Just a few more additions - 
planet EXPL orders; It takes about 100-120 orders to use up a planet. To check your planet use an ORB order Build these type of ships, park them at a planet and forget about them except to unload them. Are they useful, sometimes. I have "found" several Transwarp Drives over the years. Then there is the odd higher level JSS that is always a bonus. Unfortunately there seems to be an abundance of primitive artwork that also gets picked up and MDD's that can't be used.
Scrapping ships - You can only scrap them once they have been built and assigned to a fleet. Initial pathfinders have to finish being built to be scrapped.
NUD - You can design and build in the same turn, no need to wait
Encountering others - Most HW's are from 6 - 9 hops apart. Moving quickly it will still take time to get into range to be able to find somebody else and then only if they too are out looking.
You are most likely run into death machines. So far the designs are all the same and the go something like this as if pealing an onion;
System beacon
Mine Layers
a few CL's
More CL's with a CA
BB with CA's and some CL's
Orbital mining platform 1.2B tons, lots of BB's and Monitors as well
DMX forces move, but slowly.
Good Luck1
planet EXPL orders; It takes about 100-120 orders to use up a planet. To check your planet use an ORB order Build these type of ships, park them at a planet and forget about them except to unload them. Are they useful, sometimes. I have "found" several Transwarp Drives over the years. Then there is the odd higher level JSS that is always a bonus. Unfortunately there seems to be an abundance of primitive artwork that also gets picked up and MDD's that can't be used.
Scrapping ships - You can only scrap them once they have been built and assigned to a fleet. Initial pathfinders have to finish being built to be scrapped.
NUD - You can design and build in the same turn, no need to wait
Encountering others - Most HW's are from 6 - 9 hops apart. Moving quickly it will still take time to get into range to be able to find somebody else and then only if they too are out looking.
You are most likely run into death machines. So far the designs are all the same and the go something like this as if pealing an onion;
System beacon
Mine Layers
a few CL's
More CL's with a CA
BB with CA's and some CL's
Orbital mining platform 1.2B tons, lots of BB's and Monitors as well
DMX forces move, but slowly.
Good Luck1