As the games goes on, I feel like I get to experience less of it.

[Winter Born]

Another way to make the game a bit more accessible is to give yourself a 300% resource boost in the starting lobby. This makes the game much much easier on any given difficulty level even if you don't have access to as many ships as you would like. The upside to this is that you will now be able to more easily take and hold what worlds you want and so get that knowledge you are after. Tbh this game has so many different options on so many different fronts it might as well be several different strategy games all rolled into one depending on what you choose for your specific game.

I usually play +100% for all players as X4000 indicated he did not feel it was a cheat but a valid way to speed up the game.

[x4000]

Absolutely.  If the handicap increase (or decrease) is the same for all players, then the game doesn't even register it as being any different in terms of how it scores you, etc.

[Wingflier]

Another way to make the game a bit more accessible is to give yourself a 300% resource boost in the starting lobby. This makes the game much much easier on any given difficulty level even if you don't have access to as many ships as you would like. The upside to this is that you will now be able to more easily take and hold what worlds you want and so get that knowledge you are after. Tbh this game has so many different options on so many different fronts it might as well be several different strategy games all rolled into one depending on what you choose for your specific game.

I usually play +100% for all players as X4000 indicated he did not feel it was a cheat but a valid way to speed up the game.

You just like units being "beefy" and hard to kill or what?

[x4000]

Another way to make the game a bit more accessible is to give yourself a 300% resource boost in the starting lobby. This makes the game much much easier on any given difficulty level even if you don't have access to as many ships as you would like. The upside to this is that you will now be able to more easily take and hold what worlds you want and so get that knowledge you are after. Tbh this game has so many different options on so many different fronts it might as well be several different strategy games all rolled into one depending on what you choose for your specific game.

I usually play +100% for all players as X4000 indicated he did not feel it was a cheat but a valid way to speed up the game.

You just like units being "beefy" and hard to kill or what?

That actually doesn't affect units.  Just beefs up the player and AI economies by double.  So his waves are twice as large, AI planets are twice as defended, etc.  And he has twice the metal/crystal to work with.  Makes for a faster, more brutal game.

[Salamander]

I have to say that I love the massive variety of unlockable bonus ships even though they need tweaking and adjustments. Experimenting with ships I've never seen before makes me all warm and fuzzy.

Now how to balance all the research choices is a delicate question. I do like that you have to tailor it to the situation but I still almost always unlock my beloved Riot Control Ships pretty dang fast. 

[keith.lamothe]

I do like that you have to tailor it to the situation but I still almost always unlock my beloved Riot Control Ships pretty dang fast. 

Yea, I imagine most of us have our favorites that we have a hard time not unlocking, even if it's not always the 100% most efficient choice