quote:
Originally posted by taterbill:
But on the downside, neutrals seem to be "borders" for AI empires. I've only played a few games of SE4 so far, but I don't recall ever making first contact with an empire that had expanded beyond a neutral whose system acted as a chokepoint. So the presence of neutrals will probably (on average) really slow down the onset of First Contact and Activation.
Actually, I find them to be bothersome if their system has access to the only way into another cluster. They slow me down because they always declare war on me eventually and attack any of my ships that enter their system. Very annoying, so I either conquer them, annihilate them, or heavily escort colony ships and transports while in that system.
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"What do -you- want?" "I'd like to live -just- long enough to be there when they cut off your head and stick it on a pike as a warning to the next ten generations that some favors come with too high a price. I would look up into your lifeless eyes and wave like this..." *waggle* "...can you and your associates arrange that for me, Mr. Morden?"