Diplomacy
Factions interact with one another. Much of this action is with diplomacy. By #talking with other faction leaders, different diplomatic status can be negotiated and trading can occur.
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Faction ratings
Factions are rated by might and integrity. Might is a measure of how powerful a faction is and integrity is determined by how often a faction has violated commitments and how often it has committed atrocities. The different levels of each are given bellow. Each might rating is used at most once for the 7 factions with the most powerful taking Unsurpassed, the next Potent, and so on. Only the integrity of human factions matter.
<b<Might</b>: Unsurpassed, Potent, Formidable, Sufficient, Wanting, Anemic, Feeble Integrity: Noble, Faithful, Scrupulous, Dependable, Ruthless, Treacherous
The more mighty and less dependable a faction is, the more difficult that faction will find diplomacy. Despite this week factions who are losing wars are often very friendly with powerful factions in hopes of getting their assistance.
The attitude of a faction towards one another is important. The better the attitude the more friendly a faction will be towards the other faction. Differences in might, faction integrity, history, social engineering agreement or disagreement, faction leader personality, and diplomatic status all have an impact on attitude. The list of attitudes are bellow. The attitude of a faction towards yours can been seen by right clicking the faction from the #commlink panel. This also shows the other faction's social engineering choices.
<Attitude</b>: Magnanimous, Solicitous, Cooperative, Noncommittal, Ambivalent, Obstinate, Belligerent, Seething.
There is a special attitude: Submissive. When a human faction is fighting against an AI faction and the AI factions is losing, the AI leader might offer to surrender to the human faction. When this happens, the war ends, a #Pact is signed between the two, the AI faction gives the human faction all of its known tech advances and its energy credits, and the defeated faction becomes submissive of the conqueror. When in this state, the submissive faction will not refuse any request made by the human faction and there is an impact on scoring. If the human faction breaks the pact, the defeated faction will no longer be submissive. The AI player may only offer this once and a surrender cannot be demanded or requested by a human faction.
Diplomatic status
Any two factions are in one of four diplomatic states, pact, treaty, truce, or vendetta. This status can be seen next to the name of the faction in the #commlinks. Each one has different characteristics and different ways of obtaining the status.
Pact
In a pact the two factions are considered to be allies. Each can move units freely in each others territory and even occupy the same square including a base. If a faction's units are in a pact partner's base then the faction may be called upon to defend the base. In combat, each unit in a stack is considered to belong to the same faction (eg. taking stack damage). A faction ignores the zone of control restrictions normally incurred when moving next to another faction's units regardless of location.
During every conversation both parties exchange map information automatically and one gets infiltrator information on one's pact partners. Twice as much commerce occurs then under a treaty and proposed trades are more likely to be accepted. There is an expectation that when one faction finds themselves under vendetta that pact partners will join in though refusing to do so will not automatically cancel the pact (though the other faction might find this enough reason to end it).
Pacts can be negotiated by diplomacy with some other transaction occurring or not. Either party can break the pact at any time for any reason through diplomacy. When a pact is broken, the two factions continue under a treaty and all units in the other partner's territory are removed to the owning faction's bases. This can leave sea units stranded in a non-coastal land base.
AI factions are more likely to join a pact with a faction that embraces its favored social engineering choice or when under a vendetta from a more formidable faction. A pact partnership can be bought with gifts of cash or technology but these pacts are less likely to endure without constant gifts.
It is impossible to declare a vendetta against a pact partner.
When a faction surrenders to another faction during a vendetta the state is a special type of pact. The faction that surrendered cannot break the pact and will do anything that the other faction asks.
Treaty
In a treaty the two factions have formal diplomatic relations without being allies. Some amount of commerce occurs though not as much as in a pact and there is a written agreement to keep units out of the other faction's territory. All of the usual diplomatic options are allowed.
If your units are in another faction's territory you have a treaty with you are likely to get a request or a demand to withdraw units. If it is a request, your units you stay where they are and you have the option of exiting the other faction's territory normally or not. If it is a demand, you will be given the option of withdrawing all units to the nearest base or not. If you refuse a demand the other faction is likely to declare a vendetta on your faction. Withdrawing all units to the nearest base could leave a sea unit stranded at an inland base. A demand can be made even if you refuse communication.
If another faction's units are in your territory and you have a treaty with that faction you can make the same request or demand. To demand withdraw, right click on the faction name in the #commlinks and chose that option. If the other faction accepts your request or demand, they immediately remove all units from your territory. If they refuse they declare vendetta. A demand can be made even if they refuse communication.
A treaty can be negotiated between factions that have a truce, canceling a pact also results in a treaty, a pact can be negotiated between factions that have a treaty, and a faction with a treaty with another faction can declare a vendetta. If an AI faction refuses a treaty with a faction that it has a truce with, the AI faction will likely be hostile towards the other one. A player should expect demands for tribute.
Truce
A truce is an informal agreement not to attack the other faction and nothing more. All factions start the game in a state of truce with other factions. There is no agreement to respect the other faction's territory but not doing so is considered to be aggressive. The same options for withdraw are available as in a treaty with the same usual consequences. No commerce or other cooperation is engaged in by parties to a truce
A treaty can be negotiated between any two factions with a truce. Refusal of an AI faction to enter into a treaty means it is less likely to engage in positive diplomatic relations. The only way for two factions to enter a truce is for them to be in a state of vendetta and for them to negotiate a peace. The first peace after a vendetta is a truce though a faction can immediately try and negotiate a treaty.
Vendetta
In a vendetta a state of war exists between the two factions. Units from one faction can attack the other units with impunity barring the commission of Atrocities. The only diplomatic options available to factions are ones that will end the vendetta. If factions agree to end a vendetta they enter into a truce unless one faction surrenders in which case they enter a special type of pact. There is an expectation that at the end of a vendetta that the factions will wait a period of time (10-20 years) before declaring vendetta anew.
AI factions have the option of declaring a vendetta through diplomatic channels. In the unmodified game, human factions do not have this ability. Apart from special exceptions, the only way for a human faction to declare war on another faction is to attack the other faction outright or to get the other faction mad enough to declare vendetta on the human player. Attacking another faction without a vendetta in place, lowers a faction's integrity though other methods of declaring vendetta do not.
Commlinks
The commlinks panel in the lower right lists all the factions the player has had any contact with and still exists in the game. Commlink information is exchanged when any two units or bases of different factions are in a square next to each other. They can also be bought. At first contact, an AI faction is likely to request communications. Throughout the game AI factions will sometimes request communications. The player can request communications by left clicking on a faction name in the commlink menu. Requests for communication can be granted or denied. Demands for withdraw and sometimes insults can never be ignored however. Occasionally sunspot activity will prevent communication for a period of 20 years at a time.
When an AI player contacts a human player in a friendly mood, the AI player can ask for a loan, ask to exchange technologies, ask for the human player to declare vendetta against a third faction, offer to buy or sell commlink frequencies, or ask for a treaty or pact. When an AI player contacts a human player in an aggressive mood they will ask for tribute of some kind. In this situation, the human player has the option of asking to pay about half of the tribute or refusing. Asking to pay half results in either acceptance or a renewed demand for the whole tribute. Refusing tribute runs a good risk of having the AI player declare vendetta on the human player.
When a human player contacts an AI player one of the above may happen first. If the AI player is in a good enough mood the human player will have the following options:
- Give a gift: the human player can voluntarily give technologies, energy credit or bases to the other player to help improve to mood of the other player.
- Demand tribute: the human player can demand that the other player give energy credits, technologies, or bases from the other. This will likely lower the mood of the other player regardless of weather the other player agrees. Tribute is demanded by requesting something from the other player and choosing "otherwise we will attack" option.
- Make a trade: the human player can request technologies, energy credits, or bases from the other player in exchange for one of these three.
- Request a treaty or a pact: the player can offer technologies, energy credits, or bases if the request is granted.
- Request a joint attack on a third faction: the player can offer technologies, energy credits, or bases if the request is granted. If the request is granted both parties will be expected to declare war or attack the agreed upon target.
- Request a vote in the Planetary Council: The player can purchase the vote of another faction in a forthcoming meeting. Trying to purchase a vote beforehand is less expensive but might be wasted if the faction would vote the requested way anyways.
- Request withdraw: can be refused leading to a vendetta.
- Call of a vendetta: request that the faction negotiate peace with a third party.
- Exchange battle plans: if the two factions have a treaty or pact and are in conflict with the same third faction, you can request the other faction attack a particular base.
- Request a loan: you can request to have about half the energy credits the other faction leader has and repay about 1/50 of this amount over the next 100 years (so you end up repaying twice the amount loaned). The loans other faction leaders request of you are on similar terms. In all states but a vendetta, loan repayments are made, but are suspended during a vendetta. The AI player is not above requesting a loan and then a few turns later declaring vendetta with a buoyed treasury.
A human player is given a limited opportunity to engage in these actions. After so many the other faction leader with close communications. The better mood the other faction leader is in, the longer negotiations will last. If a faction leader closes communications, it may take some time before that faction leader is willing to talk with you. Also the better mood the other faction leader is in, the more likely proposed deals will be successful.
Planetary Council
Once any faction has obtained the commlink frequencies for all extant factions, it has the ability to call the Planetary Council. The first time the Planetary Council is called, all factions gain the commlink frequencies for all other factions preventing further commlink frequency trading. Proposals effecting planetwide concerns are voted on in the council. Each faction can call the council once every 20 years, the planetary governor can call the council every 10 years, and other than votes for Planetary Governor, the council cannot be called if its been called in the previous 10 years.
There are several proposals available. The faction making the proposal must have researched the technology unlocking that proposal. A proposal cannot be made more than once in a 20 year period. This means that when a planetary governor is elected, it is for a term of at-lest 20 years. The launch solar shade and increase solar shade count as different proposals but each increase in the solar shade does not.
Each member in the council has one vote. The voting options are "yea," "nay," and "abstain". For a measure to pass there must be more yea votes than nay votes. The Planetary Governor can veto any proposal that does not have the support of every other extant faction. This also means that once the number of factions are reduced to 3, the veto is gone. A player can click on the faction symbol for the vote to try and use energy credits or technology to get that faction to change their vote.
| Planetary Council Proposals | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Proposal | Prerequisite | Other Required Conditions | Effects |
| Elect Planetary Govenor | None | None | See bellow |
| Repeal UN Charter | Advanced Military Algorithms | UN Charter in effect | Reduces atrocity restrictions and effects |
| Reinstate UN Charter | Advanced Military Algorithms | UN Charter has been repealed | Reinstates atrocity restrictions and effects |
| Global Trade Pact | Planetary Economics | Global Trade Pact not in effect | Doubles the amount of energy gained through commerce |
| Repeal Global Trade Pact | Planetary Economics | Global Trade Pact in effect | Halves the amount of energy gained through commerce |
| Salvage Unity Fusion Core | Orbital Spaceflight | Has not been passed before | All factions gain 500 energy credits |
| Launch Solar Shade | Advanced Spaceflight | Does not exist | Lowers sea levels over a period of time |
| Increase Solar Shade | Advanced Spaceflight | Solar Shade exists | Lowers sea levels over a period of time |
| Melt Polar Caps | Adv. Ecological Engineering | None | Raises sea levels over a period of time |
| Unite Behind Me As Supreme Ruler | Mind/Machine Interface | Is the Planetary Governor or has the most votes for that post | Wins the game. Requires 3/4 vote. |
Planetary Governor
Any faction leader can call an election for Planetary Governor. In such an election each faction has a number of votes equal to its population modified by faction abilities and secret projects. The two faction leaders with the most votes stand for election with each faction leader having the option of one, the other, or abstaining. The faction leader who gets more votes than the other is elected Governor. In addition to the benefits in council proceedings (getting to make a proposal more often and veto power), the planetary governor gets one extra point of commerce in each base conducting commerce per faction the base conducts commerce with and gets infiltrator information on all other factions.
Supreme Ruler
If a faction has discovered Mind/Machine Interface and is either the Planetary Governor or has the most votes for that position, the faction leader can move that the planetary council declares himself or herself Supreme Ruler. Each faction has the same number of votes for this office as it does for planetary governor. If the faction leader gets 3/4 of all available votes voting "yea," the faction leader is elected Supreme Ruler.
If a leader is elected Supreme Ruler all other faction leaders have the option of accepting his or her rule or not. Usually factions will except the leader even if voting "nay." A faction that refuses will declare vendetta on the Supreme Ruler if not already at that state. If all factions that reject a ruler are defeated (conquered or surrendered) than the Supreme Ruler wins the game.
