Battle Axes. My fleets of Battle Axes were arriving at a couple of factory planet closest to Arceans’ HW in numbers. I had researched just enough logistic points to group 3 mediums into 1 fleet and had researched enough miniaturization techs to start building the Hyperion Shrinker project. I should really design another class but Arceans were close to be wiped out now. To the east, my HW, benefiting from 3 Econ starbases’ production bonuses and the Manufactory Capital were busying producing Battle Axes and Transport to conquer the 2 minors near it, before other AIs. It succeeded. The HWs of these minors will be factory worlds. Arceans suddenly developed their large hull Frigates. They could only produce it in short quantities but with a 47 Mass attack and their first strike ability, it was fearsome. Luckily, my 3 medium ship fleet has the speed advantage and took out a couple of these monsters with replaceable losses. One of my fleet even took out one of these on the Arcean HW with 1 loss. I now own the northwest sectors with the fall of Arcean HW and only the small sister planet was left there. Arceans still had a few planets left. I hope I can get to them before the Yor, who had also declared war on the Arceans (a bunch of opportunist machines), do.

Current situation:
I now ranked 1 at everything, except popularity (Terran) and treasury (Altarian). Researching Large hull (1 turn left), may need to research armors afterwards.
Economy back to 500+BC/turn.
Still building Hyperion Shrinker (a few more turns).
Destruction of Arcean is imminent.
New ship designs needed.

More to continue.