I remember around 2003, making huge battleships in that game and squaring up against the AI's armada. The AI made about 500 tiny ships with weapons incapable of breaching my shields, and with their own shields incapable of surviving my dreadnought blasts. I would kill 5 with my big ships, take no damage from 495 shots, rinse and repeat. The battles took hours! I had to skip tactical battles, couldn't stand that much time, just had the AI simulate it.