[jonas]

It does seem like the AI gives up too easily in some cases, like surrendering completely without a fight like you mentioned. Here's another example.

In one game, and even before I hit Evil Mega, though I was still the most powerful empire around, I took a chance and asked one of the neutrals on my doorstep to give me a settled planet in his system. To my surprise, he did. I waited a while, then I asked for another. Again, he gave it to me. He wound up giving me every planet in his home system except his homeworld, which I didn't bother asking for -- I just moved a fleet in and boom! Another application for membership in the Federation has been approved!

Well that went pretty well I thought, so with the next neutral I started the same process, this time asking for a planet as a "gift" every turn, and as his Last "gift", I asked for his homeworld, and I got it! I had to fight a few stray ships that no longer had home planets but that was about it.

Then I started the same process with a weak player empire, that had somehow never managed to get out of its own system. He started giving away planets too! But at that point, I wanted to actually use my rapidly-getting obsolete fleets in combat, so I just went in and stomped him.

The moral of the story I guess is that there should be some things you don't give away, no matter what.