Tips for Picking a Universe

How can you give yourself the best chance to enjoy OGame? Simply put, get a good start. A good start begins with your choice of a Universe. This decision can make or break OGame for you. Pick one that matches your play style and goals, and you may be happily playing years from now. Choose one that clashes with your play style or requires more or less time commitment than you want to give, and you'll may burn out fast.

So don't just jump into the newest one or whatever Gameforge recommends. Pick carefully. What can help you decide? First, think about how you want to play. Then, survey the options. And finally, pick the one that matches best with you. Like anything in OGame, the player who plans does better than the player who doesn't.

Know what you are looking for

 * Are you a new player? New universes are brutal in their first few months. If this is your first time playing, better to start in one at least a few months old to avoid that period. Or in an old and stable universe that is still active, where experienced players can help you.
 * How much time can you dedicate to playing? OGame is a beautiful game in that it can be played as much or little as you like. If you choose the right universe, that is. If you can only play a few minutes at a time a few times a day, or less, then look for a universe with slow fleet speeds and no "defense to debris". Pick a faster fleet speed, and you'll have to be online more. Pick a universe with defense that goes into debris, and building a defense to defend production is basically useless. Of course, no matter how much you play, you had better learn to fleetsave, and fast. (Arguably the single most important skill in Ogame). Have more time to play? Can be online more often? Then feel more comfortable with a faster fleet speed.
 * Do you want to rise through the ranks quickly? Do you want to reach the top of the leaderboards? If so, choose a younger universe. Mostly likely a new one or one that is only a few months old. These give you your best chance of reaching the top. But they come with many perils. And be prepared. Many players spend a lot on Dark matter to reach the top. Unless you plan to be smarter than all of them or invest as much, you might want to choose a different goal. What if reaching the top isn't as a big a goal for you? You may be better served in an older universe, as long as it is active. You'll probably get help from established players, be more likely to grow in peace, and have plenty of inactives to raid.
 * How long do you want to play? Consider the long term. Do you want to play a few months? Or many months? Or you in this for the long term? Players with supreme patience and long term planning skills might be happy with slower economy universes. (And slower research speed). True, everything will take longer. But you'll have a better chance of catching the players above you, provided you stick at it over time. Of course, older universes may die out or get merged faster. So that is a consideration too. Want or need to grow fast? Don't plan to play long? (We hope you change your mind). In either case, pick a fast economy. You'll progress way faster and not get so impatient.
 * Want to be playing years from now? The oldest universe is probably still very active, and will continue as such even after newer universes die off. Or they'll get merged into it after a dead period. So maybe skip the dead period and just start there to begin with. You'll never likely reach the top. It may be as if the leaderboard is etched in stone. But being in an active universe is always the best. And the oldest one will have the best chance of staying that way the longest. It most communities this old universe is called "Universe 1", but maybe not in all.
 * Want to be a fleeter in time? It's harder than ever now with mobile devices in play and other factors. So pick a good start. You likely want a universe with fast fleet speeds and defense that goes into debris field. Look for lower deuterium consumption and higher debris field percentages. And probably, you should start as a Miner first to build a good economic foundation.
 * Have friends that are playing? Then make sure you pick the same universe as them. Enough said.

Check out the options
Now, knowing what you want, more or less, check out the options.


 * Learn the stats. When you survey the universe list, you can see the age. Take note of it. The oldest and the youngest universes usually are the most active. Those in between, not so much. You may also see these labels Gameforge put on, such as "Military", "Economic", "Balanced", etc. Don't think those tell the story. They don't, not at all. Instead head over to the Forums (Boards) that are linked from the OGame lobby. You'll find a section for each universe. Open it and you'll find all the settings listed at the top. What is the fleet speed, the economic speed, the research speed? What size is this universe? How many galaxies does it have? What percent of wrecked ships goes into debris fields? what is the deuterium consumption? Does this universe have any special settings? (Such as no marketplace, or a lower new player protection limit).
 * Learn the activity. An empty universe is no fun. A site such as mmorpg-stat.eu can be used to look up how many active and total players there are for each universe. Keep in mind that activity will always keep dropping over time unless the universe is very new. The exception is the very oldest universes that have determined players and get infusions of new players through mergers. Another number to look at is inactives. Lots of inactives? It will make for good farming.
 * Learn the climate. What alliances does this server have? How receptive are the players to new players on the universe? Is the server active with fleetcrashes or mainly miners? In the forum (boards) for the server you can learn a lot about the players and alliances that populate it. You might even find offers to help new players with resources and growth.

What if you can't find a universe that has the settings you want that is also active and has the right climate for you? It doesn't hurt to check out the other communities. If you are looking on ogame.org, check out the ogame.us community. (And vice versa). Both are English speaking communities, although ogame.us is less active than ogame.org. Perhaps the other will have the server you seek.

You can also have a look at the other language communities, if you don't mind using Google Translate to communicate with others or if you speak one of those languages. Ogame.de and ogame.fr are the most active communities, more active than the English speaking ones. (Disclaimer: Technically you required in theory to know the language of the community so proceed at your own risk)

Disclaimer
These tips are personal opinion and may not work best for everyone. Even if you plan carefully, you may end up in a universe that dies out or is hostile to you. So part of the planning process is planning which of these tips you'll follow. At the end of the day, you have to make your own decisions in OGame and in choosing a universe.