well, just had a game with Dissy. Game is not quite finished but I think i lost the momentum there:)
to begin with, i probably should have insisted on a more robust pop - starting out with 150 (upgradable to 190) and 190 (upgradable to 220) 5 squares from roms did not help:) however, Dissy had about same number of pop, with one upgradable to 290 if i remember correctly.
location, location, location... well, it was too close to dissy and too far away from AI...
I started in R lower corner, he 5 squares west. He had ferengi up above him and my radar picked up nothing but cosmic dust:)
intel was not too bad, the worst of it being 80% hunting grounds lost on the smallest planet, plus a few empty machine yards (did not have enough pop:) blown up.
Dissy used up cash to build a large fleet of destoryers while i got 6 intel centers and frantically went looking for feds and, found them way up north... I had to build an outpost to get there, was poised with 10 scouts (more scouts were pouring in) , 2 heavies and 5 tts to take out feds during the next 5 turns when dissy showed up over one of my planets...
That's where second unfortunate thing happen - i sent 4 scouts to take out TTs being pretty confident i'd take enough of them to stall the invation and destroy 7 destroyers (he did not have enough scouts so i was rubbing my paws)... except i did not do proper targeting, let one too many tts live and lost the planet... it was the smallest one, he lost 6 destroyers, but that was a set back
he is poised over another planet atm and i am sure this time i can take out his tts and cause him to trade 8 orbs for 8 destroyers. But, with the the loss of 6 intel centers lost and 190 mln gone - even if i got sol and the one more fed planet taken - i did not have much of a chance unless he made a glaring mistake... Which i don't suppose was going to happen..
Initially i told Dissy we should go on - he had to go (spent 1 h trying to get connection going - only direct ip via hamachi no routers worked - and his shift was coming up) - but now on futher reflection i think i should just concede to a better player:). Way to go, Dissy, the legend lives on!
It's been a blast, thank ye all, see you in the future! (may be:) - i have overdrawn my "off the leash" accounts but will try to negotiate another tourney with my boss:)
Thunderhero, ignore my message and Dissy, it's been a privilege.
fyi i'm not 'that' needlessly wasteful:P
.. got it 2nd time.. but his fleet on horizon so i rushed to get the card second n last system.. it repeled invasion again. me tts all die.. like 12 dest+12 tts dead from both attempts.. and with low production on the 130 cudnt keep up with the romulan who now conquer feds. ferg being huge as they are on imposs ai on lower techs attack me with 12wc+10fast so i have to upgrade my destroyers...they run, and i catch some of flockes fleet.. which i kinda knew he had a-ton-o dest left behind.. needless to say, my few mistakes and flockes efficiency 
