Economic momentum could also be affected by government types. A democracy giving large moral/culture boost but slow momentum and a dictatorship with high momentum but low research prone to rebellions or something..?
Interesting what frogboy said about the ai choosing from player designs, Especially as i would tend to build ludicrous amounts of troop transports before even having half decent warships. Im sure the upkeep on these might change in this next game!
Was it one of the master of orion games where you could supplement other colonies if they didnt have enough food? I always liked that idea. Over the years in GC2 i stopped building farms (except on 11+ grade planets even then maybe one). GC2 made a nonsense of it, the further away the planet is the more income you receive. I think there should be planets rich in elements for the empire and you having to ferry the goods to ensure growth. Once their is a demand in your empir