You need to research, build, and deploy Broadcast Centers. I assume you'll need to find a world in that system you can take over to do so (I've never played a multiple star system map, so others may be of more help).

-HM

Ouch...camping huh?

That's fun.

On a somewhat related note, I'd like to know why a pirate base that I have colonized still breaks a trade route chain. It's my colony now, so shouldn't it at least be neutral for trade purposes, like an asteroid field or something?

TEC can upgrade their planets to fit one additional structure. This allows the pirate base to complete a trade chain, where the other races can not.

Consider it another racial bonus for TEC trade.

Come over to the general part of the form and look at things that don't fit the lore, by me, and you can see other thing that does not make sinces Draithen and BaggerX.

If your TEc you have that Mandate research ability which adds 4 Logistic points to every colony you own including a Pirate base. I stick broadcast centers there and call it Pirate Radio Num.1, bringing you tunes to nuke planets by.

Unless you have deliverance cannons (which you don't if you are TEC heh), the only way to colonize a planet in a new system is to camp it out with caps and wait for culture to recede. What can really help here is if you send strike forces(best if carriers, but situation may dictate otherwise) to neighboring grav wells and take out broadcast centers.first thing to do is put up max broadcast centers as soon as you get the planet. a bit later you can maybe scuttle and make room for shipyards/trade etc if you like, but initially you need culture in the new system

There are some research items that help repel culture, etc. so get those as well.

Pretty rough if you are playing hard/unfair, but think of it as a beachhead situation.You'll pretty much roll over the rest of the system if you successfully accomplish this