I remember playing this as a kid. It was always Psilons for tech dominance, or Klackon for overwhelming population.

I think I was on a Macintosh Classic II. I miss the 90’s.

Meklons were fun for the added production boost. Felt like playing with the Borg. My experience is from playing more MOO2 than MOO1, though. Playing with a custom race was also fun.

The cat-people are the hardest. They have no significant racial traits.

darlocks can be fun tho, you can win without having any fleet.

just spy, sabotage missile bases to 0 and then send troops.

Their ships still shoot down your troops. Then you get bombed into nonexistence. Trying to take a planet without a fleet there won't end very well.

Get Transports Teleporters, and your troops have a 50% change to bypass the ships in orbit. If its late game, the planet you take should have high population and production, so it can build a bunch of missile bases on the turn after you take the planet.