HalxQuixotic

Join Date 01/2008

Trouble Influencing a planet, 1st game

So on my first game, beginner difficulty of course, I'm playing the Terrans, and decided to send my first colony ships out to find some better planets. Before I knew it, the Thalyn's (i think, or something like that) snuck in and took Mars. Instead of working towards Invasion, I decided to try seducing Mars back into the fold through influence.

First, I built a couple of embassies on Earth, and got it's Influence up around 66. Then I built an influence starbase and loaded it up with all the influence modules I had researched. So then, I looked up that I needed 4 times the planets influence, so I worked up my espionage and found out that Mars is generating 4 Inf. . ..FOUR! The planet is completely in my space, Earth could hit the planet with a rock, and its over 15 times the influence, and I have two influence starbases that have Mars within its circle. So why have they not even threatened to attack the starbase?

Thanks in advance for the help

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On beginner, the AI most likely doesn't know about the danger of Influence.

On the subject of Mars - just be patient. How fast planets flip is a bit random. It could happen during the next few turns, or you could have to wait a bit longer. You'll see the red 'rebellion' symbol next to Mars before it happens.

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I play on Challenging (I think that's it, I just went one up from Normal) and in the last two games I didn't even colonize the secondary planet. I used the Colony Ship to beef up my primary a little until I found another planet to colonize.

Sure enough, both times, the AI colonized the secondary planet and my influence took it from them. Free pop, free tech, and one less wasted Colony ship.

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Im pretty sure the Thalans get loyalty bonuses because they are so different from everyone else. You know, the whole hive mind thing.

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KzintiPatriarch

Join Date 05/2007

+95

I play on Challenging (I think that's it, I just went one up from Normal) and in the last two games I didn't even colonize the secondary planet. I used the Colony Ship to beef up my primary a little until I found another planet to colonize.Sure enough, both times, the AI colonized the secondary planet and my influence took it from them. Free pop, free tech, and one less wasted Colony ship.

I never colonize the secondary. I let an AI do it for me every time, and pretty quickly it always flips.

Sentient species taste better...

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I think the 4x idea is more of a rule-of thumb.

You didnt state if Mars has the skull and cross bone symbol on it. That would show that the planet is ready to flip. If it actually does or not is based on something like a coin flip or a die roll. You may see a planet ready to flip for many turns before it actually does.

The populations of the surrounding planets will have a huge impact on influence. I wouldn't use up tiles on Earth (or any home world) for the purpose of flipping the secondary. Just wait and it will happen.

As for the threat of attack. It doesnt come up all that often for me and I don't believe that its an actual preamble to a war declaration. Your high influence will have an advese effect on you relations but i haven't see war declared just for a starbase. I think thats just so you know that the AI is noticing what you're doing.

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KzintiPatriarch

Join Date 05/2007

+95

Also, the high influence bonus from your civ capital should help flip the secondary relatively quickly.

Sentient species taste better...

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As far as I know the 4.00 thing is exactly the point as of when a planet has a chance every turn of flipping.

The AI will not be concerned with you building influence starbases in your own space; it's only when you build them in the territory where the AI influence is higher than yours that they will make remarks about it.
However your influence on Mars will impact diplomatic relations, see if you have a minus for "our large influence" or "close borders". It's only 1 factor on the diplomatic scale though, you don't necessarily risk any wars or such from spamming them with influence starbases.
Oh, and my "observations" are typically on Challenging difficulty, in case that matters.

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The rate for flipping a planet with 4+ influence is about 1 in 20, unless the race has three or less planets and then the rate drops to about 1 in 100. These are approximate rates from experience. (I play lots of high influence games with the influence victory turned off.)

Scincerely,

Scintor@aol.com

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The rate for flipping a planet with 4+ influence is about 1 in 20, unless the race has three or less planets and then the rate drops to about 1 in 100. These are approximate rates from experience. (I play lots of high influence games with the influence victory turned off.)Scincerely,Scintor@aol.com

That mustve been it. It was a small map, and the Thalans did only have 3 planets, including Mars. Thanks for the replies everyone.

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