I wish the minors had normal AI, and were the same as the other races in every way except that they wouldn't get any starting perks. No ships, no money, no techs. I think without the 5000 credits, a colony ship, a exploration flag ship, and a couple techs they would take far longer to become a power than the other races. However, if they did catch a few lucky breaks then they could become galatic powers.

Of course! If it wasnt before I made a clean install, but I dont think so.

So, I am playing 1.31 and I am loving it. But I am still upset about the minors.

Okay, so they have no influence, can't expand.. so on and so forth. Okay. But at least give them a chance. Make their thinking a little better so they don't try to build insane things in the mid/late game. I am specifically talking about a newly arrived minor. They are screwed. Basically it is an event giving the AI/Player a free planet and a free tech.


A) let them build older versions of structures to jump start their game.
don't let them waste time/money trying to terraform an completely empty planet.
C) can they get a slight over-all production bonus.. more then the majors....


Bump... an old thread... save the board.

I've seen, albeit rarely, minors emerge as a pretty significant power. Mainly because of their tech stealing ability, they can actually kick the butt of some technologically backwards major civ.

What I don't like about majors is their emergence - I've never seen the ones that emerge during a game last. Someone (sometimes even other minors) end up declaring war against the newly-appeared minor very quickly.

(Citizen)ACS_Solver September 24, 2006 16:59:57 Reply #29 I've seen, albeit rarely, minors emerge as a pretty significant power. Mainly because of their tech stealing ability, they can actually kick the butt of some technologically backwards major civ. What I don't like about majors is their emergence - I've never seen the ones that emerge during a game last. Someone (sometimes even other minors) end up declaring war against the newly-appeared minor very quickly.

Yea.. they get a whole lot of tech, but no production.. so any additional minor the joins other then the I-League only acts a place holder... which sucks...

Nah, they do sometimes build stuff. You can encounter a fleet (albeit smallish) of a minor civ's high-tech ships. More often than not, though, they'll just have a bunch of Freighters, Constructors and few warships. But hey, at least they do have the tech, which means you can trade for it.

Nah, they do sometimes build stuff. You can encounter a fleet (albeit smallish) of a minor civ's high-tech ships. More often than not, though, they'll just have a bunch of Freighters, Constructors and few warships. But hey, at least they do have the tech, which means you can trade for it.

I know the start-up minors do.... but I am speaking about the minors that just came to the system... the major event minors... ala "A now race has arrived...

Ah, yes, those guys get declared on before they can do anything. It's an element of luck. If they appear near you, you can take a nice planet quickly. If they appear near someone else, they likely will do it.

personally, i'd like to see the minors be of more strategic value, so that there is a reason outside of colour and conquest to them being kept around. the only idea I have, and it's a simple one, is that a minor can only be allied to one major (be a dominion say) and that minor during the course of the dominionship provides the major with a %bonus eg research, morale, trade etc. These % bonuses might give the minors more character definition as well.

You get more money from traderoutes with minors, and they can sell you tech that no one else can or will. Isn't that enough of a reason to keep them around, in some cases at least?

This debate has been going on now for 3+ years!!

At the beginning in GC1 the minors were able to expand and colonize in full. This fast became a subject of much criticism in the forum because minors were taking too many planets. After a few months the minors AI was 'dumbed down' and they then did not expand as much (this was the optimum level for me). However there were still a considerable number of people that complained about it still & to appease the masses the Minors were reduced to what you see today.

This level of dumbness was carried over to GCII and like it or not will be the way it stays it seems! I would like to say that in GC1 the minors did not produce fleets and go looking for a fight like they do now and i really like this version of them.
The one thing i would like rectified, if there was time and it hasn't been already, is the Minors AI's ability to use gifted ships. At present if i gift a powerful ship to one of the minors the ships tend to stay where they are for 10+ turns or more. Hardly a good tactic if they are about to go to war with another AI!

I for one am thankful for any changes to the game that Frogboy, CariElf and crew make and whether or not i like the changes i do appreciate that they actually care enough about us to carry on making changes post production!!

I for one am thankful for any changes to the game that Frogboy, CariElf and crew make and whether or not i like the changes i do appreciate that they actually care enough about us to carry on making changes post production!!

No one is questioning that.... certainly I am enjoying the game. But with 1.31 I see this and it bugs me so much. Had I been playing GCI (back in the day) and this would have happened, I would have been furious.

Again... I ask.

DG, I agree with you on gifted ships, and a few other things (as listed before).... so they aren't complete sitting ducks.

Let me say it differently... since in DA.. we get to control/micromanage the AI behavior... open it up as well to the minors AI.. let us do it all.


I think that's it.