On StarNet AI and difficulty: I find that StarNet AI Ensign difficulty is enjoyable; you have to rush alloys, tech and warships, you will have early wars and invasions, but you can compete with StarNet and survive, with some room for mistake/RP/imperfection. On Commodore, StarNet will usually outperform your early game alloys even though you min-max and play your best, it will nonetheless invade you hard so you need to be good/lucky in wars, and/or federate early to survive.

Tactics/strategy to survive early-game StarNet AI: If playing StarNet; your neighbours will attack you, so prepare defenses quickly. Build starbases at choke points (hangars on every starbase ASAP), don't be too greedy early-game (do not expand too fast; it will be harder to defend a wide empire), make alloys production an early game priority, and invest in your navy as much as you can afford. If possible, rush Destroyers and Carrier Operations (unlock hangars). Fight the major battles in your own systems/chokepoints with good starbases. Position your fleet behind starbase when opponent arrive, so starbase gets locked in for the first attacks, then you attack with your fleet. Use the trade-action Neutral Zone/De-militarized zone (from AlphaAsh's superb mod), to make a friend/ally/federation at one flank, so you can focus on the other enemies.

On Planets/specialization: With this mod lis, I aim for about 8-10 planets/habitats that are improved nicely, and try to specialize them towards: 1 Agri/Food, 1-2 Minerals, 1-2 Alloys/Foundry, 1-2 Manufacturing/Consumer Products, 1 Energy, 1 Research, and 1 Unity, with Capital being All-round (mostly Research and Unity, but when using "Local Production" mod, I try to balance it with a little of everything to get the bonuses, and when seeing how the other planets produce and what is needed in my empire, I let the Capital make some more Alloys/Energy/Food/Minerals/Consumer Products on demand). In the Capital, I want to unlock all 36 building slots, and build all the best/coolest buildings (use SkyIslands and Subterranean Cities and other traditions/decisions to add more districts/building slots) . When I can afford it, I add habitats/planets with fortress at choke points, so enemies have to invade those fortress worlds to get further into the empire. Expansion and Discovery from Vanilla are good early game traditions, and the two mod-added Industry-traditions work well with Prosperity to ensure a healthy economy (make sure to use the Industry-added Planetary Decisions to further specialize your planets). Build the Consortium buildings (from AlphaAsh's mod) for Food, Minerals, Alloys, Energy and Consumer Goods to further specialize. I also love the Navy tradition for specializing my fleets, it works nicely with the Signature Weapons mod.

Please; share your strategy and tactics advice, views, hints or comments below?