For some reason, the uploads won't work right now, so you'll have to content yourself with the description until I can get the file and image up.
2480: Security spending is a waste of cash. I turn it off and boost spying. Our best way of improving our security is through acqusition of computer tech, not throwing thousands of BC out the window every turn.
Why are we not attacking? I guess I will find out. Let's go on the offense here. The best AI missle is Merculite Missles, which don't sound too scary to me. If we lose a couple ships - oh well. We're spending a fair amount of ship maintenance anyway. As far as why Auto-repair -- I find it is quite useful if you pick your targets well and don't go in somewhere where you will be hopelessly outgunned. I agree that Ion Projectors could be useful. However, HEF is just around the corner...
I send off fleets to attack at Rigel, Guradas, Toranor, and Nitzer.
2481: All 4 fleets kick their butts, though I have to do some fancy maneuvering using asteroids to thin out the missle swarms in a couple cases. The AIs are using Scatter Vs against our huges, which isn't exactly netting them a ton of damage. The next huge design will have Class VII shields to prevent even that from being a useful option. HEF comes in and I pick subspace teleporter next; since force fields are about to pop and I want big shields anyway I will wait for that next.
Send in the troops. Choose my next targets: Meklon, Galos, Phyco. I could save Meklon as an additional spy target but I think we will be capturing most of the AI techs shortly so it probably doesn't matter, we're in final war so we don't care about Extermination diplo hits, and it's relatively close to home so we can invade more easily.
2482: Capture Guradas, Toranor, and Nitzer. Steal a bunch of tech. Life is good. Need more troops as Meklon, Galos, and Phyco all are successfully assaulted, though I nearly lose a ship at Phyco due to lack of asteroids to hide behind. Automated repair is, as usual, more than proving its worth. Battles are going on for 30-40 turns as I slowly whittle down the enemy bases. Without Auto-repair, my fleet would be whittled down as well and would ultimately die long before finishing polishing off the bases. With it, judicious use of asteroids, and knowing when to withdraw and repair and when to attack, my fleet has so far proved invulnerable rather than toasty (as would have been the case otherwise.) They have absorbed several times their own total stack size in hits of damage using this special.
Attack Tyr and Cryslon.
2483: Our ships win at Tyr but are forced to retreat at Cryslon due to too many bases and no asteroids. We get Class IX shields and capture some tech from Rigel and Phyco.
Designed a new huge, Phaze 6.1. I could have put HEF on it but I didn't really see a lot of point. I put Class VI shields on so we could ignore scatter packs and replaced the Repulsor Beam with the Ion Stream Projector. We have enough ships out there that we don't really need to worry about enemy smalls and the like. Send troops on the way to Tyr and Galos. We are slowing down (inevitably) due to lack of troops with which to capture more worlds.
2484: Capture Meklon but no tech as we have it all already. Otherwise a dull turn in which not much happens as I wait for troops to arrive. Destroy Collassa, a poor world with no factories and useless to hold.
2485: Capture Galos and Tyr. We are ready for a new round of invasions. Our fleet sets forth to provide targets and we pre-ship troops to a couple worlds courtesy of advanced scanners. Imra (Ultrarich), Arietis (Poor but with lots of facs) and Cryslon are on the blocks.
2486: First combat trial of Phaze 6.1 at Cryslon. It destroys everything by itself with no asteroids to hide behind. Verdit: success. 2 More sent to Keeta and Sssla. Cryslon fleet moves to Vega (ultra-rich) while Phyco, Nitzer, and Toranor supply troops. Stalaz destroyed.
2487: Arietis and Cryslon captured. Vega bases destroyed, fleet moves to Incedius. Invasion force and fleet sent to Talas from Arietis. Bootis destroyed.
2488: Vega captured. Bases at Incedius destroyed. Keeta bases destroyed. Phaze 6.1s move to Ukko and Anraq. Running out of Phaze 6.0s for garrison work in former Silicoid space, but that's ok. Vote is due soon & we should be able to win by 2/3 vote. A large Sakkra fleet is moving on Arietis. Though largely obsolescent, it looks like the Sakkra could be a bit of a sticky wicket simply due to its sheer size. There are stacks of 20-30 huges and thousands of smalls roaming about. The smalls have Hyper-X rockets so can definitely pose a threat to our older ships, and possibly even our new one since I didn't go with the biggest possible shield.
2489: Phaze 6.1 attempts to brave massed Silicoid fleet at Ukko and is destroyed. Phase 6.1 at Anraq has better luck. Arietis destroyed by massed Sakkra fleet.
2490: More general mayhem, we capture Imra (Ultrarich) and Incedius.
Advice to next player: Keep pushing if you like. Note that the Silicoids and the Sakkra do have fleets concentrated and that you cannot push through them with the ships on hand; go around them instead. Keep allocating funds to new planets from the reserves; I have a couple planets on reserve pumping expressly for that purpose. Our navy is starting to get a bit thin. It might be time to scrap those Mek 3.0s and build a new design; we just picked up Pulse Phasors so a phasor gunboat for taking out enemy ships might be possible. Or whatever you feel like. With the planets we have now built up we should be close to winning a vote, but you can always beat down whatever enemy worlds are in range or capture them to do the trick. A sufficiently large stack of modern huges (3+) is a glass-maker with a turn or two of bombardment. If you want to build more ships for this purpose (we are getting spread a bit thin) then use our new ultrariches for the purpose, such as Vega in the south which should be ready for such duty next turn. Even at warp 6, crossing 3/4 of the galaxy to get to a fight is a pain, and we need our backline worlds to be pumping reserves.
Otherwise, looks good.
You can change it when you design our Heavy Phasor planet-buster 
)![[pimp]](/images/smilies/pimp.gif "Pimp [pimp]")
Next round of 40 did it, but that was highly annoying. We stole Hyper V from the Sakkra.
