Hi.  6 planets should take you a couple minutes, not a couple hours.  You're screwing up really bad, but we should be able to straighten you out

If you just want success against easy random 3v3:

1) Pick colonizer as your capship (any race).

2) Send out scouts, then send colonizer capship to the first asteroid you encounter (there should be one connected to your homeworld in most circumstances).  Colonize.

3) IMPORTANT:  After colonizing ANY planet, immediately upgrade the planet (first button on top left).  For asteroids, do it once.  For any other planet, do it twice.  Then build all your extractors.

4) Build basic light frigate until you have no more fleet available.  Fleet up to the next level (if necessary), and build a few more.  Get 15-20 disciples/cobalts, or 10-15 skirmishers if playing vasari.

5) Colonize any and all remaining planets.

6) In the early phases of the game, there is no need to fleet up any more than what is discussed, and you never need to fleet up unless you plan to build ships immediately after.

To answer your questions:

- Population is # of people on your planet.  It controls your tax income from that planet.  The more people, the more tax income.  Naturally, asteroids will have the least potential for population, and nice juicy terran planets will have the most.

- There is a post by Darvin3 somewhere on this forum, telling you some of the best techniques for colonizing.  I will let someone else link it for you.

- You don't determine tax rate on planets, but you can research a higher level of population growth of certain planets (thus higher tax income) under the civil technology tree.  Also, the more times you upgrade a planet using the first button on the upper left, the higher the population can grow, thus higher tax income.

- Keep fleet as low as possible until it is time to go to war, then fleet up to what you need to crush your enemy.

For more money, you will need trade ports and refineries, but that's another topic for another day.

What race are you playing thats really important.

I am no pro but i can tell you that your main problem was prbly not taking the capital ship with colonize ability. these are the Akkan (tec) the mothership(advent) and the jurrasul(vasari) note that the jurrasul is called the egg or death egg on the forums.

These caps are better starter caps (though of course the ability u pick should be colonize) because they allow u to colonize quicker as colony frigates(frigs) have low antimatter regen.

If ur playing income and going against easy AI i advise u too take as much fleet supply as u want and dont worry about income. do this so u can find ur own personal fleet comfort zone(we all have one) some like large fleets and have learnt ways to support them others like small fleets cuz they want to keep income higher. Trade ports will allow you to balance fleet upkeep ifu can get a good chain size.

@ tetleytea-you can avoid a lot of that with quickstart, but I know most dont like that approach

Always start with a strong cap and mini fleet (I prefer the Kol or Marza and go for choke points while back filling the rest, but the Akkan is good as well) with a preference towards the colony cap for new beginners, and always put a point or two into colony infrastructure, the lowest levels will actually sap credits, also dont be afraid of the black market, that will help you get over some resource humps

also avoid teching up too early (two or three labs of each is a good really start) especially with the fleet size, what till mid to late game

Okay, here's a question.  If someone could write out all the abbreviations they can think of for Sins and what they mean, that would be a huge help.  I'm getting lost with some of the terminology.

I still haven't found the race that I like to play as .  I think I'm playing as the Vasari right now.  Either them or The Advent.

If you are playing as the vasari, you can (optionally) modify my instructions as follows:

- drop down 1 military lab, research assailant.

- instead of skirmishers, build a ton of assailants.

- drop additional labs as required throughout your play to research phase missle and hull upgrades

Ugh, so many questions.  During single player games, does anyone speed up the game speed to 2x or 4x so they aren't waiting for so long for resources?

I'm playing as TEC now!  I sped it up to 8x just to wait for some crystal and then upgrade.  But I think once you get to a certain point you don't have to wait anymore or that long at least.

I always use an Akkan to colonise. It can do it without support with a little micromanagement and very little expenditure.

Firstly make sure you build a military lab and research repair platforms. Turn off colonise autocast and turn off auto place structures. When you get to a planet take out the siege frigates first, the AI won't do this for you, you have to do it yourself. When they are gone colonise the planet and build a repair platform in a suitable place - this will keep your Akkan going while you clear out the rest of the ships.

If you let the Akkan auto colonise, it can't take out the siege frigates quickly enough to stop you losing the planet.

When you have enough cash, research upgrade lasers. Your Akkan will benefit from this and clear out planets more quickly.

I find with a single Akkan the AI on hard will fall behind on colonisation fairly quickly.

This strategy is against AI only - you won't last five minutes against a rush with a single Akkan!

Question:   everybody says you're not supposed to colonize the planet with your Akkan before you take out his Siege Frigates.   Why the heck not??  You get free extractors.  Just colonize it again.

5 planets - 53 minutes.  Hows that? 

This is a good example of my economy in full swing. This is two hours in on a large map v 3 teamed hard AI.

Sounds like you have improved but are still quite behind.  Watch the RagingAmish or other replays you said you downloaded, and watch how they colonize.  Once you see what they do, you will know what you are doing wrong.