I have spent many more hours on this game than it deserves, it having been released in a pre-beta state.  As a beta tester for some major game makers, I have never received anything as bad as this even in early beta.

That said, I have discovered a number of tricks to allow you to (almost) finish the game if you want.  These things avoid most of the game-killing bugs.  That said, I have been unable to complete the last level of the last campaign using all my tricks.  Perhaps I can make it if I redo the level, but at this point I am tired...

1. Only use one captain - the far left one in your captain queue at the bottom left of the main screen.  If you have more than 1 at game start-up, use the others to capture the station near them, dump all of their fleet but one, move away from the station and dismiss.

2. Do not attempt to dock captains to swap ships or articles (see 1 above).

3. Do not have captain docked with station during combat.  If you station is weak, have the captain attack any approaching fleet, or dump ships at station and move away from attackers.  Even if you win, you will probably lose control of the captain (he will show docked at station, but disappear from the captain queue and not be moveable).

4. When developing stations, use the requirements of the Level 3 ship to begin (Defense field, salloon, Station, level 1 ship, tech 1), then requirements of level 4 ship (level 2 & 3 tech), then gun batteries.  This maximizes ship production.  Playing on easy, you generally have 2-4 weeks of build time before attacked.

5. SAVE OFTEN.  When you hit a game-killer bug (using these tips, this is generally limited to a freeze when you beat a station and go to the station screen), try re-doing from a previous save using a different approach (i.e., don't just repeat the same steps - go after some new loot, hunt down another enemy captain, etc.).  Relying upon the autosave is not a good idea - this often saves the game right before the bug hits, preserving the bad arrays that lead to the hang.

6. If you hit a game killer, and restating from a prior save leads to same bug, restart the level (load any save from the level, escape, restart from menu).  Most of the time you can get past the bug by restarting; the second time thru will go quicker as you know more of the map.

7. Try to kill enemy captains around their station that are not docked before attacking station.  Often an enemy captain is waiting within one-day's movement to the station.  If you take the station and advance the day, your captain will be caught docked and the game may die (you lose the captain, the station is taken by enemy but your captain still shows docked, meaning another captain cannot attack - even though the docked captain was "killed" the ship remains docked to enemy station; if you try to attack, get swap screen with "dead" captain meaning you cannot attack or win).  This is especially important for the last station of the level (you know from the display when other team is moving at day advance stage).  If you defeat all captains before attacking last station you have a much higher chance of winning the level and not getting stuck by bug.

8. If you have the salvage ability (which gives you a certain number of salvaged Mechanist (?) ships after battle) and you get the level end message, you have to click on the accept salvage ships window that is BEHIND the level win window, close that, before you can click OK on the level win window.  If you don't, and just try to cllick the level-end message, you get nothing and think you've hit another bug.

9. If you complete a level and get dumped to the menu, don't worry - you've completed (without any notice!) a campaign.  The next campaign (of 3) should be available.  But often it is not... So go back to a recent save, finish the level again, and the next campaign will probably open up.

10. General tips - best artifact (or whatever it is called) to get is one of 2 (?) that allows you to move over asteroids.  One is called "Box of Ply" I believe, other something like antigrav.  These allow you to move over asteroids, not around them.  You sometimes have to step over each at a time (clicking the move button over and over).  These can cut game time tremendously.  If I am replaying a level because of a crash, I will save after building the Salloon and re-load until the pirate trader (center of salloon screen) gets one of these in inventory.  Inventory changes each at time you load; otherwish, inventory changes at beginning of next month.

That's pretty much what I've got.  After playing this, I decided to play the game it is stolen from, Heroes of Might and Magic 5, to see how a game engine should work.  If these guys had licensed the engine instead of trying to re-write it, they would have had a better game and made more money...

ANy other suggestions I missed?  Add 'em to help out newbies.  And I would be interested to know if ANYONE has been able to beat the game.

That's usually the second artifact I try to buy.  WHen I control different kinds of stations I like to produce the long shooters.  First I take out the enemy distance cannons, then work on their big guys.

Still have been unable to finish game.  Last level, when I try to take the 4th or 5th station it locks up.

Too bad - this game really had a lot of nice features.  The various companies involved have evidently closed shop and slunk away.  I'm surprised this board stays active - they certainly haven't bothered to post here since January, IIRC.