[Strategia_In_Ultima]

I'd ALREADY gotten that... I'm sorting posts "Newest Post First" so the first page contains the latest posts.

And I still think diplomacy should be overhauled (if that hasn't been done already). Think like EUII. Not just for the "points" system, where the victor gets to demand things (like military access or captured territories) from the loser, but also in DIPLOMATS. Just sending a message yourself is dangerous in intergalactic politics... you let the diplomats handle that. You get a certain number of them per turn, or if you have such-and-such amount of pop, or you can produce them. Would make diplomacy sooo much deeper...

Example:

You (the Atla) have been at war (with the Boota) for years, and you're both ready to call a truce. You were once the most powerful factions in the Galaxy, but a long war has depleted both your resources. You're economically aground, your fleet is smaller than the amount of rocks in a Tiny asteroid field, and you've both lost over half your colonies. But you're still spread out wide. You send a diplomat/an ambassador/a delegation/whatever, assasins for as far as I care - but another faction (the Coa) has been rising to power recently, and their position is in jeopardy if you two (A and B) call a truce and start expanding again. The three other remaining factions (I won't think up alphabetic names for them, just call them D, E and F) are squibbling like infants and thus could be easily overcome by either of you two (A and B). C therefore needs to stop you from making peace or perhaps even an alliance so that he can continue his rise to power in the galaxy. Well, back to the current situation: A is sending a diplomatic envoy to B. C needs to stop it. What C does: He builds/uses several cloak-capable warships with transponder jammers (they hide the faction they belong to, should also be able in SEV, handy but large and expensive) and/or gives them transponder signatures like B's ships. He thus intercepts and captures or destroys your diplomatic envoy - and for all you know it's B trying to keep your diplomats away from his ones to prevent them from making peace against his will. A and B are once again poised for war. This time, in the interbellum (assuming an armistice had been signed a year or so before) they have had the chance to develop some proper technology, and this time it's sure to consume the GALAXY. They both have warp point creators, QRs, cloaking devices, solar destroyers, tectonic bombs and such (OK, in one year this is impossible, unless they traded with D, E and F.) If war breaks out, the only ways to victory would be opening warp points around the borders into other people's territory, forcing the other (with a weak battle fleet) to destroy the sun in that system as soon as a warship enters, taking perhaps half an Empire with it. This way, eventually, the entire Galaxy will be annihilated in a super-war. (I know I'm ranting.) Then what do you do? (assuming you're A) Go paranoid and open warp points around his borders? Open one directly to his home system? Or be wise and not be deterred by one setback, and send another team of diplomats?

It's RANTING ON what I've just been doing, and I know it.

Also, as stated somewhere in the above mess:

Transponders.

Transponders and their corresponding frequencies could be very handy for sneaky backstabbing attacks... I.e. each empire has a certain transponder signal. If one of your ships detects a ship with the signal of empire B, even though it is CLEARLY from empire C, it will show as an empire B ship. Who knows? Perhaps B has captures one of C's ships, or perhaps he's traded for it. If the ship then attacks, you will automatically break off connections with B (like Sharon did with the Palestinians a couple of days ago, even though he cancelled it about three days ago) and perhaps even declare war on them. This way, C (who was in control of the ship all the time) will have triggered a war between you two (or at least bred mistrust). Or you could have ships that HIDE their transponder frequencies - it looks like a C ship, but it could also be B, D, E, or F. What do you do? Let it pass your defenses, perhaps to strike at your Homeworld? Or do you attack it, risking a war with any of five empires?

And, in combination with the jumble above about Diplomats:

You would also need to be able to sign general treaties yourself, using messages with another empire. Say, you could use this method to declare war, sign an armistice, demand/accept unconditional surrender, propose a small trade but not much else. To sign a truce or any other proper treaty, negotiate about the terms for a surrender, propose more complicated trades (i.e. with ships, important techs, lots of resources, units, etc.), you need to send a diplomat. The negotiations would have to last several turns (1 or 2 for an armistice, up to 15 for a Partnership treaty) and you should also be able to place an embassy in the other empire to make things go more smoothly/speed up negotiations/make them like you more/etc.

Also, you should be able to play on after a surrender. (assuming it wasn't total and unconditional) You could buy or rent a ship/ships from someone to start your Empire all over again. Say, the enemy occupies almost everything and demands your surrender. You stand no chance. If you don't accept, you'll be destroyed. You buy one single colony ship full of population somewhere waaay outside your home system from one of your allies. You surrender your home system... but keep your colony ship. You can then start anew.
Also, if someone demands your surrender, you should be able to give it to him... or at least for as far as he knows. You could also just give him several outlying worlds with one full of pop and all ships in there and perhaps also some outside of what he knows, but you should still be able to retain that which he does not know you have. What you can't see you can't claim.