Banking:
----------

-This is a good role to play as a beginner. You will learn basics of economy and learn the game at your rhythm.

-There 2 main types of bankers; the ones building cash factories (CF bankers) and the ones building population with Living Quarters (also known as pop bankers or poppers).

-As a cf banker you will start the round building CF only (and lasers for defenses of course) for few days. Tax Offices produce no cash on their own but they boost the total income you produce by a percentage equal to 2 times the total tax office percentage. For example you own 1000 buildings consisting of 750 cash factories and 250 tax offices therefore you own 25% tax offices and your total income is boosted by 50%, in other words the 750 cash factories produce the same cash as 1125 cash factories.

-When you explore since you are likely to have no speed bonus you can prepare your travel time for your next waves of exploration by taking spread around your Home System so on your next wave you can have many 0-1 tickers. Never expo in a system alone (except at start and very close from HS) or with players from fams u have no agreement with (see relation page).

-When it's your turn to explore (according to family plan) explore 8 eships or whatever amount of eships you happen to have in stock and builds the planets with CF using the fam bank. Expo cost will grow and is dependent on the amount of planets you currently own, so above 20 planets it

Races to bank:
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Revalons:

-The biggest income in the game 60%

-Their science is ok (30%) but a custom (race you made yourself) will have 20% more. That means you will have to spend more cash to have the same research points.

-They have -10% magic which is not bad compared to a custom race to defend better against enemy wizard oppers (magic applies for defense).

-The 10% pop growth makes them a decent popper. Note that the pop growth is 5% so ten % of that will make a pop growth of 5.5(not a lot but you won't have to pay for it which is not the case for a

custom race)

-They don't have all the useful info ops to prepare war and to help during wars. They don't have Space Amazement (SA) that reduces your expo cost by 40% (and it costs a lot when you have 300-400 plts).

-They can be useful for destroy cash and nuke (I don't like this op but they have it so u can use it wisely). They also have hypno but as a CF banker you won't have enough wizards to op an enemy but you can help when your popper is jumping to kill his pop (for empire size cost) or eventually to kill your food resourcer pop in order he spends less on his pop.

-Destroy iron can be very useful when you surprise attack a family that has saves or during a war if you notice an enemy resourcer didn't log for days and you don't want he sends a crazy amount of iron when he logs on.

-If you are popper I would advise to be very careful when you cast spells because failing one will kill 5% your wizard and your pop may become an easier target.

Partaxian:

-Their income % and science are low (30%)

2 reasons to play them as banker:

-During wars when you are jumped high on wizards you can pay your upkeep yourself without having to be stressed for upkeep.

-With your wizards and 70%magic you will be very well protected against other spell casters.

-Some people use it to pop bank for the security, if you are banker see yourself more as a free wizard opper than as a real cash producer.

-They are the best spell casters but be careful your planet count and NW may be a problem when opping smaller players.

Quantam:
--------

-Their income is low (30%) but their science is so high (70%) that it can be easily compensated, but at start when you have no science they will produce much less than a Revalons.

-They are the best oppers and even have some useful spells that they can use without needing too many wizards.

-They have a little bit of speed that will be noticable on long travels only. They also have droids and can be very useful for retakes.

-They are a decent CF banker race and a big plus for the fam.

Custom races:
------------

-Nothing under 50% income and preferably 50% science as well.

-Magic can be set accordingly. magic also count for defense but if a jumped partaxian really wants to OH you he will succeed. Having low or no magic penalty will protect you a bit better and make your space amazement easier to cast and cheaper.

-OPS: The ops to have in the order of importance are SA, PI, Infil, IP, DU, Sab, SOT, nuke

Sometimes I see players with tons of ops and when you contact them for the op they are never online. I would advise active players to go for many ops and less active one to take less and put their points in magic or speed.

Population growth: -30%
Income: 50%
Research: 50%
Attack: -30%
   
Spells
Space Amazement
Operations
Infiltrate
Sabotage Portal
Planetary Infrastructure
Specials
Tax Office

------------

Population growth: -30%
Income: 50%
Research: 50%
Attack: -30%
Magic: -20%
   
Spells
Space Amazement
Operations
Spy on Target
Infiltrate
Destroy Units
Sabotage Portal
Investigate Portal
Planetary Infrastructure
Destroy Cash
Specials
Tax Office

Resourcing:
------------

Now you've played a round as CF banker it's time to try a new role which is resourcer

-Basically it's the same strat as CF banker, you just build resource buildings instead of CFs and you research resource% instead of eco%.

-You start with resources buildings only, OB 50 or 100% with resources building again, then you add RCs and work your cons%. After a jump it's the same, you work on your resource% then when it's decent you work on your cons% again to reach 40-50% to prepare your next jump.

-If you have many resourcers in the fam you can stay all round with 15-25% of your building as RCs. If it happens that you have only 2 or less resourcers in the family then each planet must produce the max amount of resources possible. That means all spaces should be for resource building. At start you will have RCs but i would advise you to raze them for your jump to 300% and to put only resource buildings on your planet and ask fam bank to fund your science. It shouldn't be a problem since if there are very few resourcers it will most likely means you have lot of bankers. This is

for rounds with around 12 fam members.

-You will likely be building your planets to 1000% or even more.

-Usually you have 1 or 2 resourcers making food (no more since you will also be feeding your own pop and fleet so better concentrate this loss on as few resourcer as possible). bankers love food producers especially if you send them the food personally instead of sending to the bank. (ask them to put in forum or send you their needs and reserves. Never send your food to fam bank if it's a jumped attacker holding it (you don't want millions to be wasted feeding his fleet).

Cash:
------

-This is the main thing you will be wanting all round. Cash to build your eships, cash to build your infra, cash for upkeep.

-A bad resourcer logs on, sell his resources at low price to other fams through the market and builds himself.

-It's only acceptable to build your 6 eships a day since it is a priority of priorities if no one happens to be online to send you cash for it.

Upkeep:
-------
If you don't pay your upkeep (have money to pay what you lose each tick, net income in "council" page) you will lose 1% of your fleet. You do not always have to pay for upkeep. At start you often have much more buildings than fleet, so it's much cheaper to rebuild daily units lost than to pay upkeep. After a war your family will need to do an infra period, it's good time to stop paying upkeep to save some cash for infra. (since under 100 fleet u don't lose units a trick is to station your most expensive fleet by 99 on some very safe planets).

When you have to pay upkeep, put in forum your net loss and fam bank will look after it if they know you are active. comparing to a bankers starvation, it's less of a problem to disband, also resourcers must starve, sending them food would be a waste.

Defending:
-----------

It's the same that for bankers, lasering, portalling, doing anti-raid planet. If you are active you don't really need to be wizzard heavy as long as you send your iron often to someone having big wizard defenses. You could be attacked on your food production but it rarely happen. You are less likely to be targeted by raids since enemy attackers often focus to cut cash income rather than resources income. Just try not to be a too easy of a target.

you must be very weary of nukes since a wise nuker will nuke a resourcer instead of a banker since he has more chances to hit his buildings so a decent agent count is nessesary.

Races:
--------

Partaxian:

-30% science isn't very high so you will need more RCs or fund more to reach the same level as a custom or Quantam.

-Your spells will be the best in the game and op defenses as well. They do good iron and food producers for the safety part.

-They have no speed and no droids so they are not good retakers, but there are always easy retakes to do. Just notice wich attacker never stations and razes lasers and focus on him.

Quantam:

-The best resourcer ever with their 70% science.

-They have little speed that is useful for long travels and droids for retakes.

-It's the best opper in the game, before and during war.

Big advantage for Pax and Quantam is that they can change role during round (preferably the earlier as possible in the round) changing from cash incomer to resourcer or the contrary according to fam needs.

Custom races:
------------

ALWAYS go for 50% science, 100% speed, -30% pop groth, -30% income.

After according to your style play, wishes, and in order to be complementary with other fam members, chose if you take magic + spells or agent ops, or both, or attack and droids. You will have lot of points to distribute so make the race that fits you.

Population growth: -30%
Income: -30%
Research: 50%
Attack: -10%
Magic: 50%
Speed: 100%
   
Spells
Vision
Hypnotize
No Fear
Electric Storms
Create Portal Force Field
Find Target Planets
Space Amazement
Destroy Iron
Operations
Infiltrate
Planetary Infrastructure
Specials
Droid

-----------------------

Population growth: -30%
Income: -30%
Research: 50%
Attack: 50%
Magic: -10%
Speed: 100%
   
Spells
No Fear
Space Amazement
Operations
Spy on Target
Infiltrate
Place Nukes
Destroy Units
Sabotage Portal
Investigate Portal
Planetary Infrastructure
Destroy Cash
Specials
Droid

-----------------------

Population growth: -30%
Income: -30%
Research: 50%
Attack: -30%
Magic: 50%
Speed: 100%
   
Spells
Vision
Hypnotize
No Fear
Reduce Food Production
Electric Storms
Create Portal Force Field
Find Target Planets
Space Amazement
Destroy Iron
Sense Defense Station
Operations
Spy on Target
Infiltrate
Place Nukes
Destroy Units
Sabotage Portal
Investigate Portal
Planetary Infrastructure
Destroy Cash
Specials

NOTE: Bankers and resourcers pass morale planets (the ones with a blue cross) to active attackers once they discover one.

Races to Attack:
----------

Camaar:

-The fastest in the game(200% speed), it's a good race for any type of attacker but you better have an active fam to give you the infos (they don't even have PI, good race to hit a laser trap at 4am).
-If you  are not uberactive don't take this race. Their science is very bad. If your play style is to have lot of planets, just put tons of RCs everywhere. If your play style is too have low planet count you will need to be funded for your military in order for it to not drop too much once you are jumped.

Wardancers:

-They are excellent for secondary attackers with their 70% attack. Their speed (40%) may be a problem, especially to help on raids, and they have some important ops missing.

Custom Races:

-Always go for 100% speed, 50% attack, 50% research and have No Fear, SA, PI, IP, Infil and DU

-If you are secondary attacker you can add some ops and maybe some spells. If you are main add some magic to defend better against CPFF

Population growth: -30%
Income: -30%
Research: 50%
Attack: 50%
Speed: 100%
   
Spells
No Fear
Space Amazement
Operations
Infiltrate
Place Nukes
Destroy Units
Investigate Portal
Planetary Infrastructure
Destroy Cash
Specials
Droid

-------------

Population growth: -30%
Income: -30%
Research: 50%
Attack: 50%
Magic: -10%
Speed: 100%
   
Spells
No Fear
Space Amazement
Operations
Spy on Target
Infiltrate
Place Nukes
Destroy Units
Sabotage Portal
Investigate Portal
Planetary Infrastructure
Destroy Cash
Specials
Droid

Adapt these strategies to your preferences and experiences. Some players do different things, there is not only one way to play IC. I hope it will help you as  a new player.

Thanks to Remo for motivating me doing it and to Parrot for correcting it

This is a very well put together and comprehensive guide.

Well written!
And with a good balance of hints and tips on the one hand and tactical background on the other without pressing the player in one playing-scheme.

very good one my friend nice job!

A way to pop bank, some use different strategy:

Race to chose:
-Revalons are good with 60% income but they only have 30% science and no space amazement. They only have -10 magic penalty and 10% pop growth that can help

-Partaxian are safe since they have 70% magic and your large amount of wizards will be used for other thing that defense. They only have 30% income and 30% science, which make them safe bad incomers...

-Quantam have 70% science, since you will have to work on eco%, cons% and welfare% that can be very useful. They only have 30% income but that can be compensated in big part by high science. They also have 25% pop growth which is usefull for faster growth, lot of useful ops and droids for better defense

-Custom can give you a good mix. Try not to make a race weaker that predetermined races, as I see often. You can't have all in custom, for sure go 50% income and space amazement, then make your mix between science, pop growth, and ops. You are nearly obliged to have -30% magic because you have no point left to make your race.

Exemple of race that you can take, some prefer less science and more pop growth for a faster start (they will use a different start that I will tell you)
Population growth: 10%
Income: 50%
Research: 50%
Attack: -30%
Magic: -30%
   
Spells
Space Amazement
Operations
Planetary Infrastructure
Specials
Tax Office

-------

Step1:
Start with CFs only, expo first, receive prebuilt planets first.
You will have 25-30 planets when some others will still have 1 planet. So you better be very active on sending aid because 75% of your fam income will be you.
Now you will stockpile 24 eships and let you population grow.
Try to never let your population stop growing. LQs take 8 ticks to build so try to build them in order they arrive just in time. Too late you would slow your growth, too early you would use some resources that could have been used somewhere else in you family.
If your planets has 10k max pop do the math 10000 divided by 600 (pop for 1 LQ). It gives 16.6666. Build 17 LQs. You have choice to raze 17 CFs in order not to have some overbuilding cost or OB over CFs until 10-15-20-30% then replace. That has the advantage not to keep ur income higher but that costs a bit more.
Now you max pop on this planet will be 20k so next time you add or replace you will have to build 34 LQs.
At start a gc is a gc so take the time needed to calculate what you must build planet by planet.

Step2:
Your CF bankers during the time you were stockpiling eships started to have decent income, that should make enough cash to send your eships.
Build research centers on them and set your science 100% economy. That will save iron for your CF bankers to OB 100%. Plus that will prepare your step 3.
If you receive empty planets build RCs on, if they are prebuilt ask RCs if it's close to day1 of step 2, maybe CFs if it's close to step 3.
Stockpile 24 eships. During this time bring your old planets to 100% full LQs. Your pop growing multiplied with eco% will start to give you decent income and catch up on CF guys 100% OB.
Replace RCs with LQs same as step 1.

Step 3
you have like 60-70 planets, 25-30% eco. Your income is decent, let's multiply it again without adding pop.
Expo 24 or 32, build TOs, receive planets, ask them empty to put TOs on.
If you did it well by the time they come in, your RCs will be all replaced by LQs.
You will have to start funding your science. Put back your eco at a good level since it dropped a bit, then work on cons%, that will make your plts step 2 cheaper to OB 100% with LQs (your empire size starts to be high with all this pop, so buildings cost a lot).

Step 4
Take the more planets that you can to reach 250 planets
Put TOs on, OB step 3 plts 100% LQs
Try to have 50% eco, then prepare 35-40% cons%. Have your familly to save 3-4 days iron income for your jump.
If your family needs iron elsewhere, you have another way to increase your pop without using iron: work on welfare. the first 20% will be easy to reach for a good payback. Above you will have to seriously invest on it. That will make your pop grow, so your NW will also do. As a consequenece your eco and cons% will go down. You will have to fund them again. Importance of good science in the race you have chosen.

Step 5
Jump 300%
You calculate the price of it multiplying the price of buildings on 100% planets by 2 and the number of buildings you want to add. Remove like 30% to total amount. That will give you an idea of what is needed.
When the saves are ready, raze all your ground, all your wizards (keep some if you want to be safe), keep good amount of agents (you don't want to be nuked).
Have your population hypnoed by your pax or a revalons 3-4 times (according to your saves).
Your NW will go down a lot, that means that your empire size cost will go down as well (100k nw=10% empire size cost) and your cons will grow
Build LQs first (they are more expensive), then finish with TOs.
TO rate after jump can be 30 to 50% according to what you plan and according to food prices in market.
Having 30% TO means that you will have to add less LQs next jump so it will be cheaper, but you will use much more food.
Rebuild fleet with good cons%.

Step 6
Let your pop come, that will kill your science, so work on it.
Put back asap your eco and welfare at 50% at least. Fund 25% your income, or better if your family is rich have it funded like 300m gc for a fast payback of your jump.
Let other bankers catch some planets, some may be fed up that all goes to you. let them go to 350 planets, grab some planets if attackers are moaning that it takes too long time to pass, expo when you have 32. Map should be soon full. U dont need to go above 300-350 plts.
Realize that with 10m+ NW, buildings cost 1000 times more than at start and it will take ages to reach pop size, so better leave the planets to CF bankers with only 2-4m NW, that will payback faster for your family.

Step 7
Jump between 500 and 700% according to saves that your fam prepared.
You prepare it and do it the same way you did the first one.
Have TO rate between 40 and 50%.
Work on eco and welfare
Don't take anymore planet
Wait for end of round
You won (if you didn't blame your attackers wink)

---

Defenses:
You will be the guy to kill in the family, so have the ground and op defenses that fit.
Read ennemies infils and build ground that they can't take more than 5 planets at the same time, if you don't have the infils in the forum ask the fleet of your main attacker and adapt.
Some will try to nuke you, they have 2 chances over 9 to hit your buildings so keep a good amount. If they pass 1 or 2 the odds are for you, if they pass 7 the odds are for them...Do the same that for ground to know what you need.
You will probably lose your pop 1-2 times in the round, above you will be called noob!
Have a high amount all round, 1-2-3 estorms on you won't hurt, 10 will kill your income 2 days, more...

Don't kill your income having too much defenses, don't ruin your fam saves having too low defenses...
6 millions units is safe but it costs 144m gc upkeep and food a day...

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Activity

Lot of famous attackers go banking to relax, they pass from 16 hours a day to 30mn each 2 days...it's definitely not the good role for them.

You need to have lot of activity, because your fam invests a lot on you and need to receive cash back asap and as often as possible.
Plus you must be aware of what happens in the galaxy in order not to expo stupid places (since you will be target 1), have the fleet that feets to your relations and to react asap if you are attacked and opped.
You need activity to build your LQs in time, calculate what you need to build instead of just mass building without preparing anything.

----

Some players don't start with CF and go pop straight away, it's another way to play it.