Introduction

This is a written version of a video by Montu Plays. All credit goes to them.

It is a tall empire which leverages the new features from The Machine Age DLC.

As far as I know, the only other necessary DLC for this build is Humanoids and Astral Planes.

Build

Species:
- Machine
Origin:
- Voidforged
Government:
- Democratic
Ethics:
- Egalitarian
- Militarist
- Spiritualist
Civics:
- Parliamentary System
- Sovereign Guardianship
Traits:
- Machine (you get this by choosing any machine portrait)
- Zero G Optimized (you get this by choosing the Voidforged origin)
- Adaptive Frames
- Mass-Produced
- Bulky
- High bandwidth
- Art Generator
Leader Trait:
- Charismatic
Starting Solar System:
- Void Dwellers (Sol)

Opening

Unemploy researchers in your starting habitat
Unemploy enforcers in your starting habitat
Change Diplomatic Stance to Isolationist
Change Subjugation War Terms to Benevolent Vassalage
Change First Contact Protocol to Proactive
Start an automatic trade to buy 20 minerals/month
Build 2 Industrial districts in your starting habitat
Build 1 Reactor district in your starting habitat
Send Science Ship to survey Alpha Centauri
Turn on the Veneration of Saints Edict
Turn on the Encourage Political Thought Edict
Promote your Egalitarian Faction
If you don't have an Egalitarian leader in your council, hire one and place them there
Send your Military Fleet to try and make first contact ASAP with as many empires as possible
Build a second Science Ship to scout around and try and make first contact ASAP with as many empires as possible
Build a second Construction ship to build as many Minor Orbitals on your capital system

Traditions & Ascension Perks

Prosperity
1. Standard Construction Templates
2. Everything else
3. One Vision Ascension Perk
Enmity
1. Complete the whole tradition tree
2. Consecrated Worlds Ascension Perk
Mercantile
1. Adaptive Economic Policies
2. Everything else
3. Synthetic Age Ascension Perk
Virtuality
1. Complete the whole tradition tree
2. Whatever Ascension Perk you want
Supremacy

Council Agendas

Whatever you start with
Expand The Council
Evolving Society
Give and Take

Post-opening

Build as many Temples as possible on your starting habitat
Build a second habitat on Alpha Centauri
Search for another system with the most planets possible in your vicinity in order to place your third habitat there
After starting your third habitat, turn on the Inner Focus Edict
Get Planetary Unification Technology ASAP
If you find an Archeological Site, complete it and get Celebration of Diversity or Proclaim Religious Revelation

Mid-game

After year 10, an election will come up. Make sure your current leader does not get re-elected
After completing the Emnity Tradition, change Diplomatic Stance to Antagonistic
Build an Autocothon Monument on your second habitat
Build 1 Habitation District on your second habitat
Upon making first contact with other empires, trade alloys for their communications
After trading communications with an empire, declare them your rival
- UNLESS they are your neighbor. In that case, improve relations and try to form a non-aggression pact in order to prevent them from attacking you
After getting the Consecrated Worlds Ascension Perk, consecrate any habitable planets you find
- If you don't have habitable planets, consecrate non-habitable ones
After meeting another empire, reform your government into an Oligarchy
- BEFORE SWITCHING un-employ all politicians on all your habitats
- Get the Exalted Priesthood Ethic
- Re-employ all politicians after switching
Use your extra council slot you got from the Evolving Society Agenda to place an Archpriest in your Council
- Your council should have as many Governors as possible
Change Resettlement policy to Allowed
- Make sure your Egalitarian Faction stays over 80% approval after this
Resettle worker class pops towards your new habitats
If necessary, start an automatic trade to sell 10 alloys/month
- Slight loss in consumer goods is ok
After getting Adaptive Economic Policies Tradition, Change Trade Policy to Consumer Benefits
Build Zero-G Districts on Alpha Centauri
- Un-employ all researchers on Alpha Centauri
Build as many Temples as possible on your second habitat
- Switch its specialization to Ecclesiastical Station
Build as many Temples as possible on your third habitat
- Switch its specialization to Ecclesiastical Station
If necessary, start an automatic trade to buy more minerals/month in order to build more districts
Employ a Governor with the Unifier Trait on your capital

Post mid-game

Your second habitat should focus on research, build as many Zero-G districts as possible, but don't employ any pops on research
Your third habitat should focus on alloys, build as many industrial districts as possible, but don't employ any pops on them
After getting the Synthetic Age Ascension Perk, your transformation will begin
- Select the Real Time Approach
- The idea is to save up unity until you adopt Virtuality and then unlock the whole tree at once
- Embrace the virtual world when prompted to choose A New Form
After adopting the whole Virtuality Tradition, change Virtual Economy Focus to Research
After ascending, Restore Jobs on all your habitats
- You may need to click it a couple of times
After the month ends, you should be getting a large amount of all resources
Switch your alloy habitat to be a Foundry World
Switch your research habitat to be a Research Station
Switch all your Reactor Districts in your capital into Astro-Mining Districts
Replace all your Temples in your capital for Research labs
Build Major and Minor Orbitals everywhere you can
As soon as you can, build an Arc-Furnace on your capital system
- Mercury is a great place to do this

End-game

Build a massive fleet
Vassalize everyone