Here is what I have found useful for the first turn. Please add your thoughts.
1) Change your initial build order from Colony Ships to System Colony Ships. They build much faster and you will almost always have at least one, probably two other good planets in your system.
2) Check the Personnel panel. Several games I have started with a Leader but was given no indication (since there is no SitRep for the first turn).
3) Check your Foreign panel. If you are in the Senate, then you need to head back to the Personnel panel and queue up some defensive spys.
4) Check your government type in the Empire panel. I have played 5 games as the Humans and started with a different government in three of them.
5) If you like to let the AI handle colonization orders (like I do) set the option to yes in the Empire panel. Several times I have forgotten to do so and this has left me a dozen or more turns behind in colonization.
6) Also in the Empire tab, lower your Oppressometer. For the first dozen or more turns you won't be bothered with spys, so might as well get some extra happiness from your folks. If you have built up some spys, you can probably even keep it pretty low for the first 30 turns.
7) This is my grandest thought so far in the game, disband your initial task force. I know, it sounds crazy, but hear me out. Within 5 turns, or fewer, those 3 ships will be in your reserves. Create three new task forces with a single ship in each. Now go explore in different directions. You will cover a TON more territory and recoup those lost turns in a hurry. Now, you might say, but that makes those ships too vulnerable. Well, if you have an aggressive neighbor, you need to know that in a hurry don't you? And let's face it, your little 2 scout ship task force isn't going to last much longer than 1 scout ship anyway...
I have never found a need to adjust taxes empire-wide, at least at the start, but if you are hungry for cash, then go ahead and do so.
1) Change your initial build order from Colony Ships to System Colony Ships. They build much faster and you will almost always have at least one, probably two other good planets in your system.
2) Check the Personnel panel. Several games I have started with a Leader but was given no indication (since there is no SitRep for the first turn).
3) Check your Foreign panel. If you are in the Senate, then you need to head back to the Personnel panel and queue up some defensive spys.
4) Check your government type in the Empire panel. I have played 5 games as the Humans and started with a different government in three of them.
5) If you like to let the AI handle colonization orders (like I do) set the option to yes in the Empire panel. Several times I have forgotten to do so and this has left me a dozen or more turns behind in colonization.
6) Also in the Empire tab, lower your Oppressometer. For the first dozen or more turns you won't be bothered with spys, so might as well get some extra happiness from your folks. If you have built up some spys, you can probably even keep it pretty low for the first 30 turns.
7) This is my grandest thought so far in the game, disband your initial task force. I know, it sounds crazy, but hear me out. Within 5 turns, or fewer, those 3 ships will be in your reserves. Create three new task forces with a single ship in each. Now go explore in different directions. You will cover a TON more territory and recoup those lost turns in a hurry. Now, you might say, but that makes those ships too vulnerable. Well, if you have an aggressive neighbor, you need to know that in a hurry don't you? And let's face it, your little 2 scout ship task force isn't going to last much longer than 1 scout ship anyway...
I have never found a need to adjust taxes empire-wide, at least at the start, but if you are hungry for cash, then go ahead and do so.
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