first of all I am a rank 100 human miner and here's my production per hour (all 26 planets colonized, have a really sucky one for a green badge, but the assimilation locus was worth it )
research:554
mining:698
artifact:353
this is my research tree

Ship Size: cruiser, 260 decks
modules for leveling build:
Weapons: 2x heavy graviton shearer, prototype mech, pisonic amplifier
Defenses: harmonic resonator, Q-Phase Battery Array, Thrust Stabilizer
Hull:2x Whipple Plating
Energy:Omicron Injector, 4x Genetarr Transmitter mark II, Drannik Power Core, 3x Singularity Core - Mark IV, 4x X Conduits
Devices: AI Super Computer, Bio-Signature Scrambler, Gamma Channeler, Stryll Transponder
Modules for attack build:
Weapons:6x Heavy Graviton Shearer, Heavy Plasma Cannon, Prototype Mech, Pisonic Amplifier
Defenses: Harmonic Resonator, Q-Phase Battery Array, Thrust Stabilizer, Hull Polarizer
Hull:2x Whipple Plating
Energy: Omicron Injector, 4x X Conduits
Devices: AI Super Computer, Bio-Signature Scrambler, Gamma Channeler, Stryll Transponder, Exo-Temporal Translator
Upkeep, 2mil (very cheap! )
And here are my ship stats

Now how should I improve?
Edit: also here are my shitty stats on ranking configuration
Size Class: Cruiser
Space: 260 / 260
Attack: 358
Defense: 171
Scan: 246
Cloak: 45
Cargo: 176 / 325
Upkeep: 2M
Human: Xp +10%
Miner: Mining +10%
Energy: 589
Hull: 210
Shield: 50

And attack config:
Size Class: Cruiser
Space: 260 / 260
Attack: 818
Defense: 171
Scan: 51
Cloak: 45
Cargo: 176 / 325
Upkeep: 2M
Human: Xp +10%
Miner: Mining +10%
Energy: 90
Hull: 210
Shield: 50

Holy hell .... Dude what is your best planet?

either this one

or this one

I have to be honest you.

You are doing very bad.

If i were you , try and get some Galaxy Points and abandon any planet thats under "Very Abundant " and any planet that is "Very Small" and below

Research HULL.
When i was your rank i have 1000 hull

Then Research STRUCTURES
I got Deep Extraction at Rank 50

Then Research SCANNERS
Get Wideband Scanners, Then Multiwave Sensors and then subspace sensors. Do a planet scanning spree and find some planets

Then Research DEFENCE
Get At least inertail Dampeners

My production was 3 times higher than yours at your rank.

Look at this Dude, he is around your rank, This guy is doing fairly well for his rank.

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=8539

(He does spend money)

yeah, GOOD LUCK PAYING YOUR UPKEEP!!!!!!!!!!!
Also, I and my parents don't let me spend money on games.

your rank 100, You have 1 Billion Cr, you should have no upkeep problems

This is mine

I don't spend money on this game either, but you can improve ALOT.

If you want, i can help by sending random artifacts and CR to you

how did you manage 6 scan???

Ah. 6 Scan, i have 8 cannons on , i dont need cloak, fighting NPC all the time, dont have enough decks for everything, i fugured i needed max firepower rather than scan and cloak. 6 scan comes from AI supercomputer and +1 scan as default.

And im avoiding the RSL Tech collectors

aah, well I keep scanning on, helps me find better battle tab opponents and some of the cloaked rare npcs.

Lol Kalos

Anyways destroyer43, dont worry too much about upkeep, they only become problematic at around rank 300, for some people a little earlier, if you happen to have Economic problems, i can give some CR and sure Kaos will help too

But anyways, Research defence, structures, scanners and hull, those are the ones that need most improving.

I don't mind the tech collectors, everyone was begging for an npc that drops tech parts, and I'm sure dan knew they'd go after it like hyenas to a carcass, so he made it as crappy as he reasonably could. now all anyone does is complain about how horrible it is, just goes to show how ungrateful people are and that they want to be beggars AND choosers.

WOW, ya you are doing bad. You need to improve literally everything. To get the ball rolling go on a massive scanning spree. Get yourself some good planets to get your production up. Then get yourself combat ready and get some kills. After that at least get enough hacks for the quad frames.

agreed. You need to improve everything. Go for scanners first, then structures. Move on from there. Honestly. I know rank 40s with Shearers...

Wth? his weapons dont need improving.. everything else he has is a disaster. Like i say, Structures, Scanners, hull and def.

My reaction when i saw this :

if you can, switch to vygoid, it'll give you 20% to research production, and if you want more artifacts choose the excavator profession.

Really? You use Graviton Shearers at rank 100?

Weapons are just a tool. They're not that usefull, i know rank 700s who still use Null Rays and they can Vaporise people 500 ranks above them.

Considering how bad his tech is for other areas, weapons should be the last thing he shoudl research.
I had singularity cannons at rank 100. And i still have them at rank 200

As far as im concerned, he doesn't have a laughable combat reputation, he needs to improve production, quickly. If those two are his best planets, he seriously needs help.

Sing cannons aren't that bad though. Shearers at 100 seems worse than Sing Launchers at 200...
Dunno why.

looks like i need to start pulling my finger out with my research