Your early strategies?

due to fact i tend to play on at least 5 syetm maps with each plaer in his own system.... i can turtle a bit can't i

try to pick up 2 other bodies (for resources)
modertly defend my homeword
few military upgrades (perhaps some armor and lasers)
civic i try to push hard on, quicker mineing and larger populations.
i push for a second captal ship BEFORE i have 2 reserch stations in each
(the dammage 10-12 small frigets, that cost the same total, is no were near what a bone stock warship does out of the hanger)

then i sit back and turtle a bit and run moderly heavy raids (or fend off the stinkin pirates) while im building toward some of the heavyer ships (crusiers, and upgrades), upgradeing my planets (trade structures, etc)

Explore like mad, you must be the first to see the system.

Grab a nearby asteroid, your free battleship should have enough firepower for this

Build 8 light frigates

Conquer nearby Terran and desert planets

i just started my first game also...seems i`m holding only due the awesome work of my carrier and bombers from defense hangars..those pesky pirats are baad..but now i just scouted their base..yummi..

make your capital fast, research bombers hangars for defense, get income (tradeports and stuff) that i would focus in my next game

Only bombers? Are the fighters worth anything? And the gauss?

1. Build Akkan as flagship
2. Go on magical mystery tour around galaxy
3. ???
4. Profit

grab the nearest defenable 2-4 entities, turtle in with big defenses (eg 35 turrets or similar) - dont spend money on Research other than ones leading to the big cannon (Novius?) and once you have that researched (costs about 20k to do) build 2 to 4 of them (scuttle your turrets, you should have a moderate fleet by now) and then nuke the solar system, making your enemies poor as church mice