Finally got around to getting it, great game!

[LDiCesare]

The ai will not sell their military techs for anything remotely reasonable. But then they know that you'd attack them with these ships so maybe they are not that stupid after all. They buy green and yellow techs quite well, however. And they sometimes offer you dreadnought tech for whatever useless tech you have and they miss.
Note it's very possible to buy one tech from an ai (for money) and then resell it to everyone else and then become first in tech.

[Mr. President]

Thanks for the tips.

For you guys, what is your favorite political party? The Federalist economic bonus appeals to me, as does the Industrialist production bonus. I like the War Party, too.

[LDiCesare]

The one with +20 morale/+20 diplomacy. +Diplomacy is probably the most powerful ability.

[Mr. President]

Ah, that's interesting. Is that because you can get better technology trades with the alien nations and they won't harass you?

[Brent]

I normally play as the Pacifists, but wage war anyway.

[LDiCesare]

Is that because you can get better technology trades with the alien nations and they won't harass you?

Partly. Actually, it's mostly because it's easier to bribe them so they attack one another, so they end up liking you better, are weaker, and will be easier to ally with in the end.

[MrWhereItsAt]

Whilst waiting for Civ4 or an upgrade to my computer (allowing me to play things like Max Payne 2, Far Cry and Doom 3), I have recently got EUII. Now I have an offer of $16NZ (about $12US) on GalCiv.

I hear that strategies are complex - more so than in Civ3? Does the game have a steeper learning curve than EUII, which I am gradually finding my feet with?

Anyways, here I go to accept the offer...

Look out for me on this forum sometime in the next few weeks when I start playing. Like EUII I will doubtless have many questions...

[LDiCesare]

I think this game is way better than civ3, but that's my point of view. I can finish a galciv game, civ3 games tend to drag along and get lost into micromanagement. You don't need mm in galciv, though you can certainly do some if you don't like spending money doing nothing. The ai diplomacy in itself is much more understandable and enjoyable than civ3, and the ai doesn't cheat except that it knows the map beforehand.

[Skanky Burns]

I finally played the game for the first time last week. Stayed up until dawn, always a sign of a good game.

Shame I don't have much time to actually play though. :/