Why Don't Minor Races Make More of an Effort

Then they wouldn't be minor races anymore. I think they should at least colonize all the planets in their home system though.

One funny thing I've seen minor races do is try to expand by building influence starbases. Unfortunately since they don't generate any IP as a minor race, their effort is wasted. In my current game though the Scottlingas race are doing pretty well, they have at least made their presence felt.

Agreed. If the goal of minor races was to stay on their planet and leave everything else alone, then why are they always building colonizers and constructors until their spaceport is full?

Also, I think we should be able to add funding to espionage for minor races. How else can I see my influence on their plants?

-Brian

Your influence on their planets is meaningless. They can't be flipped.

Maybe we need the "minor races aggressively colonize" option in the game.

Agreed. If the goal of minor races was to stay on their planet and leave everything else alone, then why are they always building colonizers and constructors until their spaceport is full?

They frequently use constructors to secure resources in their vicinity, really annoying too as you can’t buy them. On the other hand they are always willing to give up their planet if you ask nicely...

why don't minor races make more of an effort at expanding?

Well I find this a bit funny since I remember threads from previous months with people complaining about the minors expanding too much (this was when they were still using the same AI than major races)

An option to allow them to build/use colony ships again would be interesting, just have them start at a lower tech level when it comes to range/speed then the majors, or cap it at a cirtain amount to preclude over agressive behaviour. as it is now, if a minor is well entrenced in another races teritory, they have an annoying habbit of sending swarms of constructors across the map to cap mining bases.

I like the minor races how they are. In alot of games I end up doing a lot of trading with the minor races, and this makes me send them fleets of advanced ships whenever they are at war. I find that the minor races are good for trade since they will not declare war on you and nullify all your trade routes, and also they are a good way to wage war on another civilization without going to war yourself.

I just don't get the point of minor races. I find them easily abusable, dumber than usual AI and they have no plan whatsoever.

I turn off minor races now(in Beta-2A) I just plain don't understand the concept of minor races, the I-League and Fundamentalists sound fun but I've never seen them in any of my GC2 games(back when I had minors turned on).

Sadly I think minor races were not well thought out and should've gotten the axe in GC2, or at least improved or given a purpose.

Hi
Sorry for my english.

Maybe doing the Minor Races with 0 tech, 0 improvements and 0 ships at the beginning of the game, and after that let them expan as majors races : They are Minor because they begin with nothing (Major begin at an interstellar state, Minor at a PRE-interstellar state).

With that, if a Minor manage well (maybe with the sneaky help of a major - I see the Foxies doing that. Just for annoy an other Major), she can be a big Power late in the game.


What i suggest : The Majors are just the 2-10 players (AI or Human) with the most cultural influence. And only the Majors can VOTE in the UE (but the minors can BE in the UE).

Then, make more uses of the UE (Few uses actually).

And with that, maybe a Minor can ask an allied Major for a vote ? By example, if the vote is "All war finished", a Minor can ask his Major allie to vote Yes ?

The problem with minor races, is that they are random and can change the dynamic of the game if they start acting like majors. For example, a 2 race game could suddenly be a 4 race game (2 minors) when they start conquering and attacking. Since minors can popup mid to late game, it would you can have an endless stream of races to deal with.

Currently, the system doesn't take into account of minors for winning. So if a minor has taken over 90% of the map, and you are the last race left you will still win. It's a bit strange.

I do agree that there seem to be something weird going on with minors, all they end up doing is being captured. No one seems to be protecting them, less of all any of the good races.

I do agree that there seem to be something weird going on with minors, all they end up doing is being captured. No one seems to be protecting them, less of all any of the good races.

Well, would you let live a minor race with a PQ 15 planet ?

I like minor races though, coming across an evil race of squirrels every now and then is just too hilarious to turn them off. Maybe they should have the same abilities/ai as major races but have an economic penalty putting them at about 50% production capacity of the other races or something like that.

Had to reply to this.

I like minor races and would like them to go ahead and play the game. Start with 0 techs or what not when they show up, but let them behave like verybody else and maybe even become a major. I think they add a nice variety to the game. What would be interesting, is lets s ay a minor race could use planets nobody else coold. For example they were some race of gaseous what nots and only like gas giants. So if you wipe them out you get some planets you normally wouldn't.

Maybe even have minor races hit that interstellar mark by having a unique tech no one else does.

I don't know.. i think they could definitely be more interesting than they are now. Perhaps someone can mod this in?

Well I find this a bit funny since I remember threads from previous months with people complaining about the minors expanding too much (this was when they were still using the same AI than major races) [Cake Walk]

I hate what they have done to minor races personally, they either should of taken them out or given players options to configure them, just as we get with other races.

The best option would be to have a toggle:

Minor Races Colonise Normal Rate
Colonise 50%
Colonise 25%
Colonising Off
Minor Races Totally Off

This way if their building colony ships at a quarter of the speed of the big races there still always going to be minor but given the right conditions they might still propser (imho an unpredicatable game is a good game).

That said if you want them off you can toggle them off.

At the moment, even though I prefer them in some form, I see little point using them as fodder.

What i suggest : The Majors are just the 2-10 players (AI or Human) with the most cultural influence. And only the Majors can VOTE in the UE (but the minors can BE in the UE). Then, make more uses of the UE (Few uses actually).

I love this idea

I also think minors should have the chance to become a major player if they play it right, they should be able to expand, conquer (Just take a look at the USA - used to be just a colony, today the only real superpower),
but they should be at a disadvantage compared to the majors in some points, doesn't really matter how it is done to me.

As it is now minors are pointles(but i still like to have them), i always just conquer them if they are near, and I don't like either the way they capture resources all over the map, sometimes at the other end of the galaxy.
Minor having the ability to become major would make the game even more unpredictable, and to me, fun.

I know some don't like minors to behave agressively so it should be optional, but it should be there.

This is what Stardock gets for taking request

and regarding the UE, when a major gets eliminated, maybe the strongest minor could get it's place in the UE thusly officialy becoming major, maybe even eliminating it's disadvantages.

Minors should just be considered as plasma fodder.
Tweaking them into AI would have the same effect as lying when you choose the number of opponents. When I chose four opponents then I mean four opponents, not an arbitrary number that could or could not be based around the number four.
I can see why some people would like to play without minor races, but to bump them up to major status would just wreck the balance of the game.
Personally I think of them as specials in the sense that I’m given a free planet with stuff already built on it. All I have to do to collect is to invade.

Plus, as previously mentioned, finding evil squirrels is always good for a giggle .


Rygel XVI - Dominar to over 600 billion (more or less) loyal subjects.

Then they wouldn't be minor races anymore. I think they should at least colonize all the planets in their home system though.

I agree with this. I think Minor races overall are very good addition to the game, they can be valuable trading partners. I wish they were more valuable military partners though.

I agree with this. I think Minor races overall are very good addition to the game, they can be valuable trading partners. I wish they were more valuable military partners though.

You can ally with them and give them lots of ships.


Although Allying with them don't mean squat (since you can win an allied victory without them), but you do know when they are getting attacked without looking at the relation screen every turn.

They are pointless beynd the occasional addition of a colonisable planet that wasnt previously colonisable thier presence dictates.

They just sit on thier worlds and wage war with opponents they cant possibly hope to beat, they build coloniser and constructors and do nothing useful with them. they all are simply waiting to die.

You can ally with them but again whats the point.. the moment another empire spots them thier existence is on a count down. The universe should have the option to be more dynamic in its power sturggles where the minor races are concerned they should have a chance of growing beyond thier own world.


the comments that them being able to do so would change the number of opponents you started with is kinda lame.. as it s fairly easy to stop them growing if you so inclined but if you leave them and they begin to expand like other empires do although perhaps not quite so voraciously it would be much more enjoyable.

I love the minor races but as they are they are lame.. no sense allying with them, no sense helping them they all begin waiting to die and do nothing else but.

Doesn't work sadly they decommission them for cash to build thier own. Same with colonies they abanadon those.

Allying with them all you do is have to fight every battle for them because they are completely incapable of defending themselves

Only way I've found to keep my Snathi alive so far is colonise every world around them and prevent the enemy from crossing into my space in order to reach them. That and giving them every bit of tech I research in order for them to build effective defenders. and sending them masses of cash to instantly replace losses.. but at some point it would be nice not to have to babysit thier every action...at some point they need to learn

Tweaking them into AI would have the same effect as lying when you choose the number of opponents. When I chose four opponents then I mean four opponents, not an arbitrary number that could or could not be based around the number four. I can see why some people would like to play without minor races, but to bump them up to major status would just wreck the balance of the game.

What? I don't play strategy games for balance, I play to be challenged and occassionally I am even rewarded with a surprise or two.

Bumping the AI colonising rate to 25% of a major race (or better still having an optional rate, see above) would still leave them likely to get wiped out but it would mean they would A, colonise their home system and b, have a chance at effecting the game in an upredictable way.

This is a good thing as it fits my playstyle, it might not fit yours, therefore an option to tweak this when you started a new game would be a welcome addition. As it is now Minor races are cute but completely pointless.