[Baron Munchausen]

Originally posted by cybersol:
Does anyone know what specifically causes the AI to switch from exploration to infrastructure?

And how is incursion different from attack?

Exactly why it switches states is not very clear.

Incursion seems to mean 'attacked by someone else' while Attack means 'attack someone else'. So, I think the 'secure holdings after incursion state' is repair of your empire after it's been attacked. A useful state. But it might also be triggered after you've conquered a new system. The AI 'advances' by claiming a system and then attacking the 'foreign' presence there, remember.