Select games in which you have a hope.
 

1. If you’re level one: fight level one players.  Unregistered should fight games with players to level 4.
2. Fighting above this weight will mean fighting players with a geometric advantage over you in terms of production/extraction, attack/defense and navigation (this does not mean they are better players).
3. Be in the game.  There is no point in being in games, which you are not prepared to win.  This means you will have to be committed to entering your game to take command of your empire on numerous occasions - at least every 8 turns
4. Even at turn zero use those structure to colonize, resource for, and, build aluminum making plants
5. and gain resources from mountain planets Use have 80 structure apply them!  Make a probe to explore
6. your home sector and the universe.

    Exploit resources
 

1. Grow your empire wisely. You need to get aluminum, steel and ship structure; Aluminum and Steel
2. to make more structure to exploit more planets, Ship structure to make hulls.
3. Do the tutorial
4. Make a skid to attack pirates with and use it, grab the floating components after the engagement, or if you have the alien tech. buy and fit a salvage pod.
5. Beware that pirates get stronger each time you take them on in a sector; get to tough change sectors.
6. Buy a warp engine.
7. Make the biggest ship that you can use and set it to repeat.

    Find your opponents
 

1. Sectors you have explored, with a probe, become traces on your universe map; enemy sectors are in red, unclaimed are grey and yours are green.  If an enemy occupies a sector you explored it changes to red.
2. The current rules mean that you can't be attacked in your home sector but fair game out side of it till the all important turn 200 when no area is safe.  But hiding won’t win you the game.
3. Expand into sectors around your home sector. Put planet Cannon (double cannon with shockwave missile will be effective) and shield it (about 3-6 shielding) on the entry point where you expect an  enemy to come from.  This will give you an extra area to grow and expand safely in.

    Set yourself up for the kill
 

1. You need advanced ship components, like twin lazers, heavier shields to add impetus to your fleets.
2. Need to build advanced plants; antimatter lab, nuclear, weapons factory, faraday facility and a like.
3. Build an attack fleet without your capital flagship (the one with a crown).
4. Build up your defenses; if your getting better so is your opponents.
5. Pair your attack fleet with a probe so that the probe wastes its flight time rather than the attack fleet.  Take over enemy planets but be aware that your freighter system may over load with the new sectors being serviced. Buy more freighters.
6. If you think that you are going to loose an engagement; retreat.  Try again later