Bad luck Megafrost. I liked the look of the challenge of the Militarist and Diplomat but you cannot sustain an early major event on top of the penalties they entail. Fortunately in my game, the early Plague in 2342 went to the biggest AI, the Meklars!
It is an interesting comparison between the Militarist and Diplomat. The Militarist has to spend more (50%) on his military (ships) but these are far more useful than static defences. My plan for Diplomat included scrapping all early bases and feeding reserves to push expansion - it wastes 75% of the bc's but might get early expansion rolling. At least Diplomats have a better research field emphasis in Computers. I would have liked to see how a Diplomat played out.
It is an interesting comparison between the Militarist and Diplomat. The Militarist has to spend more (50%) on his military (ships) but these are far more useful than static defences. My plan for Diplomat included scrapping all early bases and feeding reserves to push expansion - it wastes 75% of the bc's but might get early expansion rolling. At least Diplomats have a better research field emphasis in Computers. I would have liked to see how a Diplomat played out.