Newbie Question: Neutal Races

[Phoenix-D]

"However what is hard coded is, that neutrals don't colonize outside their original system and only on rare exceptions send ships through warp points."

I think they don't send ships at *all* now. Oh, and don't bother trying to take over a neutral mid-game and make them into a regular race- you give the warp command and your ships will just sit their scraching their heads going "Warp? What's that?"

Phoenix-D

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by capnq:
Neutrals also always spend 0 racial points, regardless of what starting points new players get from the Game Set-Up, so all their characteristics are Average, and they never have Advanced Traits.

Someting worthwhile IMHO is giving them a racial tech. For example, the Nutolh (sp?) Group's description says their eyes can see a wide spectrum. Maybe they could start the game with a racial tech only sensor that can see everything. Then they'd be a partner you'd want to keep alive as a buffer zone.

How to keep the AI on friendly terms is difficult though. But at least now you have a reason to try.

I can't think of one for each neutral race. The Zynarra Holdings having some sort of freeze ray, I dunno that's kinda dumb, and you couldn't really profit from that.

The Tetrak Hedgemony( those Oxy Ice herd sapients) might have some extra tough troops maybe, and you could try to trade for a transport full of them.

I suppose if trading with the AI were more reliable, keeping them alive would be more useful. As it stands now, if they like you they'll trade colonization tech for DUC 5, but if the don't they won't even accept a tribute of 2 colonization techs, a planet, star charts, 100000 resources.

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by tbontob:

For example, if I my empire produces 3 times the resources of the neutral (say 60,000 vs 20,000)have a trade treaty with a Neutral and it reaches 20%, then the benefit I recieve is only 4,000 (20%x20,000) vs the benefit the neutal recieves of 12,000 (20%x60,000).

Hmm ... as I understood the manual, the trade alliance worked differently. You got 20 % of YOUR production. It wasn't trade with the AI per say, it's meant to reflect a boost to your production caused by the trade. I think that's how I've seen trade income reported in the empire window as well.

So in your example, the 20 % bonus would be 12,000 for you, 4,000 for the neutral.

[ August 17, 2002, 17:09: Message edited by: Arkcon ]

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by ckotchey:
So one more question then: what controls the number of neutrals present in a game? Since they seem easy targets, is it simply a fixed percentage, random, or adjusted by the difficulty level of the CPU players when setting up a game.

I also notice that the neutral races seem to have flags that are simple - of a single color. Is this a good assumption to help identify them?

1). Well at game setup you can select few, moderate, and many AI opponents. If generate neutral empires is on, then it will generate them. I think it's locked together -- if 4 regular AI's are generated, then 4 neutrals are generated

2). For the default game, flag color may do it. But the flag can be any design for a mod race. But then, someone could make a race with a description "Psycho warrior expansionists", give them a fascinating ship set and make them a neutral.

[Q]

Originally posted by Phoenix-D:
I think they don't send ships at *all* now. Oh, and don't bother trying to take over a neutral mid-game and make them into a regular race- you give the warp command and your ships will just sit their scraching their heads going "Warp? What's that?"

Phoenix-D

It is rare but I have seen it. I even had once a neutral empire blowing up another solar system with a star destroyer!

[dogscoff]

If you want the neutrals to be worthwhile opponents rather than conquer-fodder, play proportions. The economic emphasis on the homeworld means that it is far harder to out-pace and overwhelm them. Also, the fact that they keep all their ships in the home system means that their homeworlds are often better defended than those of other races.

[Mind Elemental]

I've taken over neutrals and had them establish colonies outside their home system...

Phoenix, this may be a dumb question, but did you remember to turn AI off for the ex-neutral in the empire options screen?

[Phoenix-D]

It was off. It was an entire game on PBW that got screwed up because of that may have changed back since

[gregebowman]

Ok, got a question. Once you download these neutral races, where do you put them? In the races folder, or the neutral folder?

[Lord_Shleepy]

Place new neutral races in the "neutral races" folder...otherwise...unless I am mistaken...they will be treated as full fledged races. and we can't have that now can we?