This guide contains brief information on winning, optimal Pandora: First Contact strategies. I may expand the guide later on request. For now, I've focused on providing 'how-to-play'-analyses of the strengths and weaknesses of the game's different factions.

There is essentially just one winning resource in Pandora: First Contact: Population points. Population is what allows you to do anything in the game, whether that is extracting minerals used for construction or waging war on opponents. Everything you do in the game - including even researching through the tech tree - ultimately all feeds back into the overarching purpose of increasing your empire's population count through growth. Growth is the ultimate resource because the only way of winning the game (outside of super-cheese strategies, like winning economic victory by saving up a fortune in the extremely early game) is to use your superior population mass to achieve either economic, scientific or military domination... but, while skillful tactical usage of your combat units may result in a war advantage over your enemies, the purpose of capturing their territories in the first place is always about capturing their population. Population gives you Production and Science, but it is more important that Production and Science give you population!

This analysis is very similar to what could be proposed for other strategy games - but Pandora is uniquely focused on the growth aspect, much more than other games where for example the research aspect plays a more prominent role, by for example not allowing much growth without significant research effort. Less so in this game! In the very short term, PRODUCTION (in Pandora, this is BOTH mineral extraction AND the production effort itself!) is always king since production is what allows you to produce units for basic self defense. Slightly longer term, he with the best RESEARCH will gain the edge... but in Pandora, on the even longer term, GROWTH is what it is all about since you are playing the long game - until you can simply win! Never neglect your empire's growth, growth, growth until your empire is powerful enough that you can go straight for the victory!

Tying into how the population growth model works in the game and its central role, this has some important implications for Research in particular and how you manage your empire in general. Although obvious enough it's worth pointing out that Research is essentially useless unless it helps you grow or maintain you empire in some way. For instance, having the technology to build naval vessels is of no use it all until you actually start making use of this technology by building the ship.

Several years ago, in earlier versions of the game, it used to be that several techs provided an immediate effect without having to build anything. This was changed so that for instance the techs that provide +2 Habitat and +2 Pollution Reduction in all cities applied the effect immediately once researched, without having to build the project. The developers decided to change this, however. The result was a significant nerf to Research-based factions like Togra University.

The overall point in terms of strategy because of this system is this has even further increased the value and importance of early-game Growth. Since there are no techs you can unlock to speed up Growth without still having to be able to afford its Mineral/Production cost, there really aren't many options available for speeding up your empire's Growth rate. Simply building Growth directly in Cities (converting two units of Production into one unit of Growth) becomes one of the only options. With the first Growth building - the Gene Therapy Clinic - being very easy to unlock at minimal research cost, this means early game Research doesn't hold a great deal of importance. Research early on is mostly about unlocking basic features that will ensure you can work the terrain properly and defend yourself (or knock out an up-close opponent early, should the opportunity present itself, though early aggression is rarely worthwhile)... Your focus should therefore be on Production early on, not Research. The result is ironically that one of the main early benefits of Research-based factions is they can afford to focus less on and assign fewer Scientists, while still maintaining a sufficient research rate. Unlocking the technology to build the Pollution Processor, which does require slightly more Research, can help reduce the detrimental health effects of early industrialization, however.

Having established that GROWTH is how one wins a game of Pandora: First Contact, let's look at how the various factions achieve this! Strategies range all the way from the extremely pacifist, please-don't-hurt-me method of arduously building up your cities step by step while trying to fight as few humans and aliens as possible throughout over more production-focused methods and all the way to the all-out, hardcore military domination methods of the more psychopathic factions one will encounter on Pandora - I've listed the factions in this exact manner in the sections following!

Traits:

Ecologic: +1 minerals from forests and fungus
Frugal: +25% habitat
Sympathetic: -50% alien aggression
Peaceful: -25% power when attacking

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This is the 'silly schoolgirls' faction. 'Yeah, we thought it would be a great idea to go treehugging on a hostile planet crawling with dangerous dinosaurs and sociopathic dictators bent on world domination... what could possibly go wrong?!' It is also the ultimate 'lazy' faction that could actually win the game by doing almost nothing all game long... so long as you don' get attacked [prematurely].

Due to how all of its traits synergize, Terra Salvum is the prime 'tall empire' faction. You want to build few cities which will be loaded with improvements. Since this means you'll use few military units and few copies of improvements, you're basically hoping to win the game by building/doing as little as possible.

• Mined mountains provide the most Minerals in the early game but Terra Salvum Forests provide +2 Minerals AND the -1 Pollution bonus. You may be able to skip - or at least postpone - Pollution cleanup improvements...
  
• Habitat bonus lets your postpone expansion, as well...
  
• ... you may even be able to postpone Formers if you started in a location that already has Forests 'built'. You're saving up some Production here!
  
• Awful combat abilities and low alien aggression means you should leave the wildlife alone, hoping to use it as a deterrent from enemy empires. Avoid combat if at all possible; focus on improving your cities while the native wildlife fends off trespassers!
  
• Very late in the game, Fungus could create a lot of Minerals for you if you have all the related techs and you probably still have Forests around cities for soaking up the excess Pollution. Sadly, this is late game only and plays a minor role.
  
• Very high priority tech: Guerilla Warfare. This will at least give you a fighting chance inside your forested territory. Next era, you want to pick up the defensive tech that grants a bonus when fighting inside your territory, too. If you weren't wiped out in the early game, perhaps now you'll stand a fighting chance!
  
• Observatory map features are crucially important - you want at least your second city founded near one, if your capital didn't get one. The whole point of Terra Salvum is to try to get ahead by being able to assign much of the population as Scientists by avoiding the whole Production aspect of the game, avoiding having to spend Minerals on combat units, multiple copies of city improvements etc. If you can't find and settle Observatories, you probably won't win against an opponent of similar skill level playing another economy-focused faction.

TLDR: Stay in the FORESTS and DON'T FIGHT ANYONE!

Traits:

Scientific: +50% research from scientists
Resourceful: -50% refit costs
Curious: free Seeker ATV
Free-spirited: -2 morale

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Scientists with advanced laser technology and a really bad sense of humor. Seems like a first pick for a group to load onto a spaceship and send to a distant world full of dangerous flora and fauna.

Obviously, this faction is all about SCIENCE... well, science for the purpose of GROWTH, really, because as discussed, you have to have growth to win. Are you going to out-tech your opponents for unlocking the growth technologies earlier or will you choose the route of advanced weaponry to take what others built? Most likely, this choice will depend on your opponents!

• +50% research bonus from Scientists is a huge bonus. Scientists additionally have the benefit of producing minimal Pollution, so you can afford to have tons of Scientists making use of the bonus. Just don't neglect your military or all of your research will have been for naught!
  
• The free Seeker should be able to scout out a lot of territory and find many Ruins for you. Stay out of rough terrain.
  
• Free refits is great for defensive combat. Constantly customize your units with equipment ideally suited to fighting the units the opponent is sending. While in a war, research advanced weaponry and armors then upgrade your existing units as soon as the technology becomes available. You'll likely have fewer units than your enemies but they'll be better adapted and more advanced. Keep your units alive. Because refits are going to play a major role in your game, Credits have increased importance. Consider erecting more Solar Panel improvements than you usually would.
  
• Togra University is typically a Production-avoiding faction, same as Terra Salvum. You can use your fantastic research rate to reduce reliance on having to build city improvements. Habitat size, Pollution reduction, Production rate, Growth rate and Credit buyout costs can all be improved globally at low Production cost - if you have enough Science.

TLDR: It's all about the SCIENCE, dummy!

Traits:

Diplomatic: +25% standing in diplomatic negotiations
Subversive: +25% infiltration chance
Parasitic: profit 25% from all research and trading pacts on the planet
Orbital Eyes: -66% cost and upkeep for Satellite Uplinks

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Not surprisingly, DIPLOMACY is the name of the game with this faction. You'll need to win by controlling diplomatic relations between other factions (aiding your efforts with a little gung-ho espionage where words fail).

Keep in mind that outside anything diplomacy-related, you have NO economic and NO military bonuses - eek! You really have to try leveraging your superior control of faction relations with this one. Try to be the faction nobody notices - until it's too late.

• Finding and contacting the other factions is a top priority for you. Ideally, do a lot of scouting, sell your world map (so others meet, as well), create Trade and Research Pacts, see international commerce start flowing, use your better diplomatic standing to avoid war while neglecting your military in favor of building an economic edge, profit. If/when relations start to sour try to control the situation to your advantage playing off the others against each other in a way beneficial to yourself.
  
• Satellites are of course a priority to build and will help with the scouting.
  
• Increased usage of Espionage cheese - yay!

TLDR: Diplomacy or die!

Traits:

Economic: +25% credits from taxes
Bargainers: +25% better prices
Wealthy: +120 starting credits
Extravagant: -25% habitat

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Pretty interesting faction with some rather unique game mechanics. The gameplay revolves not only around better access and usage of Credits but also around the [pretty severe] habitat penalty.

Similar to most other 4X games, the Credits resource is less powerful than regular Production in terms of producing things but much more flexible. You can purchase whatever you want whenever you want, pay upkeep, refit units, bribe other players, buy Food on the Planetary Market etc. A Credit-based faction can adapt well to any situation and can instantaneously project a whole lot of power into any part of the map at the cost of less raw economic power overall.

• Solar Panels are considerably better than usual for this faction, so much so that they should probably be your main terrain improvement. Make sure you research the tech for your Formers to be able to construct them quickly.
  
• The Planetary Market is another winner you want to unlock access to early on. You can purchase needed Food or Mineral resources for cheap to gain and maintain a considerable edge (I recommend against SELLING to the Market, though - the rates are TERRIBLE and only to be used if you desperately need Credits).
  
• The Habitat penalty makes Habitat techs a priority. On the other hand, your increased reliance on Credits probably mean you can afford to have fewer polluting Miners and Workers, so Pollution may be less of an issue than usual. If you do choose to solve the Habitat issue by settling more Cities, consider giving priority to Growth-boosting buildings in these new settlements to make up for the fact your Growth now gets divided between more buckets and therefore slows down. Using your Credit flow to build the various cloning facilities early, though, should make you competitive in the big Growth-game.
  
• Not surprisingly, this economy-focused faction is one of the powerhouses well suited for winning the Economic Victory.

TLDR: The flexibility of Credits puts a few aces up your sleeve!

Traits:

Industrious: +50% production from workers
Fertile: +25% growth
Exploitive: free Former
Reckless: +50% pollution

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We're starting to look at the more openly sociopathic leaders, so now we're getting somewhere! This psycho-looking super-narcissist Yun Xi cloned himself and crowned himself Emperor of his slave nation. It makes sense he would care nothing for the well-being of neither other people, this new planet Pandora nor its native life so yeah, let's get straight to wrecking this paradise world turning it into an over-industrialized hell-hole same as we did on Earth! 'China will grow larger', Huzzah!

I've discussed at length in this guide how Growth is the most important resource key to winning the game. Solar Dynasty receives an impressive +25% bonus to Growth right off the bat. Coupled with its nasty communist-fascistoid dictatorial leadership, can it be any surprise this is my personal favorite faction? Increased population growth will allow an empire to do anything, so Solar Empire is quite versatile and can adapt to most situations and map conditions very well... It could be a [relatively] pacifist builder empire, a science-ganza researchers' haven or a militaristic oppressor swarming opponents with hordes of brainwashed, ill-equipped soldiery all trained to scream 'FA THA EMPARAAA! CHINAAA!' as they suicide charge human-wave style into opposing battle lines. It is all glorious.

• Large Growth bonus can be leveraged into any victory type. The trait does not stack with the effect from Growth-buildings or technologies, though, so the advantage peters off over time (but not before creating significant population count advantage for you during the first parts of the game where it matters most).
  
• Pollution is the key issue with this faction and can be a major problem. Because of the bonus to Production from Workers, your Workers actually don't produce more Pollution per Production point than usual - but all of the others: Scientists, Farmers and especially Miners, do. This makes the Pollution Processor a key improvement for most Cities.
  
• The free Former is a solid starting bonus, but make sure there's actually something for the Former to be doing. Unlocking Colonization Fervor early becomes all the more important for this faction - both for giving the Former something to do, and for channeling all those Habitat-consuming citizens somewhere useful.
  
• Given sufficient Pollution-suppressing technology, Solar Empire can create the fastest-producing Cities by a large margin with their very efficient workers. Simply out-produce, out-growth and crush those who challenge you, Human Hive-style!
  
• While managing population in the more rapidly growing cities of the Solar Dynasty can be a test in itself, this is still a great newbie faction because of its versatility. Because the inherent Growth bonus is so large, even die-hard economic factions like Terra Salvum won't necessarily have a stronger economy than you if the game progresses in their optimal condition of total peace. With the Production bonus, however, Solar Dynasty can double to transform into not just a strong economic player but also take on the role of world conqueror and is better suited for doing so than the majority of other factions.

TLDR: Population growth has you the juggernaut that will out-expand all if not opposed!

Militaristic: +25% power
Resilient: +100% healing rate
Well-trained: 3 free Field Training
High-paid: +25% unit upkeep

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Very potent military faction. While warfare, constant battles and conquests are the focus for Imperium, when properly used their martial prowess is in fact so strong it turns into a sort of economic advantage, as well: By simply having stronger, veteran units, you won't need as many units total and will typically suffer fewer losses, meaning you spend fewer Minerals and Production points sustaining your armed forces, letting your Cities focus on things like Science instead. The healing rate bonus on your already superior units give you the definitive edge in any prolonged engagement - provided you don't let the enemy out-produce and out-flank you with greater numbers.

• The free Field Training Operations encourage early aggression - which could potentially find just the native wildlife as its target, if no opponents are in the immediate vicinity.
  
• The higher upkeep cost is mostly a non-issue. Your rapidly healing forces are much better able than usual to keep the pressure on and can clear Alien Nests considerably faster than normal, securing both the area and the Credit bonus from eliminating the Nest. In fact, your units are so powerful prioritizing building them rather than economic city improvements may grant you the larger economic benefit overall, if you can keep rapidly destroying Nests without suffering losses.
  
• Powerful military dissuades aggression. You can probably afford to expand into danger-zone territories that other factions would not dare risk setting foot on.
  
• Keep in mind that you are ultimately playing a militaristic faction. Once there are no more Credits from destroyed Alien Nests to be found, the more economy-focused factions will start outpacing you. You may be able to use the threat of your army to force others to spend more on their armed forces than they would like, though. This will be the time where you bring those rank 16-alien-killing-veterans to opponents' front door and start demanding tribute...

TLDR: Leverage economic superiority from your elite military forces by way of conquest or the threat of it!

Traits:

Fanatic: -25% unit cost
Aggressive: +25% power when attacking
Zealous: +2 morale
Conservative: -33% research from scientists

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In the 'openly insane' category, for those who thought Imperium's decision to use a whole new, pristine planet as a weapons testing zone or Yun Xi's attempt repeat of the atrocities on Earth was too tame, we find Vermillion's Divine Ascension faction to top them all. This faction is for the deranged nutcases who subscribe to the belief that 'spirituality' equals 'murdering any who disagrees with my ideology'. Maybe those voices in the head aren't really divine inspiration after all...

Cheap units, attack bonus, economic bonus, significant Research malus. This faction is all about locating opponents and zerging them to death with swarms of religious fanatics - before that Science penalty really starts kicking in and you start falling further and further behind the curve... Attack!

• Similar to Imperium, Divine Ascension can leverage their military advantages into early economic benefit by doubling up on the effort to clear Alien Nests. Cheaper units also mean cheaper throwaway scouts - DA can use their hordes to swiftly scout the map and snagging the lion's share of the Ruins, which is a strong play for this faction for [temporarily] maintaining a competitive Research rate.
  
• In combat, you want to initiate the fight as much as possible (rather than have your units defending) to make use of the attack bonus. Perhaps design your army stacks in such a way that one unit is fitted to defend the stack from counter-attack but the majority is otherwise equipped with attack boosters to play into your faction's advantage. Both Seeker ATV, naval units and aircraft are of special interest to you since their rapid movement make you better able to be the one who starts the combat. A Divine Ascension jet with an attack booster strikes fast and hard.
  
• The Morale bonus equals +8% to your whole economy, including Research. Not only does this give you more up-front economic power, it also means the Scientist output malus is that bit less terrible. Still, you cannot afford to play this faction in a peaceful manner until you're well ahead of opponents - and, once you are in the lead, you may as well put them out of their misery...
  
• The cost of civilian units like the Worker and Colonizer are also eligible for the faction bonus and are reduced. If you are for some reason or another playing DA more peacefully, you can make great use of the rapidly produced Colonizers to snag key locations while the cheap Worker units can be used to extract Food and Mineral resources from bonus terrain tiles outside your territories. Again, Divine Ascension is very much encouraged to produce a lot of units here. If you extract more external resources than usual shipping it back home you can afford to assign more population as Scientists back in the Cities.

TLDR: Use the massive early power of your military-industrial complex to secure permanent lead - before time runs out!