Umm. Care to explain just how you might know the second, given the first?

Here's my challenge for you sir. Play an immense map, Uncommon for ALL planet and resource choices. No pirates, very slow tech, slow game pace.  Have at least 10 AI's and some minors.

Also, just for me, have one of the Custom AI"s you make be: patriotic, synthetic, focused on expansion, tech, military as it's first three; Diplomacy is dead last. Malevolent ideology. Traits shoud be Aggressive, Cruel, Expansionist, and Xenophobic. 

Give them a 16 quality homeworld. 

For points, please do the following:

-2 to Fertile, Popular, traders, farmers, Agile and Likeable. No one likes them, they don't need food or nookie, and don't move so fast.

You should now have 17 points to spend. 

+2: Productive, Clever, Economical, Observant, Fast, Organized, Dense, Tough

+1: Adventuresome

And be sure you don't gimp them. Give them the Yor Tech tree. 

The only thing they won't have is all my ship plans. Oh, you didn't know that?  Yeah, the AI will use Human designed ships if they are a match for it. Silly AI, learning from human designers. 

Seriously man, you are shot gunning a ton of thoughts but you can't really say you've played unless you allow yourself to play a game where you actually DO have to think and plan and make strategic decisions. For having never even been in a war, you have a lot to say about how things should work.  Is every idea in your head bad? No, I didn't say that. Really though, you might find that some other things could be, should be and are more important than things that you repeatedly try to cry about. 

I've come to believe you are just a Troll and I figure this will fall on deaf eyes again. If you are sincere, the I beg you, give this a try. Make your theories meet practice.

You go ahead and try to reach all their starbases from your limited range and small planet base. Re-learn the WWII lessons of island hopping as you slowing drive toward their homeworld, if you can find it. Meanwhile, the AI, while making enough mistakes that will allow you to win, will also make you read and react to what they do. And if Gifted ends up being to easy, then try the same thing and take it up one notch.  Try it. You might like it. 

Regards. 

I get that. Just know that with those settings, at least for me, there aren't nearly as many planets to colonize as you seem to have previously experienced.  In the games I've played with those settings, all the AI's as well as I, generally end up with between 12-20 colonies after the rush was complete. You might or might not find a very limited set of planets on huge. Random number generators and all. 

The AI mentioned above was always the top power after the rush and quickly declared war on me every time. EVERY FREAKING TIME. I eventually beat them back, but while I'm locked up in a dirty war, the always seem to be a couple of other AI's watching,building,waiting until too many of my forces are committed to the front in an attempt to bring the war to conclusion, that they see me as a juicy target on my flanks. We'll see if they have similar behavior for you. 

Regards..

Actually, this is stupid.  Loading an earlier game.  

BUT HAVE I MADE MY POINT ABOUT THE DIPLOMACY SCREEN EXPLOITS? 

This one is only the most obnoxious.  Of course it's so obnoxious that even I find it obnoxious.  However, the point is that BEATING GODLIKE AI right now is an accomplishment WITHOUT MUCH VALUE.  

But it counts equally in the metaverse.

Right???

Besides, it gets into a different issue: WHAT'S THE DEFINITION OF AN EXPLOIT? 

I could argue that designing new ships is an exploit too.  

Yes please. I can send a gazillion builders to upgrade a starbase, but none to a shipyard?

Who says I cant just attach a starbase to a shipyard? Madness!

When I can upgrade all of my ships even deep in enemy territory (especially interesting when swapping drives... are there teleporters??!),

all my shipyards and starbases should be able to do the same, without stupid builder-ships. But thats just my opinion. 

From my experience of actually taking out starbases and shipyards you'll need at least 5 corvettes or frigates or a mix of both to take out a shipyard or a basic starbase but because any enemy planet can build a shipyard you'll need scout class ships near every enemy planet to see where any new shipyards pop up and then move your 5 ship fleets into nearby areas so you can react to your enemies actions. As others have said if you dominate your enemies space you run the risk of them surrendering to someone you may not want or be able to take on militarily? this is why I would like the devs to put in the "No Surrender" game option in the setup menu as it forces the AI to fight to the bitter end. The OP has a basic good idea but it needed fleshing out abit . If you want to guarantee getting all your enemies planets I'm afraid unless you trade all their stuff for making peace with them you going to have to use transports to invade the planets?

The Yor should simply have moved on from that world and invaded deeper into your space, destroying your shipyards.

At which point you would have lost the war.  

But "planetary bombardment" from space should be an option.  

the tried and failed?  No, they tried and died.  I held them off at my next shipyard, which was at my empire core.  Anyways, yes, planetary bombardment should be available if you maintain a blockade for several turns.  A free way to soften up the defenses.  But shouldn't be overkill.

oh, another things which should, "not work" while a planet is being blockaded or ravaged by war.  TOURISM.  Your tourism revenues should be about as empty as Syria's.

Marigoldran.. stop with the all caps I swear. All of your posts are meaningless. You don't play the game before making suggestions, you constantly complain, AND YOU HAVE TO SCREAM AT US ABOUT EVERYTHING. gtfo

Edit- Calmed down a little, but the majority of it stands.

You realise that blockading a planet is not that useful? It's a habitable planet, they're capable of sustaining a population without outside influence. Take a look at the one we live on for example.

So you have to have a single military ship adjacent to an enemy planet during war for this to take effect? Sounds reasonable actually. To be clear, you mean that anything of the planets that contributes to your global empire would be cut off (research/credits/production for shipyards but definitely not influence) but would still be available locally. Then comes some further questions:

Say you're blockading me, my planet is completely cut off. Does this mean that I can't use my treasury to rush-buy defences too? Do blockaded colonies get access to their own mini-treasury for this? What if the planet is losing money? Does my empire stop losing money suddenly? 

*Shrug*. Obviously others disagree with you.  Are YOUR posts that much more meaningful? 

And you seem to be missing a sense of humor.  If you think about it, the Yor really shouldn't want snuggler colonies.  This is a very minor but also entirely valid point.  After all, only biological species need to snuggle.  Did I touch another nerve?

Once again, chill, dude.  It's just a game.  

Get rid of that advertising blurb thingy - "GalCiv 3: How You Rule Your Galaxy" - right the eff now!!

"GalCiv3: Not Good Enough To Challange a Chess Grand Master!!" Now, that is a slogan to stand by and speaks the truth of this game.

I'm sure Stardock's advertising folk are coming up with Building Sized Posters/Full Page Ads/Primetime TV slots with that phrase as we speak.

And the lay-offs are coming and Frogboy and his cohorts are bereft they have made such a poor game.

'Scuse me while I go Snuggle with my Yor babe now, m'kay??