Definitely the easiest possible setting. I'm not well experienced in this specific type of game (just Civ type games) and there's a lot of information to take on board. Once I pull a couple of victories on the easiest, I will move up to whatever the next is called. I doubt I will ever go up past Normal (intelligent) as I tend to find with most games that I can scrape wins on the harder difficulties but gain a lot less pleasure due to excess stress!

For example, I can beat Civ4 on Monarch - I even did it once on Deity.... but there's just no pleasure in it for me, it's all min-maxing and purposefully chosing to neglect many areas of the game to focus on an all out strategy. I vastly prefer to play at Noble and relax throughout the game, build cities where I want to, build up all my cities etc. This, I am sure, is how I will want to play GalCiv2... fighting wars to gain the best planets then building them up, specialising them, "completing" them all before making a final armada to crush my enemies.

Not knocking people who like this kind of thing (uberness), but I play purely for pleasure, not to prove I am good! A reason you wont be seeing me on the Metaverse.

Probably a small map, on the easiest level, with one or two opponents. And I will boast of my victory, but publicly acknowledge the advantage I had.

I've always liked working up from simple, small-scale games of GalCiv to the bigger, tougher matches.

- Ash

i will surely play at intelligent AI and no advantage for me or AI. I really don't like to play with advantages or disadvantages while i'm really sure that i will be defeated in a few time

Mine will probably be at the difficulty level just below normal, and it will be a Gigantic galaxy. I always play on the largest map possible, no matter what game it is. I never finish any games, but it's lots of fun to build massive empires.

Easy, Easy, and even Easier Just to get to know the game then normal then higher

As someone who's played the Gamma AI, all I can say is get ready to be spanked if you play normal or above on the same settings that gave an interesting game in the beta.

My first game will probably be on a medium map with 9 opponents set to intelligent. I've got a lot of experience with GalCiv I and some with the GalCiv II Beta, so I know the gameplay basics. I hope to get crushed sooner or later though, and will then submissively put the difficulty down step by step until I win.

Ah, someone volunteering to be "victim." Playing on "challenging" with 9 opponents in a gigantic map, I went from winning 75% in the beta to about 25% of the time in the Gamma. Not only is the AI better, but the game balance is different enough that you'll need a game or two to get used to the different feel. Oh, and that 25% win rate is after I got used to the changes. My first game with the improved Gamma AI and the different feel on challenging lasted, oh, maybe 15 minutes before I realized that not only was I getting beaten in every category but I was going to be history before I could catch up in any one category To give you an idea of where I rank, I was usually in the top 5-20% of the GC1 metaverse.

I'm not saying that the GC2 AI that ships will amaze and astound even the most jaded gamer, there's still some tweaks I think it needs, and even Brad says he'd like a month of nothing but polishing the AI. Just warning you, expect to be hit a good bit harder than the Beta AI hit. Expect to see at least some transports escorted if you start sniping unescorted transports. Expect to see the AI adapt to your ship designs if you're it's major threat. Expect to be challenged and have fun.

I haven't been beaten by a computer in so long, Last game would be Dune for the genesis, Damn Ordos they are weak...But I am hoping Intelligent will take a run of my money. I like to show no mercy and it's tough because I have morals and if they can't stand a chance I always go easy on whomever I play. We all know that if we don't let others win they won't play with you ever, that's why my Risk game is collecting dust in the closet.
All in all, I looked forward to getting my ass handed to me...hopefully, by the itelligent level

Well ill probley start on ither ezest small with 2 races just for hangs since i havetn messed with the beta since august. This will put some nice oil on the gears to get back into it then probley after that pump it up and have a max Galaxy size.

There is a reason why it became tradition

I use to set it at the most highest lvl, most notably the first turn base strat game i played, Master of Magic....man was that a learning curve for a 13 yr old..

nowadays i grown more lazy and although i like playing underdog positionsstill , the usual insane lvl of cheating AI doesn't comapre to facing humans in multiplayer.

so I learn the basics through tradition and play it at harder lvl later while i wait for the possible expansion for multi...

After reading the manual from the pre-load and watching the tutorial videos I'm feeling confident enough that I think I'll take on a sub-normal game. The easiest difficulty has the computer AI having something like 10% of its economy. That's too weak for me and wouldn't be a challenge at all, even having played the game.

If sub-normal is a victory on the first try I'll go up to normal and then to bright until I start losing.

I'm torn if right now I'll be playing a 3 opponents on a medium map, or a human/drengin war on a tiny map.

Well, since I just managed to get good enough to play at a Normal level of difficulty in GC1, and the AI in 2 is apparently far superior, I think I'll just restart from the bottom up -- Cakewalk. As the Korx, on a medium galaxy with a few opponents.

I'll start easy until I get used to the interface, tech tree, etc, then start moving it up till I get crushed utterly.

Hmm... I'm playing between Normal and Intelligent now (Beta), 6 opponents, medium galaxy

Guess I'd better scale down a couple of gears. 4 opponents, easy.