Starting a game directly besides a minor?

from Stardock Forums
I was wondering lately, when my starting location was directly beside a minor (the Scottlingas), whether that is a good thing or not...

My map settings were rare planets, large galaxy, with all opponents on normal. It was hard finding a good starting location, and this one was quite good (Earth quality 21, plus two 16 quality planets in the same system) - except that the scottlingas were there.

Now if I was a militaristic sort of guy I would just crush the buggers and get a quality 22 planet as a bonus, but I'm a pure builder - I try to get along with everyone. So my first thought was, "hey, cool - I'll culture-flip them!" but remembered from my last game that the minors seem to be nigh un-culture-flippable (had three systems with influence rating above 160 around an influence 25 system). So I wondered whether having them there would not be more of a nuisance than anything else...

Any opinions anyone?

~SDC~
424 views 19 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top

Personaly i never start next to a minor or any other race. I prefer the chance to expand that one more planet, and wouldnt relish having to compete with a minor. Plus minors always become the main interest of the major AI's at some point :) And being directly next to them is not somewhere i would like to be.

AeonOfTime, please feel free to drop by the Diplomats forum and have a chat with other galciv players on a variety of game points and subjects.  Link > http://diplomats.galciv.org then follow the diections to the forum. We look forward to seeing you there.

Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
I like having minors as neighbours. They build up their planets, saving you the trouble, and when they've done a manufacturing capital and economic capital, I conquer them (unless they're doing a lot of trade with me, in which case I spare them.
It's less good if you're going the pacifist route. All the minors you can meet at the start, apart from the Alexians, are incredibly culture-resistant. Still, no reason you shouldn't be able to get along. Just try to colonise the neighbouring stars before they do, and use them as a trading partner. Eventually, he may get conquered by a major. At that point, you can try to culture flip the star.

~SDC~
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Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
Eventually, he may get conquered by a major. At that point, you can try to culture flip the star.
End of quote


That's a good idea :D Thanks for the tip! As they are so close to my homeworld, cluture-flipping the conquered planet should be a breeze. I can even incite a major to go to war with them to speed up the process (yes, *that* does fit into my 'builder' philosophy ;p ).

when they've done a manufacturing capital and economic capital, I conquer them
End of quote


I nearly forgot about that - passing on a bonus like that would be plain stupid. Thanks again, I'll keep all that in mind in the game!

~SDC~
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
I'm with Matthew...i like it when minors are close,i make them my Trade Babies just in case in time of war those long routes go away,if you use trade mods on starbases it makes those short routes good,gift them things to make there home world wonderful,then take it,the're minors after all... :D
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Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
It depends on what minor it is often. The Alexians will eventually flip, while the Carinoids almost never flip. The Carinoids make good trade partners if you can keep the other majors from conquering them.
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
If the minor is exactly 2 squares away from Earth and you make the shortest-possible trade route (only 1 turn per roundrip), you get a trade route with ZERO income.
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
you get a trade route with ZERO income
End of quote


That cuts their usefulness down to zero too if you don't want to conquer them, I guess :p
Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
I am with letting them develop and then go and get a nice developed planet for you, its like raising pigs, wait until they are grown and fat and then make sausage!!!

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Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
Minors are Cashcows - Enough said :)
Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top
Not enough said!
How does that work for Maso minors who refuse to pay cash for techs, and who decide not to trade with you?

~SDC~
Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top
Conquer them, they love to see you coming and takin their planet.
Reply #12 from Stardock Forums Top
Yeah, I have found that minors at low levels that pay out their rear ends for techs that they will never use to be helpful. But at Maso, I now play with the initial minors turned off. They just take space from me and give the other majors who will get to them first free planets. But those late game minors...Another story entierely. LOL
Reply #13 from Stardock Forums Top
How does that work for Maso minors ... and who decide not to trade with you?
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Really? I've never had a minor refuse to trad tech. It has to be a good trade, just like with the majors... I.E. don't expect to get anything for stellar. ;) But I've never had a minor out and out refuse to trade tech.
Reply #14 from Stardock Forums Top
decide not to trade with you
End of quote

I meant decide not to send you freighters. They'll trade techs for techs, but once you've got all their techs and they're left behind technologically, there's nothing left to get from them apart from influence points. And to me the word 'Cashcows' suggests that they would give you large amounts of money, not techs.

~SDC~
Reply #15 from Stardock Forums Top
I meant decide not to send you freighters
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You must have a knack for upsetting them Matthew, I usually get lots of freighters coming in from the minors. It's a pain that you can't trade for ships with the minors, but now they don't build TGs they're very little annoyance and good for those early tech trades, leaving you spare tech to trade with the majors for freighters, advanced trade etc. As all they ever do is fill their orbits up with corvettes, then they are easily conquered in the mid-game. :D

I.E. don't expect to get anything for stellar
End of quote


Actually, with plenty of diplo bonuses, I've had some very nice trades for stellar cartography. Failing that, it's a very useful give-away tech to help bump relations early on, as none of the AIs ever research it. :HOT:
Reply #16 from Stardock Forums Top
I usually get lots of freighters coming in from the minors.
End of quote


I too usually get trading routs from the minors - often the very first one established. I also get good trades from majors for drones, cartography, and a few others, sometime such items as Dreadnaughts, etc.
Reply #17 from Stardock Forums Top
I usually get lots of freighters coming in from the minors.
End of quote

So do I, but not from all the minors. Some trade with me, some don't. I go to the diplomacy screen and click on the button in the middle that tells me what % of their income comes from trade with me. If the number's too low, I start preparing to invade.

~SDC~
Reply #18 from Stardock Forums Top
Even on maso they are useful for trading techs and for following their freighters in order to let them find out the other majors location for you (no use scouting randomly when following the minor's ships works so well). And sending them freighters is often useful too.
Reply #19 from Stardock Forums Top
I meant decide not to send you freighters
End of quote


Ah... Yes... This happens to me regularly. I rarely get trade routes from the minors from the first wave until I send them a frieghter. Which I never do. Once I've got all the tech... they are just another world to take.

I don't get freigthers from the second wave of minors either... But then they will buy tech for cash. So I usually blockade and get two rounds of tech sales in by trading exclusively with the minors. This helps put economic pressure on the majors... start a war or two and ba bing, ba boom... dead major.