I just finished a 25 turn test v1.41 with the same 19 TDM-Modpack v1.72 races as Last test, added as controlled by computer using selected race style in the unfinished map8 posted Last night with a ten good planet (all else default) start. I played the Clays in slot 1 home Central for five turns, then turned control over to full AI on using the AI of the Eee or the default (not sure about that). The table below gives score rank, then # contacted, #wars, #none, # NA, #TA, #TR, #MA, #P, then race name followed by my politics score. The effect of each item is given in parenthesis after it. For each war ten points are subtracted. For each race not contacted two points are subtracted. This is a penalty for timidity, because it is certain that in the nexus quadrant meeting the neighbors is not difficult. Failure to make a treaty is minus one. NA has no effect. Each TA is +1, TR +2, MA+4, P+8. The list is sorted by the politics score I assigned, not by game ranking because in the long run the treaty makers will have the economic power to overcome all war makers. The Ukra Tal, Cue Cappa, and Krill were no surprise, since I saw their treaty making ability in my Last game.

06-19(-00)/1(-10)/00(-00)/0/11(11)/2(04)/2(08)/3(24) Ukra Tal +37 met 4 TA 11
01-19(-00)/1(-10)/01(-01)/0/09(09)/4(08)/4(16)/0(00) Abbidon +22 met 8 TA 10
03-19(-00)/2(-20)/01(-01)/0/10(10)/3(06)/1(04)/2(16) Cue Cappa +15 met 4 TA 7
07-19(-00)/1(-10)/01(-01)/0/15(15)/1(02)/1(04)/0(00) Krill +10 met 8 TA 11
16-18(-02)/1(-10)/04(-04)/0/07(07)/4(08)/2(08)/0(00) Piundan +7 met 6 TA 10
10-19(-00)/2(-20)/02(-02)/1/09(09)/3(06)/1(04)/1(08) Cryslonite +5 met 7 TA 10

13-18(-02)/1(-10)/04(-04)/1/12(12)/0(00)/0(00)/0(00) Amonkrie -4 met 11 TA18
19-19(-00)/1(-10)/11(-11)/0/04(04)/2(04)/0(00)/1(08) Colonials -5 met 6 War 11
04-16(-06)/1(-10)/08(-08)/0/03(03)/3(06)/0(00)/1(08) Eee -7 met 4 War 8
14-17(-04)/0(-00)/12(-12)/0/04(04)/0(00)/1(04)/0(00) Drushocka -8 met 21 none
15-19(-00)/1(-10)/11(-11)/0/05(05)/1(02)/1(04)/0(00) Pyrochette -10 met 4 none
18-16(-06)/1(-10)/05(-05)/0/10(10)/0(00)/0(00)/0(00) Phong -11 met 19 TA 20
09-19(-00)/1(-10)/11(-11)/0/07(07)/0(00)/0(00)/0(00) Sallegra -14 met 8 none
02-19(-00)/1(-10)/12(-12)/0/06(06)/0(00)/0(00)/0(00) Rage -16 met 4 war 9
05-14(-10)/1(-10)/07(-07)/0/05(05)/1(02)/0(00)/0(00) Narn -20 met 4 war 15
17-19(-00)/2(-20)/11(-11)/0/04(04)/1(02)/1(04)/0(00) Toltayan -21 met 2 war 10
08-18(-02)/2(-20)/10(-10)/0/03(03)/2(04)/1(04)/0(00) Toron -21 met 9 war 16
12-16(-06)/1(-10)/12(-12)/0/03(03)/0(00)/0(00)/0(00) Sergetti -25 met 3 none
11-18(-02)/2(-20)/09(-09)/2/05(05)/0(00)/0(00)/0(00) Xi Chung -26 met 6 war 7
20-19(-00)/7(-70)/04(-04)/0/02(02)/1(02)/3(12)/2(16) Clays -42 myself

I would have played longer to see how things developed, but the stupid AI already lost one of my 10 homes, another is almost dead, and only a couple have more than a few defenses. I have only a few ships because they get blown away as soon as they are built. I am under attack by cruisers of seven empires and am doomed to die within ten turns. So much for using the regular AI strategy. It may take a few months, but I will try to develop an AI that can prosper in the nexus home. I will start on it as soon as I finish the map (1-2 weeks). When I get the map finished, it should be a good test bed for AI mod designs since you get more attacks in 25 turns than in 100 of a regular game. It took four hours to play 25 turns, so the game is definitely slower by at least a factor of two than the usual. But it is MUCH faster than map7a before I broke it into clusters. Almost all the conflict takes place in the six nexus and Central. Territory conflicts on the empires systems to avoid maps were minimal, and did not Last long. With ten systems per cluster most AI seem to be colonizing in their own cluster. The major exception is that the AI will go to colonize any ruins planets known before anything else. However for some reason I have yet to figure out the AI does NOT colonize the nexus. I tested my own empire in a game with nothing but neutrals. First it colonizes the unique tech ruins. Then it does the 5 tech ruins. Then it does the wrong atmosphere single tech ruins. Then it does the proper atmosphere moons, all small before tiny. Then it does the wrong atmosphere moons small then tiny. Then it leaves the nexus to colonize ruins. That was as far as I played, which took 60 turns. Occasionally it would break the pattern to colonize a ruins or a high value proper atmosphere planet outside the nexus. My goal is to make an AI that will stay in the nexus for 100-120 turns, then come roaring out to conquer the map.

I did a couple of tests with the Rage home in Central. They did NOT follow the pattern at all. I am not sure how this was accomplished, but it was obvious that they wanted to increase the number of systems claimed at the maximum possible rate. They also left the nexus to attack neutrals as soon as they sent explorer ships to the few unknown home systems. The ONLY unknown systems with the map as I have designed it will be the homes of other races. An ancient race cannot tell, but the missing home systems are immediately obvious to the Rage......

When the map is finished, you might want to play with the Rage as player #1 living in the Nexus and yourself living in a random cluster. They will have all tech quickly, but may not be able to withstand the assault of the other AI in the game. Try it and see.