Much too peaceful galaxy

from GalCiv2 Forums
Hi!

Ive played a number of games ranging in difficulty from tough to crippling, normal scenario, both in previous releases and recently the 1.2 beta. I have tech trading enabled and usually spend the first time trading all the research I get to the other races for cash to fund my new planets. I have a custom race with +10 diplomacy, and in the beginning I usually focus on tech that give + to diplomacy. Generally I colonize rush and build starbases as much as I can in the beginning. Usually I play on small maps.

Here's the thing though, even though I'm ridiculously overextended in the beginning, with defenceless starbases all over the place, and sometimes without even basic military tech, let alone warships, the AI wont attack!
Ive started next to Drengin in this situation (!), and still the AI doesnt attack, instead it rapidly becomes a struggle to finance the planets. The galaxy is a disgustingly peaceful place, with (mostly) everyone liking each other, not a xenophobe in sight.

So far I ve played as far as getting terraforming tech (in 1.2 release, on painful setting on a medium map) before restarting out of boredom, hopelessly trying to get the AI to be more aggressive.

What setting am I missing, why won't the AI attack?!

Oh, and btw, the 1.2 seems to have some problems with the planetary council, when it appears I dont get to choose any alternative, and have to use esc to get out of the UI.

Great game, If only the AI would be a _bit_ more aggressive.
6,071 views 11 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The AI won't attack because of your high diplo skill. This appears to have been put in after people who wanted to play as a peaceful civ complained that the game would not allow them to do so ("the AI always attacks me!!!"). The obvious downside to this is that it makes concentrating on diplo techs an easy win even on high difficulties.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
An aggressive races button in the starting options might help with this.
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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Try playing a good race with evil races in the galaxy. They quickly drop to hostile and will declare war on u if they have a far bigger military rating than u.
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Thanks, I'll try without the +10 diplomacy race bonus and see what happens. Though I cant say I agree that diplomacy should make the AI that peaceful, it feels very strange to have to deliberately avoid diplomacy bonuses so that I can get aggressive opponents.
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Also it takes time to build up a military. Races don't start with plantary invasion etc. So the AI has to balance infra-structure and military. Going military too fast would just result in a "loss" to that race. It does not good to invade someone if you then have no money to build any more ships, etc.

Note the population growth is also slowed in 1.1 (and holds over to 1.2) . Kind of hard to grab a few billion folks and throw them on transports unless you have enough base. Again this slows the out break of wars down.

If you really want more/faster war try making tech research faster. I think otherwise you might discover some wars coming about if you played a bit longer. Now that said did have one galaxy where everyone was pretty much stalemated. (Could not attack because it left them open to someone else.)

Also remember if you want wars you can start them.

Well, that's my $0.02
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Certainly, the absence of planetary invasion tech should make the AI more hesitant, but when I have virtually defenceless starbases on valuable resource nodes with no military to speak of that should in my book result in a small war resulting in me losing those resources.
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
This happened to me when i was playing my 'John Sheridan' persona. 'Never start a fight but always finish one'. I think its great that you dont have to go to war, pretty rare in gaming.

Good luck
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
My theory is the new Galactic Aggressor response is responsible for less wars. If your to aggressive all the AI's declare war on you. Makes me think twice before I go to war unprovoked. The AI's are showing the same concern. My last game the Yor triggered an aggressor response and all the AI's including me jumped on them until they surrendered.

I now use alliance strategy's to to get me into wars and avoid the Aggressor response and it seems to work.
Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
You could always preset the races to be hostile towards you during the game setup.
Reply #10 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hmm, I usually have no trouble at all going to war in the early stages of the game, and I play on a lesser difficulty. I'm fairly new to the game, only been playing it for maybe a week, but the last few games, I had races going to war with me before I even researched my first military tech. I usually start off, focusing on diplomacy and trading. When doing the initial colonize planet rush at the beginning of the game, I lately have been choosing the "evil" options, for the increased bonuses, and after a few of those, one of the "good" races always declares war on me. I usually have to switch my research over to military techs, just to get a defensive force to protect myself with. For the record, I lately have been playing on gigantic maps, with 9 opponents, and a custom race.
Reply #11 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Eidolonsfury pretty much said it--being evil will make the good civs declare war on you pretty quick.