I don't understand how influence works

Help me out please

from GalCiv2 Forums
1. Do starbases generate influence themselves or only boost the influence of other things?

2. Influence starbases give percentage bonuses, say 7%. Seven percent to what? The influence of the planets' in the starbase's radius?

3. Where should I build influence starbases? Near my planets? Near the enemy?

4. If (?) influence starbases boost the influence of their surroundings... do they only affect the influence of what is inside their radius? I mean, if a base is increasing a planet's influence (?) does it increase that planet's influence everywhere or just inside the radius?

Thanks.
5,783 views 13 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Influence is currently one of the most mysterious aspects of play in GalCiv2. No one (besides the devs) knows what the formulae are for determining it, and the Wiki entry on influence starbases basically asks the same question you do.

Building starbases seems to create influence like a planet, so if you want to flip alien worlds, you should put them close to their planets. But it's not clear if it also modifies your own worlds, in which case it might make sense putting it near one of your high influence planets.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Just build 'em, it don't matter how they work, they just do

Seriously, I have these suckers all over the place, and the competition just falls planet by planet, sometimes several planets in one turn.
Groupy 2 - Organize multiple applications into grouped tabs on your Windows desktop
Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

I dont think they magnify your own planets influence. Im about 80% sure of this.

As far as i know they act as mini planets, influncing the space around them. Near a border it will push the border out. Near an enemy planet it will influence that planet, possibly flipping it with other factors. Near your own planets it will counter enemy influence, so if you have planets showing a bad influence rating (the number in brackets, as when that gets to (4.00) you are in trouble) then put one near your planet. It will counter the enemies influence and hopefully keep the planet in your colours.

Thats how i see it and how i use them and it seems to work pretty well.

Hope that helps!
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
On the current game I built some influence starbases near my own planets and they now have the highest influence of any of my planets. One planet was near revolt and one well equipped influence starbase seems to have stopped that.

When I want a war with someone I just put some influence starbases near one of his planets. The last time I did it the skull and crossbones symbol indicating it was near revolt turned on very quickly, hedeclared war on me, and all my allies declared war on him. Then we crushed him.

They definately help -- probably both locally and globally -- but it would be nice if we had a better understanding on how it works. Some of my planets not near any influence starbase or with any special structures have twice the influence of others. It would be nice if I knew why.
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
On this subject - can anyone tell me what in the blazes the (#.##) means? It does appear to be bad, the bigger it grows, but what is the meaning?

As to radius / amplification, in all of the games i've played, I've used them stand-alone - not near anything else - and they've clearly generated their own influence centered on their location (even deep in enemy territory).

You don't always see the area become your color on the mini-map (as you're fighting against the influence producing planets nearby), but it definitely counts.

So there are really two uses for them:
1) bolster some set of planets of your own that are under influence siege, and
2) putting the hurt on your opponent, at the edge or even deep in their territory. However, the deeper you go, the less likely to be useful it becomes if there are multiple influence generating planets that you're working against... Still, with enough influence bases, you'll flip anything (except minor races).
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
influence affect on both approval and regional approvals, hence it affect your approval rating and increase your boundaries, it increase your rate for domestical victory. With higher approval, you please the population, and hence lower other approvals in return, beware, it can also create problem with your own friendlies, if you plan to going more peaceful resolution, you have to stick with your rules, and try not to surpass your boundaries.
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
On this subject - can anyone tell me what in the blazes the (#.##) means? It does appear to be bad, the bigger it grows, but what is the meaning?


It's how many times you've got the influence of this planet. Or when it's your planet, how many times the race with the highest influence.

For example, if you've got 42IP (3.0): You've 42 influence points and your competitor has 42 * 3.0 = 126 influence points. If anyone has more then four times your influence, ie. more then (4.0) your planet is bound to revolt eventually. The same holds true for foreign planets when you want to flip them.

Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Influence does a few things:
1. Increases the border for your side
2. Give you more voting clout in the United Planets(extremely useful)
3. Allows you take over planets without firing a shot.

Influence is related population just like taxes. You can research different techs to modify you influence stat(yellow tech) and can also build buildings like cultural centers to increase the influence produced by each planet. I believe a influence starbase is similar to the economy starbase. However instead of increasing production, it increases the influence production of planets within it's range radius.

In order to take over planets you need your border to overlap them and also need to have a much greater influence production. Once the approval rating drops for the planet, you get to take it over.
Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Another thing to consider is that the extent of an empire's ifluence is cumulative. Meaning that the influence borders we see on the map are not just the sum of the individual planet borders (as territory works in the Civ games), but a reflection of one's overall influence level (i.e. - how many UP votes you get).

For example, in a recent game of mine fighting the Yor, after I managed to invade and take their home planet (which was also listed as their most influential) the influence border of their entire empire dropped, even around planets far away on the map.
Reply #10 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Question...

Does your border have ot actually extend into their planet...

That is, can I only take an enemy planet if it is within my territory? Or I can I stick an influence starbase in their territory, not even in range of the border, and still take their planets?

Also, will an influence starbase placed like that affet the border?
Reply #11 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Your sphere of influence, as far as I can tell, is calculated as each sector where you have the majority of the influence. There is some calculation for each sector on the map that determines how much influence a given civilization "exerts" over that sector.

In order to have a planet flip to your side it must have a ratio of 4:1 influence, meaning you must influence that sector 4 times as much as the planet in that sector does. Therefore, your border must be overlapping that planet in order to get to that ratio.

I think influence starbases both produce their own influence as well as boost "existing" influence in a sector. So putting an influence base in enemy territory may not immediately extend your border that far, but it will "erode" the influence of the enemy in that sector. As your sphere of influence grows due to population, and as you upgrade that starbase, your borders will eventually reach the base and extend beyond it.
Reply #12 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Doesn't that mean I could also put one near my planets and just let it expand?

Also, if I put one near my borders, and I expand so that the border is no longer within the range of the starbase, it will STILL get the bonus, right?
Reply #13 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Be careful when dropping an influence starbase in AI contolled territory. More than one war has started over some indiscriminate building of influence starbases but if you can handle the war then go for it.