[bgalbrecht]

I'm at level 12. I was out of town and/or busy the last two weekends, otherwise I'd probably be up at level 15 with the rest of the leaders. I've been leveling up about once a day lately, but I haven't been adding alliances lately.

Baen Bucks: 2,099,827
Baen Bliss: 1,433,113
Population: 332,110
Food: 2,194,088
Energy: 2,197,420
Military: 642,224
Surge Pts Left this Cycle: 6/60
Total Bucks per Cycle: 4,400,035
from Assets: 414,715
from Pop.: 3,985,320
Political Adj to Asset Bucks: -15%
Bliss - Base Need: 187,701
Low-Bliss Cost: 0
Energy - Base Need: 38,705
Low-Energy Bliss Cost: 0%
Food - Base Need: 35,373
Low Food Bliss Pct Penalty: 0%
Famine Pop. Loss: 0

Ekaros, I think the trick at level 8-12 is to have several food or energy cores along with any of the cores at a higher level than you're at which you get for finishing projects. Surround the cores with leveled up textile plants to limit the population growth, and either take away a textile plant or use a population gift. At level 11, if you can't surge cores, use upgraded Kelvin's coolers for food, I think they're 10.8k for 11 surge.

If you need a population gift and you know that you can get to the website just after a cycle turn and again right before the next cycle turn, switch to your want to population right after the turn, and then back to your usual preference right before the next turn. I did that and got a bunch of population gifts (thanks, all), and it came in handy when I forgot to check for whacks and lost 20k population.