Ok, so i've had the game for 2 days now, and just trying to get a feel of it i've played 2-3 games, each time with a different race. I have only played the comp so that I can get a feel for the game before matching wits against a real player.

Unfortunetely I haven't tried on the same map each time so my strat isn't always based around the strengths of my race, but also around the situations the map calls for(gas cloud for example). So here's my problem. I pretty much am constantly either, harrassed by pirates early because I'm trying to build my economy and military and cant seem to out bid the comp since it seems to pay attention like a ebayer, or I get to the end of the game, and the computer's fleet, which is always extremely bomber heavy, destroys my precious Capital ships, and runs through the bomber destroying ships that I build as a counter.

The computer is also notorious for constantly phasing away from me if I seem to have even a slight advantage, no matter how long I chase them, till I get frustrated with doing that for 45 min and try to take a home planet, then here they come to one of my planets with twice the numbers and all bombers.

So here is my question. I like the vasari, just because i'm an idiot who likes to do things the hard way. What is a good starting Capital ship for that race and, besides making the enemy bring the fight to my defenses, what is a good counter to AI's seemingly only strat of long range carriers with cap support till I run out of resources trying to replenish my expensive capital ships and "anti-bomber" cruisers?

Btw, I have only played smaller sized maps on a 1v1 situation with the comp on normal. The largest map so far has been 18 planets with 4 systems, where I lost after aquiring 14 of them, but still somehow was constantly running out of metal.