Get land - the more land you have, the more production you can have --> the bigger you can get. Exploring is a lot easier than attacking. At low acreage levels, especially when the new round starts, exploring will be a much more effective way to gain land than attacking.

Have a lot of defense - people will want to attack you, especially if you have a lot of land. It will get frustrating to be constantly attacked. Make sure you can get more land every day than you lose.

Specialize - don't make a lot of different buildings - specialize in something, buy technology to make that stuff more efficient and then use the market to get everything else you don't make. (or if you make goods, use the market to sell them so you have cash to buy stuff). The more you produce on your land, the more defense you can have and the harder it will be to attack you

If you are in a server with teams, join a team - you will have more protection for your country and probably more fun with some human interaction

and don't send ally offers to half of server (if at primary or express), some1 might be happy to get free spyop and farm you and then accept pact so you can't retal attacker.

HOWEVER, that brings up a very good point

Defense allies are ESSENTIAL. They can up to double (if they have enough defense) your defense at almost no cost.

That does bring up a good point, in which you shouldnt be able to do. It just ruins it for people who think they are getting a good ally and they farm you and then accept... isnt there something being added where if you attack someone you cant pact them for a certain time?

it was sorta suggested (no gameadmin reply on that thead) but should be added.

each def (and off) ally gives 20% of his/her/its army to ally (unless that's been changed).

Not that the exact numbers matter to someone just getting a feel for the game, but defense allies contribute 25% of their military at home up to doubling your defense at a maximum.