Minor Races and PQ

No rule as far as I know. Luck of the draw.

At higher difficulties they may be getting PQ bonuses along with all the others... don't know for sure.
[Message Edited]

Damoose is right: one of the elements that adds to the difficulty level is that the AIs get a PQ bonus on the planets they settle (including NEW ones they settle, not just the one they start with). Welcome ObsidiOn!

We should mention that that's only on the highest difficulty level. (Second highest?)

~SDC~

I'm pretty sure both Genius and Incredible AIs get PQ bonuses (along with lots of others!)

Thanks guys!
I gave up on playing a few months ago (school), and now I came back and updated, and it's a completely different game. I'm finding it a little discouraging, I'm gonna start toning down my difficulty until I get back into it.

Actually I thought anything above normal got bonuses.

Anything below Painful gets enonomic penalites. Crippling gets a slight economic bonus, but I don't know what else. I honestly didn't notice any difference when I went up fron Painful to Crippling, but Maso was just rediculous when I tried it, so if Crippling gets bonuses they're nothing compared to Maso.

~SDC~

i think what he means is they always start in areas with many yellow stars- and hes got a point. I have never, ever played a game (except on tiny/small) where all of the minor civs had just 1 or 2 worlds. 1 of them always gets at least 4-6, and its usually the caranoids. Last 6 games ive played they have had no less than 5 star systems.

edit: after rereading his post and the title, i could be off the mark and you guys are right. It always pays to reread stuff BEFORE you make yourself look stupid, so that it doesnt happen hehe...
[Message Edited]

Black Shade, yeah that's what I was getting at. It's gotten to the point where in my early scouting, if I find a minor it's a red flag that there are PQ 20ish planets in the area. And I've never found this to be wrong; can't think of why though.

All races starting planets are at least class 16, usually 18. Minor races always start with at least a 19. This is by design. Even minor races that spontaneously appear get their worlds terraformed to class 18+ if they were lower before.

The surrounding territory is not garaunteed to have any particular quality, but the planets in the near vicinity of any starting race have a tendancy to higher quality too, and that usually includes the Terrans.

~SDC~

The spontaneous minors in the last game I played only had their planets at 16, not 18.