Faction Dominance and Happy Planet

[Grail Quest]

Okay, here's another tedious question from your resident AC newbie:

What's the deal with all the AI factions being a**h**es when my faction's "dominance" rating leaves them in the dust?
I'm trying for a game where I can Pact everybody, build build build, and win by Transcendence. I've dumbed down the game to Specialist.

(a) No one wants to even Treaty with me.
(b) Their attitude plummets into Seething and demand such and such a technology (not that they could know I had that tech in the first place).
(c) If I don't give them the technology, even if they are a weeny faction, they declare Vendetta.
(d) If I can avoid talking to them, however, they don't do anything.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Being Top Dog has its disadvantages. This being the chief disadvantages.

OTOH, IMO some factions are a bit more receptive then others. I've found Morgan a bit more receptive 'specially if your green. Others tho' seem to be a bit unreasonable. Ohh well just means you have your choice of who you want to take out.

'course if your allready at vendetta might as well try a couple probe actions framing someone else and get the whole planet at war with each other.

[Lefty Scaevola]

Originally posted by Ogie Oglethorpe
This being the chief disadvantages.

Actually, I like this part. Being all to hesitant to launch war of naked aggression, I approve of the AI getting an inferiority complex and and starting suicidal vedettas.

[Earwicker]

Originally posted by Lefty Scaevola

Actually, I like this part. Being all to hesitant to launch war of naked aggression, I approve of the AI getting an inferiority complex and and starting suicidal vedettas.

This also is my approach. The chief advantage of such futile AI ventures is that once your attacker is decimated, your reputation remains good enough that they will probably surrender to you. One less hostile faction. Repeat 5 times (but refuse the 5th surrender if you want to hang on until transcendence).

[Mr. President]

It makes the game more difficult. Plus it's just like real life.

[RedFred]

The Peace Challenge (no wars throughout the game, or even nothing less than treaty after contact) is winnable even at Transcend level.

Tips - stay small, very small. If you are up for the One City Challenge you have the best shot at it. Running factions aversions will get you into trouble too. Shower the other factions with gifts, particularly those that are averse or hostile to you. Keeping your rep noble will help too. Your idea about not talking to a hostile faction will only work for so long.

[BigRich]

Originally posted by Earwicker


This also is my approach. The chief advantage of such futile AI ventures is that once your attacker is decimated, your reputation remains good enough that they will probably surrender to you. One less hostile faction. Repeat 5 times (but refuse the 5th surrender if you want to hang on until transcendence).

- I've done that before Forgot that the pact of servitude (or whatever its called) counted as wiping out the enemy faction completely. Bit of an anti-climax for Zakharov the humane to unite Planet under his banner when he was nicely set up for a Transcendance victory.

Rich

[Grail Quest]

Originally posted by Mr. President
It makes the game more difficult. Plus it's just like real life.

Oh please. The Spartans don't know where the h*ll I am on the map, and they declare Vendetta against me?

They're toe to toe against the Hive in a vicious border war, and they declare Vendetta against the mightiest faction (i.e., me) on Planet?

I would think everyone would want to be my friend, share in the benefits of economy, buy tech, and bribe me like crazy to be their Pact Brother/Sister/Alien so that they can ask me to help them with their petty little squabbles.

[BigRich]

Originally posted by Grail Quest

I would think everyone would want to be my friend, share in the benefits of economy, buy tech, and bribe me like crazy to be their Pact Brother/Sister/Alien so that they can ask me to help them with their petty little squabbles.

Well yes they may well want to be. Alternatively they could be jealous of your power and influence, especially if you subscribe to a rather different ideology, and be determined to bring you down at all costs. Sadly this sounds all *too* like real life.

Rich.

[KrysiasKrusader]

Originally posted by RedFred


If you are up for the One City Challenge you have the best shot at it.

What's the "One City Challenge" ?

[RedFred]

KK, a great source of fun challenges is Vel's Strat guide. The concept behind the OCC challenge is that you never expand beyond one base. Further restrictions for more advanced versions of the challenge include stuff like: you must transcend but leave all other victory conditions on, transcend level, no conquering or subverting other bases, completion of a certain number of Secret Projects...

...and it is still a winnable proposition.

If you use the search engine here, you might be able to dig up some of the many threads on this issue.

The game will go surprisingly quickly because you just have the one base to worry about. I was intimidated by the thought of only having one base, but if you are an astute diplomat no one will ever attack you. You will find that the AI is much more friendly, since you will never be high on the might chart.

[KrysiasKrusader]

Thanks RedFred, I've tried the search engine here... but didn't get much more of an explanation.

I'd like for someone to direct me to the right area so as to get the correct parameters for conducting this "One City Challenge".

[spartak]

One good thing with OCC - you never have faction dominance.

[RedFred]

KK, I have bumped a thread with one set of OCC rules which would be good for a first try. As far as the real rules, well we pretty much invented them here on this board and everyone does it a little differently. The only real rule is to have fun.

The best authority on this and other challenges is Vel's SMAX Strat guide which I can personally highly recommend. And not just for the challenges; reading it is sure to improve your game.