Yeah, the Arceans are jerks. I think they're stuck up from being such an ancient (and phyically large) race. I wouldn't rather pick up a Drengin hitch-hiker though personally because I'd always be worried it would try to kill me, eat me, or kill and eat me. Also, *ouch* for the French.
All races have poor social skills. |
I have to disagree with that. The Iconians are generally level headed and they
really know how to grovel. Even if they are hostile with you, their messages are tame to polite, unlike that snooty Netro Mancer who starts insulting you below neutral. Sure they can become a bully if you aren't friends with them and they are more powerful than you, but that's life in the big galaxy. "Good" races won't always get along just because they don't like to exploit other beings. No, I'm not trying to start another good / evil thread, I'm sick of them too. Good races do 'try' to get along since you get a free diplomacy +, but if you don't try to become their friends, they really don't know what to think of you. If they see cultural pressure and looming military fleets near their space and they have a right to be suspicious. Open trade, sharing technology, helping them out when they are in need, that will earn their trust even if you are weak and evil. Makes sense to me.
The AI supposedly has a random aggression factor each game too, so just because you've been attacked by every race at least once, they aren't all like that in a single game. It keeps you on your toes, makes them less predictable and I think its more exciting that way. It's a little more like first contact every time! ^ ^
Okay, so the player does have to do most of the work, offer the olive branch first, but I don't mind that, afterall if everything happened without you having to work at it, what point would there be in playing? Besides, once they are your friends, they are loyal and true, honoring their alliances every time, unlike me who is usually just using allies to keep everyone from ganging up on me because they fear my tendancy to conquer others...