Should a race be able to surrender to you if you demand all of its planets?

from Stardock Forums
This debate was started in another thread somewhere and now I can't find it. Perhaps it was in a thread titled "bug reports" or "impressions of the latest beta" or "suggestions". So I would like to restart the debate here.

The comment was that someone had been able to force a race to give up every last planet it had and thought that was not a reasonable way for the AI to act, and a response was made that something would be done to make sure an AI can not give up its last planet.

I have been thinking about this some and have a question: If I have 24 Avatars and a transport surrounding a race's last planet, am at war with the race, have destroyed all of that race's ships, and am negotiating peace with that race why can't I be saying "give it all up or I will take it all from you!"? If confronted with such a cituation what choices does that race have? It would seem only two; give up or commit suicide (i.e., tell me to do my worst, which would amount to the same thing). So why not let the AI decide whether it has a chance or not and act accordingly. Perhaps even a third choice is available (maybe only some of the time), to turn over all of its assets to another race, perhaps to spite me and in the hopes that the other race will have a better chance of curtailing my aggressive behavior?

Cheers,
Jack
440 views 11 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
Perhaps even a fourth option,

give control of it's remaining planet to the UP. Makes the planet protected (historical reserve showing a once great race in it's home environment) but takes the race out of the game. You could possibly still trade with it?

Paul.
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
In OS/2 I got races to surrend much before the point you described.
Star Control: Origins
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
Yes, we will be putting in the surrender option soon. But at least now you can ally with aliens who will help you mop up the race you're at war with, and when you're allied with everyone, you win the game. :)
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
Why not something like in Alpha Centauri:
-"You've crushed us, Mighty Chairman Yang. Spare our lives and we'll give you all our techs and money!"
-"Fine, but you must swear a Pact to serve me!"
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
That is cool, if you are evil.
Need something like we admire your great culture and peaceful ways please let us
become part of a great civilization where all live in peace.
Sure welcome aboard.
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
Another scenario is the friendly takeover. The race decides that becoming "one" with you would be a good thing and responds positively to your peaceful overture to trade all their planets for some sort of gain.
Cheers
Magus
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
Magus,

What would they be able to gain? Once they turned over all of their planets to you the race would be officially dead.

Cheers,
Jack
Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
Hmmm well, they'd lose control, but gain technology and advancements. For example, they'd be happy and free of diseases because that you have made moral improvemts and researched virues elimination and other techs. Altho they would not rule any planet, but they'll live - in opposite of getting killed in battles. The race would be dead in the game tho, not beeing able to trade/talk with them - but their citizens would live :)

Or something. I havent thought about it at all and am infact a little tired.
Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
Or something more Borg-like.

We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. Prepare to be assimilated. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile.

LOL
Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top
Empires will give up their last planet if you trade them tech. Is this right? :notsure: For some reason, the regeneration tech (sometimes added to a few other techs) is so wonderful that I got four empires to surrender their last planet to me. I don't think that any race would give up merely to get a tech or two. Even if you gave them all your tech, as soon as they give you their last planet they're out of the game. Maybe there should be a message like this "Due to your empire's incredible military, economic and technological strength (those cases being true), X Empire has decided to accept Auchliss with your empire. Long live the unbreakable union of the X Empire and the Human Empire." For an enemy empire to give away their last planet to get a tech seems unlikely. I was playing at an easy level (Comfortable), but still!

What do you all think?
Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top
That's a balance issue.