Re: invisible boosts
Some of the early game fleets I fought were insanely durable. Combined with the cowardly AI, fights are slow, and PPT is a real problem.
I guess I should use Wolfpack Tactics and buy a bunch of small ships, but it is getting almost late for that for me, as I am starting to get big ships. Currently, my fleet is unskilled, but most of the skills I see are underwhelming, or useful only early when my fleet is small, but I do not want to waste Skill or Story Points for an early-game advantage that will disappear (like getting colony skills instead of waiting for alpha core farming in last release.) Even the new Loadout Design (which appears to be one of the best skills) needs Story Points, and I do not have enough of them now.
Speaking of colony skills, those are the skills that interest me most (because I want my empire!) I am disappointed that Leadership's colony skills are after the permanent officer skills. Thus, I wrote them off because I do not want to lock my skills into officers. (I might need them eventually, but I do not want to lock my points in case I want Technology and Combat/Industry instead.) Then again, with that infinite skill bug posted a page or so back, I might exploit that!
P.S. I wish Story Points were called Action Points because I cannot write SP abbreviation when we have both Skill Points and Story Points, but SP for Skill Points and AP for Action Points would work. Guess I could use SkP or KP for skills and StP or TP for stories.