I need major strategy help.

It might be tricky to get out of this situation at your point in the game, but are you playing with locked teams or not? If not, some of the AIs that are bordering you, and go out of your way to do the missions they offer you. It won't be very easy now, but they don't give you targets that are not within 2 jumps of one of your planets, and a 30 minute time window, so you should be able to get those ship/structure destruction missions done. Once you get a few cease fires (will likely need 2 missions per AI at this point), you'll have a much easier time of keeping yourself protected, and your AI friends will go bug other AIs so those won't be focused on your anymore.

I may quit this game and try again, this is insane...I can't keep up.

Watch the computer on unfair in a small map first

How are your planetary defenses? The AI is very textbook about the order that they attack planetary structures (they're priority targets), so if you can get the AI to follow you back to a planet you might be able to destroy their fleet and then launch a counter-attack so that you can expand.

I know that some people lament about how useless planetary defenses are against a human opponent, but against the AI they can serve as a shield and do some damage on top of that. For example, the TEC gauss cannon is effectively 3000 or so hit points that the AI will have to contend with while some of their ships attack your ships. Having a few of these with interlocking fields of fire can give your fleet the push it needs to destroy the enemy and take the next planet.

cscoles, what do you mean?

This is usually what I used my tactical slots on: 3 Hangar Defense w/ Fighter Squadrons, 2 Repair, rest = defense platforms.

Greets,

I found myself in a similar situation a while back (with 6 planets too) and I tried waiting it out and that failed. The only way I managed to get around it was to scout ahead for a place to fortify two choke points only, and then push hard towards them.

If both ends of the wormholes are in the same system, consider mounting a large offensive keeping the opposition on the back foot leaving them no chance to attack. If your wormhole leads elsewhere, it might still be worth expanding to two choke points quickly and together, and using the boost to your economy to build a defense fleet and place at the wormhole causing your trouble - fully expecting to take the loss of a few planets on the way, and work your way back once you're safe.

What race are you playing?

I'm assuming you're not playing as vasari because in that case returning armada would easily win you the game.

If you're TEC end the game with 8 novalith cannons, or get a super-economy and mass a ton of lrm frigates.

If you're advent you should be set just make a huge fleet and throw in some guardians.
Use extra cap ships for combos.. like the radiance + the progenitor.

The trouble is probably that you're splitting your forces into different fleets.

This is very risky, but (save the game), try focusing your fleet at one location and attacking with everything at once. Leave a ton of defenses at all of the "choke point" planets, or maybe even just scout to make sure they're not coming, when you do this.

The way to win these games is typically to grind it out (that's why everyone drops in 5 system multiplayer games: they take WAY too long).. Send your huge fleet to capture one planet at a time (don't worry about chasing a single enemy's fleet... the AIs are stupid). Send a colonizer cap ship to colonize the planets as soon as they are sieged to death. Pursue Pursue Pursue. Smash one player then move on to the next.

Again, keep your fleet together. Also, read all of the complex micro tactics located throughout this forum.