Needs some advice on how to make lasting intergalactic friends

I think trading with them helps, though I might be making that up. Also, give them stuff. Obsolete ships make a fantastic gift to civs you are trying to butter up.

~SDC~

Agreed on giving away ships. Instead of scrapping old ships, find some needy race to give them to. The benefits are improved relations and if they are at war, helping to slow down who they are at war with.


~SDC~

Making them dependent on you helps too. Send freighters to their planets and make them dependent on your trade routes.

~SDC~

Since Im not one for tactical combat when im still knee deep in social programs, I gave hell of a lot of battle ships and tech to make em to the other sizable civ that was at war with my enemy. They loved me for it until we brought the enemy down to their knees.... then they started to demand tribute from me! Those ungreatful bastards!

Trade seems to be the biggest factor in my experience. In my current game I even got the demonic Drengin to ally with me (as a pure good player) through trade routes.

One easy way to encourage trade from all the civs is to build a "trade magnet" starbase by adding all 3 of the trade modules. If I do this in the early part of the game (soon after trade tech becomes available), I usually get most of the trade. For more encouragement you can even build more than one trade starbase in a sector.

Yup, trades the way to go. I notice that once their economy is more than about 25% dependant on you, they suck up more

~SDC~

trade, giving them stuff, giving them better deals in trades (they remember this i hear), NOT attacking their friends, attacking their enemies, being the same alignment as them