1. From what I can tell, everyone thinks the game is much more balanced than 1.02/1.16 and 1.03/1.17. Obviously not everyone is pleased about everything, but in general I have to say the game is pretty much balanced.

2. A couple people start with different caps if they are rushing or attempting specailized strategies, but I think the colony caps still have an advantage for first picks, though caps with some of the better level six abilities (not just the marza either) might be picked as well.

The main nerf on the marza has been it does the same damage over a longer period of time, and that as of 1.04/1.18 their are many more interupting abilities now (Kortul should now completely counter a Marza).

I'd have to say you're essentially correct, but the red trails make the barrage much easier to spot when the Marza is supported by a ton of LRFs, which is nice.

uber siege frigs of doom haven't returned, have they?

They were buffed in the latest patch, but that was because they were so pathetically weak, and I still never make them unless I have already won the game. Only completely undefended worlds should fall to sieges, unless they really swarm them, but that just gives you the green light to attack their homeworld as they probably don't have much of a fleet if they do that.

Anything but.  They kill planets faster now and are somewhat stronger, but for all intents and purposes they are the same unit.  Send them in against anything but an undefended target and they'll get blasted to bits.  Most of the time you're better off relying on capital ships, they're still that bad.

Now, uber Vulkoras siege cap of doom, on the other hand, has been sighted lurking around your homeworld...

That's the way they should be in my view... but I'm not here to argue for or against (something that's been done ad nauseum).  I'm just gathering information.

So you say the vulkorus has been buffed eh?  Didn't really catch that in the release notes.  I'll have another look.

Oh, I noticed they nerfed the egg?  I thought that was quite strange!  Now, were it the only capship to stand out, I would have been all for the nerf to bring it in line with everything else.  But with the marza running around, its sort of ridiculous to contemplate nerfing the egg, much less actually doing it.  Sure, someone will say "well the marza got nerfed too," but come on.  Comparing the egg and the marza is like comparing a firecracker and a 100 megaton nuke.  And then deciding to cut the firecracker in half, and reduce the 100 megatons down to 99.  It's like... "wtf?"

Any comments on that one?

Siege platforms are now deployed very quickly and at low antimatter cost.  I've always treated the thing is an armoured super-siege frigate, and this is the role it fulfills quite handily.

The egg nerf was a slap on the wrist.  Hardly anything to get excited about.  In my first 1.04 game I killed a Marza on the rush with my egg.  It's the same lethal ability as always; maybe slightly less lethal, but underestimate it and you will lose caps.

ya... egg now does 625/875/1125.... which is not much difference at all... the less -armor is nice though for ships trying to run away... w/e

compared to the kol... which does less damage (although, instant damage)... but for the same amount of antimatter, does considerably less damage... expecially when the kol's guass is effected by shield mitigation and armor.. while the egg is not... and goes straight to the hull.... but it has its bonuses... its instant and stacks... (lv 6 donov + kol = gauss chaingun... = 975 damage every 4.8 seconds... = 47 damage/second at 3.9 antimatter/second against a target with 10 armor and 65% shield mitigation.  egg does 25 damage/second + -armor at 1.666 antimatter/second (Per target... can nano more than 1 at the same time)... whatever.. the battery on my laptop is dieing... so think about that as you want to.  (heh... how hard is it to get a lv 6 donov and a lv 5 kol compared to a lv 5 death egg... in single player no problem... in multiplayer... gl with that.)