earwicker777

As the title says... is it worth using Auto-Survey, or should I do it manually?

Does it take an extremely long time to get to this level? Do I have to give free gifts or something? I'm trading technologies left and right, I've got trade routes with them, etc.

Do the influence starbases only affect the influence levels of the planets around them, or do they affect the actual tiles around them? In other words, if I put a starbase out in the middle of nowhere, far from my planets, will it eventually turn into my territory?

I'm playing the Terrans, and I've majorly pumped money and research into Diplomacy, but no matter what, even with Friendly/Warm relations, every time I ask for an alliance, I'm told it is too early. What hoops do you have to jump through to get an ally? I'm about 1 1/2 years into the game (game time, not real time).

In your early turns, is it better to quickly grab an available planet with a low level (I'm specifically thinking of Mars when you play a Terran), or search the galaxy for a few turns until you find something with a higher level?

Still wrapping my head around this game... I built my first freighter this morning; after travelling to the nearest planet, I discovered that I was unable to move the freighter on top of it. I eventually figured out it was because I hadn't built any trade buildings on any of my planets. Once I built one, I was able to trade. I still have a few questions... when I made the building, I got a message about a monopoly. Does this mean that only that

I'm still very new at this game. I just created a starbase on a research resource, and I can't find any information showing that this has given me a bonus. It's only two squares away from one of my planets, and when I check the details screen for this planet, under external bonuses, it says "No Starbase Bonus". Do I have to add a module on a resource starbase just to get it to work? I thought they worked as soon as you build them, kind of like asteroid mine

When you say I need to upgrade it, do you mean just adding weapons, or do I turn it into a completely new ship? Like I said, I'm really new at this. Thanks!