trying to keep the peace

thanks to all the tips ive gotten id like to direct some to you... first build up a really good economy by trading your techs for XX/1000 years or something like it... and then just bribe people out of war

You have to build a few ships for defense (a deterrant). This will slow the rate at which opponents view you as easy prey.
Trade with some big guns, preferably good neighbours. Evil civs will want to get you if you are weak anyway.
Exchange your techs with the ai in either tech for money and use that money (gifts) to raise relations/pay bribes or (on maso you can't do the former) exchange your techs for declarations of war: If the ai are busy fighting one another they are more likely to leave you alone, and, what's better, to trade with you, netting an increase in diplomatic relations which makes their declaring war even less likely.

You could always delay the AI attacks by bribing minor races or even good/evil major races to start a war in my game right now i have like 48% influence over the galaxy ( i like to play on the biggest galaxy size possible makes for more fun games) i don't have the biggest fleet but i am good enough to keep everyone even the evils off my back but im also bribing minor races to attack one evil race (they are the race that are keeping me from finishing the game by alliance victory) and he is at war with 2 major races too i dought he'll beable to withstand much longer.

But anyhow thats some good options become first in tech. try to get the battleship tech as fast as possible. bribe races to start small time consuming wars if they make peace just bribe again.

and when that one galaxy thing pops up what is it the united galaxy or something like that always try to get the good stuff (like 2x ecomomy ect ect) this can be done by expanding out early in the game thus getting lots of influence over other races and being the dominate influencal power.

Jab, in addition to the above, consider:

1. Diplo picks in the begining. I like populist party with maxed out diplo and +1 speed on gigantic maps. Speed is less important on medium and smaller maps.

2. Get Diplomatic Translators asap. Build your planets up with Soil, Habitat, Manufacturing Capital and maybe a Fusion Plant & Manufacturing center if you can. Then make DT your first trade good (tg) you make and don't give it away - ever. Or if someone else makes it first, then find them and trade for it. DT is the best tg in the game.

3. Routinely (every few turns?) check the diplo status of the AI. This is easily done with F5. If they go below neutral, get concerned. You will have to bribe them with a tech, tg, or money. Sometimes a ship might work. When relations get cool or worse - do something quickly unless you are ready for a war.

4 Watch for triggers that upset the AI like an influence starbase (party palace) inside the AI's sector or menacing combat ships near an AI's planet.

5. Get your trade routes out early to the nearest, biggest, baddest AI. As mentioned above, getting them all going to war against each other means they only trade with you. They love you, give you presents, and sometimes even want to snuggle.

On maso, I simply can't afford a military so keeping the AI happy is important to me. If I go war, I lose; so I don't go to war. On lower levels keeping an inexpensive military like star fighters, corvettes, or AMM can fool the AI into thinking you really have some military when you are a "paper tiger". Getting military resources helps and watching the military graph to make sure you are near the top will let you know how big you need to get. Usually number 2 or 3 is good enough to prevent extortion.

Stay at the difficult level you are comfortable with until you are ready for more challenge. The strategy changes a little bit for each level you go up and the margin for error decreases. Good luck.

Ha yep thats something i should have said.

was keeping them at war will keep them liking you. Infact in my first game i submitted i had every major and minor race in the game giving me presents mostly money from major races and ships from smaller races (corvettes or frigates) they especially gave me stuff if i was alliend or trading with them one minor race gave me liek a total of 30 ships or something though out a war i was in with a major race i used them for sucicide (sorrie for spelling my bad im tierd) attacks on there fleets.