Thanks for the update and first post updated to reflect the results - that’s a LOT of turns!
So it will be @Karmadrome and @SonOfBlob in semi-final #2.
If you guys are ready to rumble, I’ll create a game (with expensive Manu this time!) and you can get started.
For semi-final #1, the game leading into it are:
@BelSon has opened up a big lead over @Jetset: 82-46 at tick #132
In my game against @TheLastHero, I’m leading 77-45 at Tick #96
Nifty how @SonOfBlob used warp gates to circle around in his game and bypass his core.
A few more turns and you would have reached the other end of the galaxy! 
Give me a day to recover then I’ll be up for it.
Cheers, SonOfBlob
I’m ready whenever
Ready now
@Karmadrome and @SonOfBlob - I ended up generating over a dozen maps but many had big holes in the middle. Here’s are two that were the best … although could ideally be more dense … but sometimes those are more fun. Please take a look at let me know if you think they would play well for you and mutually agree on one - password is the same.
Also be sure to double-check the params as easy for me to make a mistake - Manu is expensive.
Have fun @SonOfBlob and @Karmadrome - I’ve updated the first post for that game.
@BelSon vs. @Jetset is 84-46 at tick #150
@HULK vs @TheLastHero is 84-39 at tick #120
When those games finish, the winners will play for the other semi-final game.
Sorry for the slow moves, it’s been a crazy weekend. My game with @HULK is wrapped up and he smashed me, as expected lol. Thanks for the chance to sub in, hopefully, I make it further next time!
@SonOfBlob has just conceded, so our semi-final has ended.
I managed to get a healthy lead early on in territory and indy/ships, but with @SonOfBlob taking the advantage in tech. I was gradually gaining more territory before @SonOfBlob conceded (@SonOfBlob has some RL stuff going on, so perfectly understandable that it isn’t quite the right time for a hard slog), but it would’ve been interesting to see if the tech advantage had made a difference in enough time.
Nevertheless good game.
I’m looking forward to see who makes it through to the final 
@Hulk and I have just started our semi-final game and we are about a cycle in… and I’ve forgotten to purchase economy. Big oops here! But aside from that, @Hulk has hyperspace 2 to my terraforming 2, and I am ever so slightly ahead in industry and science with an even star count. We’ll see if my lack of opening economy hurts me…
I have updated the first post to reflect the results (hope your crazy weekend @TheLastHero was crazy fun in RL!) and congrats @Karmadrome for making it to the Finals.
I have asked @BelSon if he’d like a do-over in our game since he forgot to buy Economy on the first cycle … although since I only bought 11 ($110) and you start with $2,000, it’s not that much of a difference … plus he now has Terra2, so the cost is less.
The map is pretty interesting with a clearly defined border, so I’d be curious how it plays out, but if he feels the economy boo-boo is too much to recover from, we’ll try another.
I don’t think it’s too much of a problem. As @Hulk has remarked, $110 isn’t much…
We’ll see how this one goes. The terraforming may just give me an edge over @Hulk that keeps me in front, even with the slight lack of economy. To the death!
Cool … either HULK SMASH … or HULK gets SMASHED! 
Or a slow war of attrition, which I personally don’t fancy. So yeah, HULK gets SMASHED!
@BelSon and I did NOT have a slow game of attrition!
He came out swinging hard and made several very early incursions into my side of the map … but I was able to do some fancy footwork and make a couple of defensive moves that arrived just in time … so was finally able to chase him out of my sector and subsequently put some HULK SMASH on him!
@Karmadrome and I have started the final deathmatch
First post updated.
@Karmadrome and I are having a delightful battle - we are currently at tick #102.
I have a swing of 4 stars on him … but that’s because in a moment of WTF, I built some warp gates - unfortunately, @Karmadrome just got enough Scan to see it and commented how it is a nice shiny target!
Because of that expenditure, I’m behind him in Economy, Industry, Science, and Ships. But HEY, I lead in Carriers … as I’m having to do some fancy footwork!
So it’s cool that two different approaches can be used. We actually did a similar split approach in a previous game and @Karmadrome ended up SMASHING the HULK … so I’m hoping for a different result here.
At Tick #180, the gloves have come off and there is carnage along the entire battle front!
Dr. Bruce Banner has requested more computing power as each turn becomes more complex …
I swung one more star and have caught up in Economy and Science, but Karma still leads in Industry (plus has extra level of Manu) and because of my zealous HULK SMASH attempt at expansion, now has a larger lead in ship count. And with is back-row ships coming up to the front, I have to decide if I play defense … or “damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead” with more HULK SMASH!
, but no worries I’ll join