In every game, I try to make a balance between good and evil races. It's a tricky thing, though, as-- just as in real life-- good and evil are subjective. A technically good race could suddenly decide to be double-crossing, militaristic, opportunist bastards. Case in point: The Torians.

This brings me to what you guys have found regarding the role of races in normal play. The Altarians and the Terrans are programmed to be quite peaceful, yet on higher difficulties you shouldn't be surprised if they end up being opportunists, too.

When I played the TA beta, I was the Terrans for the first few games. I was a bit disappointed (but not very surprised) to find that their tech tree hadn't been changed very much. It seems that in TA, the races are much more specialized, forcing you in new and unique ways to change your play style. Not so with the Terrans, who seem to be made for those who want to play with the same techs, but against new and unique enemies. I had expected humans to become the masters of the diplomacy tree, with its Cultural Warfare and Majesty helping the humans where their military might would fall short.

As usual, I've managed to give what I think is an informative few words without really opening up to discussion, but there was a point, I swear.

-- What niches do you feel that the (Terrans, Torians, Altarians, Arceans) fill?
-- What niches do you want them to fill in TA?