Enemies Camped in New Star Systems

Well if you look at the name of these enemy fleets, you'll realize that they are the planetary force that needs to be cleared out before you can occupy them.

Makes it more realistic IMO. While the game is about the major three races, they don't have to be the only one.

And honestly, they are not that hard to defeat.

They are basically the same thing as hostile huts and barbarians for Civ. They are a cap on a rushing expansion - otherwise you would be able to just race forward to a planet closer to someone else and then backfill the rest, rather than expanding outwards in a sphere. They make your choice of opening ships and cap ship have a higher tradeoff between cap ship experience, speed, numbers, damage per second, etc. They make uncleared planets hostile to trade lanes.

It's a good idea.

If you think they are bad, wait for "neutral systems" (see under the map editor). They are fortified worlds- tough nuts to crack without a good fleet.

Oh yes, I love that setting. currently playing a slow speed ~400 planet map, 10 stars, phase lane chance set to minimum, phase lane length set to maximum, with neutral colonies set to maximum everywhere. 95% of the colonizable planets are fortified, with phase jumps between planets taking from 15-45 minutes per jump. scouting becomes critical before trying to expand into a system, as does the build up of a fleet that can hold its own without finding itself in urgent need of reinforcements, because there's no way to get urgent reinforcements anywhere, though at least the vasari phase stabilizers help somewhat with that, with the 40% phase jump speed bonus.

Seeing neutral fleets of 8-10 ships, supported by 3-5 gauss gun turrets, and 1-3 hangar bays, it's such a warm and fuzzy feeling, exterminating all those native inferiors who dare to try and obstruct the expansion of the empire!

Ah yes, I see now that there basically 'npc' factions. At this point im still learning how the game plays out. I Imagine the AI has to clear these 'npc' AI just like I have to, however I will freely admit I am(at least for the time being), not able to expand anywhere near as rapidly as the AI does. Or to put another way, Im sure the AI spreads more efficently than I do, and I suspect the advantages pretty much every 4x game gives the AI means the npcs are much less of an impediment for them than for me.

Thanks for the comments.

That neutral system looks interesting, didnt know about that one, ill check it out.

I usually try to have at least a cap ship and 3 or 4 light frigates before jumping into anything other than an asteroid.

This is why my first Cap Ship is generally the Colonizer Cap Ship of the factions.

The AI does not get any resource or mechanical bonuses, so more likely you just need to change your buildup strategy.

Read the TEC lore to find the reason behind these 'neutral' forces.

Before the Vasari arrived 10 years ago, these worlds were all inhabited by humans under the Trade Order. After seeing the Vasari massacre the perimeter worlds with only their scouts and their space-whales, these planets(each having an autonomous government like countries on Earth) fitted civilian spaceships with whatever weaponry they had(anti-pirate stuff) and tried to stop the Vasari but their forces of course got swatted aside laughably by the aliens and conquered.

The first offensive united under the Trade Order arrived months late and was a mere non-coordinated bunch of such ragtag planetary fleets. They went and got themselves obliterated, and the Vasari expansion continued apace. Eventually, with much politics, argument, protest, and general human-style chaos, the Trader Emergency Coalition was formed, and those planets which had half-a-mind of what was good for them joined the TEC. Effective military vessels were engineered, a war economy was put into place, much hard work was done, and the Vasari were brought to a halt. At least until the deviants(Advent) returned with a millennium worth of hatred to unleash.

Other worlds which chose to remain independent and not join the TEC, though, are the 'neutral' planets you see, and those ships protecting them are their planetary fleets(hence tougher defenses at Terran and Desert worlds). They don't want to get conquered and enslaved by the Vasari, and they don't want a taste of Advent vengeance or their crazy culture. Yet they have the ego to not join the TEC without a fight. Thus their governments and militaries are invariably kicked aside and their citizens are oppressed(Vasari)/enlisted(TEC)/assimilated(Advent) in every game.