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- Large Command starships are good for heavy firepower in a fight or planetary bombardment. They are only effective, however, if they can catch their enemies. That's why it's a good idea to have at least one task force of your fastest ships available to perform quick strikes and raids against your enemies. Save the Command ships for assaults against enemy systems and starbases or for major defensive actions.
- Keep an eye on how many structures you have of each type and how much population you have to fill those slots. Try to keep the number of structures close to the number of population units. This saves you the cost of having to upgrade structures you won't use, and you will have more time to build special structures and ships. You can keep a few extra structures in case you suddenly need to change focus from production to intelligence, but overall try to keep the number of excess structures down.
- Every empire can support a certain number of starships at no extra cost, depending on population size and each ship's maintenance cost. You should try to maintain a fleet equal to or slightly higher than this level. Keep an eye on your income when building ships. If your income starts to decrease, you may want to stop building ships unless you are in the middle of a war.
- Trade routes are extremely important. Not only can they increase your empire's income with little additional effort, but they also gradually increase the opinion that your trading partners have of you. If you meet a minor race that you wish to make a member without having to bribe or you meet an empire that could potentially crush you, establish as many trade routes as soon as possible.
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