New Minor Civ Event - Biased Against Humans? - and other ways to improve this event

from Stardock Forums
I've noticed that the new minor civ event appears to be biased against the human player. The new minor civ gets to start with every tech that the human player gets. I read somewhere else that the new minor civ is supposed to get every tech already discovered, plus one bonus tech. If the humans aren't the tech leader, then the new minor civ isn't getting all the techs it deserves. The humans should be able to exploit the new minor to catch up on tech, and the AIs should also exploit the new minor. The new minor civ does not appear to get techs that an AI has, but the humans do not have.

I also noticed that the best strategy for dealing with new minors is pretty simple: Sell them all my trade goods for cash, and dispatch an invasion fleet. The new minor civ should be given enough starting stats so that it can survive for a few years. I was thinking that a new minor civ should get some or all of:

- A cultural resistance rating that allows it to survive, given the current level of influence by the majors. I think this already happens.

- Enough ships so that it has a military rating of 100 or 200, so it isn't an automatic invasion target. The ships should be of the best quality currently available, or maybe even 1 rating better.

- Enough +soldiering and +defense to enable it to withstand an invasion.

- Give the new minor every social project and capital appropriate for its tech level, or give it a +production boost so it can catch up quickly.

- Enough freighters, created in position, so it can start its trade routes immediately.

- A planet of PQ better than 16, or a good +PQ racial ability.

- A starting population of more than 100, or a huge +population growth ability.

- A good +economy and +trade rating, so it can pay the upkeep on the above.

- Sometimes, a new minor should be created with an alliance with a major or the I-League.

As it is right now, the new minor is just a cash cow and imeediate invasion target. The new minors should have more staying power.
371 views 9 replies
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
The most important thing, in my opinion, is to give them some ships. In my last game, a minor popped up in a system two parsecs next to one of mine. So I just bought a transport and sent it over before they could build a single ship to defend themselfes.
Enough ships so that it has a military rating of 100 or 200, so it isn't an automatic invasion target. The ships should be of the best quality currently available, or maybe even 1 rating better.
End of quote

But I think that isn't the best idea. Now imagine you and the remaining AIs a REAL big and have a STRONG military - then the minor would easily get 25 ships of the best kind or more, and a minor popping up with 25 Dreadnoughts is neither realistic nor balanced. Just give them 2-6 good defensice ships and that's it.
Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
> Just give them 2-6 good defensice ships and that's it.

The problem is that 2-6 good defensive ships can still be used up pretty quickly. If you're going to give the minor only 2-6 ships, then you also have to give them something like +200%-500% defense, so they're comparable with the majors who have military resources.

I find that I sometimes sell Battleships to minors, only to have them die to a major's frigates. The reason is that the minor doesn't have any military resources, and it has a weaker military ability.
Remember that the AI decides to go to war based on military ranking, and a ranking of 100 is usually needed to stay out of war. I think that a good +defense stat could be used to beef up the minor's military rating.
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
I guess another point is that the new minor civ event currently only creates 2 types of minors: terrorists and non-terrorists. It would be nice to see more variety in this event.

Wouldn't it be neat to invade a minor, only to find out they had +10000% soldiering!
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
I think I kinda like the new minors,
they last for a good 15-20 turns...
that's usually how long it takes for me to depete their cash selling trade goods.

After that it's invasion time.

My main complaint is that they all use the same graphic, all those images going unused.
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
I have to admit that I get annoyed with new minors appearing with all the techs. I'm usually the leader tech wise and to have a minor appear and be able to trade away techs I spent years researching and guarding from other races if very annoying. It forces me to invade asap to stop them doing this. Making minors even more powerful would be more annoying. What I would prefer to see is to remove the reason for an immediate invasion. Suggestions are

- new minors only receive techs which ALL major races already have
- new minors gain a substantial +economic bonus and +trade and + trade routes

This would make new minors more valuable alive as trading partners and add to the mix of the game. They would never be a threat and you'd only invade if you needed the planet as a base or to stop another race invading.

Paul.

~SDC~
Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
New minors are often only a new star in the nearest major's empire, or the human, who will usually attack them faster if we can. I agree that giving them a few battle hammers and more pop (soldiering won't help if they are only 300million when you invade) would help them.
Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
What I was thinking was that there should be more variety in the new minor event. For each of the ideas mentioned, some should occur each time.