I have the problem of not being able to get the craver machine rolling, i lag behind in virtually everything.



How does one kickstart the cravers?

For me, Cravers really thrive when you do what they do best: go to war with them. If you are in a smaller galaxy or a galaxy with a lot of opponents, you may get the chance to be within striking distance without the use of a wormhole. Going to war with an empire as soon as you can is great for cravers: each ship that you kill is going to give you research points towards your current research. I've had certain games where I'd destroy a large enemy fleet and as a result 2 or 3 techs were auto researched after the battle! The more you hit your opponent, the better you will be, the faster you can level up a fleet/pilot hero, and essentially pound your first contact into dust. Take his planets, and you'll have your kick start imo.

In isolation they can suffer. They aren't like the Sophons or the Sowers who absolutely explode when 'incubating' behind some wormholes. If you find yourself cut off by a wormhole, you will suffer from it. I would try to gobble up as many planets as you can without suffering your happiness and cranking some points into researching the wormhole tech. Gotta get in the fight with Cravers. No slowing down or turtling up.

It may be helpful to compare your early game results with other expert players on the 30-turn challenges:



/#/endless-space/forum/27-general/thread/8869-challenge-another-release-another-challenge!



This is for UE; but generally I find that newer players can learn a lot about early game food and happiness, which then applies to all races.