First off, I couldn't have done this without the inspiration of the Metaverse League and Wyndstar in particular. Kudos to the master!
Now to the matter at hand.
I finally did it. A year zero win! Granted, it was only against 1 AI and on challenging (my current level) but I'm certain that 'tough' wouldn't have been much harder. On the other hand, it was my first attempt at an 'all-labs' and 'lease instead of buy' approach, so I consider myself proud that I could do it at all.
Here is the link to the character, as a proof: http://metaverse.galciv2.com/index.aspx?g=player&id=14517
For all of you, who like me thought that year zero wins are nigh impossible: Try it! Read the posts about it! It is difficult, requires constant micromanagement, but I found it incredibly rewarding to see that victory screen after 25 - 30 turns. Not the way I'd like to play constantly, but as a change of pace, it's a incredible challenge.
And of course, once you've accomplished your first 'Year Zero', post here and rejoice!
As an edit, I now include the current top score.
Attention new players!
Do not be frightened by these scores! Playing a ZYW is actually really easy, and getting a score close to 30000 points takes just a few tries. These games are usually finished in less than 20 minutes, so have at it. Try the tiny ZYWs first, I find them easier and you might get the unique chance to beat players like neilo or Wyndstar.
Current ZYW record holders:
'expert' ZYW - Gigantic
1) 198450 points - MottiKhan
2) 119000 points - Kzinti Patriarch
3) 109500 points - neilo
'classic' ZYW - Tiny
1) 56700points - MottiKhan
2) 40600 points - Kzinti Patriarch / Magnumaniac
3) 38850 points - Wyndstar