Hey everyone. I'm very new to the series and I really need some help. The tutorial does a good job of explaining some things, but in terms of tactics and strategy, I'm lost. I have a list of a few questions that will hopefully guide this discussion. But if you have any other tips that you care to mention that I didn't ask about, please post it. I can use all the help I can get.
1. How should I start the game? Specifically, should I just auto send all my units out to look for life and planets?
2. When I find a planet, should I immediately colonize?
3. Should I specialize planets or balance them with factories, research and wealth? I found that specializing resulted in me losing lots of money quickly. I'm not interested in min/maxing. I just want to have a good chance against the AI.
4. Can someone please explain the stats and how the different stats and mechanics are locked together. For example, are colonies separate from each other or do upgrades on one affect others? What is production, manufacturing, research, wealth, etc? What do they all do?
5. What are the different resources in the game?
That's all I can think of right now. But if I have any more questions, I shall ask. Thanks!