50% good to know,
having just lost another game, but spent alot of time observing my economy and expansion and one of the ai's that started next to me, i have deduced that getting the metal flowing whilst not loosing too much electronics and Advpart production is the key to success in the early game. As soon as i run out of metals everything slows to a near standstill. I was level pegging with two AIs, largley through having lots of scouts so i could watch the AI and just stay one or two colonies ahead of them, and studious use of civil acts to focus metal production. Only because i was next to one of the AI home systems i decided to build an invasion fleet and invade, infact before this is built some artillery stations, then the battle fleet. This killed my economy. I knew it would but i miscalculated, guessing that it would slow me down but if i destroyed their home system the trade off would be worth it. I was wrong. In the time it took me to build a fleet of 3 size 80 battle ships and a few dozen size 5 flack ships and a crap load of fighters and 3 size 150 arty bases the two enemies colonised every available plant in the game (30 system map, small for quick game) and had economic power that dwarfed mine. I wiped out the fleet defending their home system for my fleet to then be exterminated by their planetary cannons. I failed to destory any planets. It seems the easier AI's dont start building much military or much military tech in the first hour of the game, the just colonise and develop worlds like mad. Presumably the better AIs manage both