How do you claim a system?

[Elowan]

I recently played a game in which I sent a colonizer into a empty system. Suddenly, my trading partner breaks the treaty. Looking at Systems to Avoid - I see that he's claiming that system.

How'd he do that? I thought that you had to physically occupy or have a ship in the system first?

Also - that system was 'known to me' when the game started.

Wazzup widdat?

[Dracus]

You can claim any system once you have seen it. more then one race can claim the same system. All you have to do is click on the system under....
This part just slipped my mind. Someone else will have to tell you the location. Sorry.

[Ed Kolis]

Actually, I think you can claim systems that you haven't seen, and you can't even tell that you did it, wreaking havoc on the whole galactic map... if anyone in your game pays attention to the claims!

[kalthalior]

If I remember correctly, it's in the Politics/Borders button. If you click on the system on the map, you claim it. Not sure what effect it has on Alien AI when you claim either an empty or disputed system.

[LGM]

There is also an empire setting to automatically claim systems.

[Raging Deadstar]

Yeah, but don't you hate it when a rival empire claims the same galaxy ur homeworlds in! U demand that they leave it alone and the agree, and do nothing about it. Either this is a glitch or Aaron Hall has made the AI with very lifelike politics

[DirectorTsaarx]

Originally posted by LGM:
There is also an empire setting to automatically claim systems.

And the AI automatically claims ADJACENT systems... and, as others have discovered, gets really upset about other empire's colonies in those claimed systems.

BTW - in a recent game, I knew an enemy was down to just 1 system, but I couldn't find it. I finally checked the "Borders" screen (for other reasons) and that empire only had a couple systems claimed - obviously, one was their Last remaining system...

[Atrocities]

Any system that I explore is my system. If there is an alien life form in that system, well then, How Dare They Be In My System Before I Knew It Exsisted. They will anexed.

[Raging Deadstar]

glad to See you havn't let power absoloutely corrupt you eh Atrocities?

[gregebowman]

This leads me to ask a question. Whenever I colonize a planet in a new system, there is a little red symbol that shows up on the detail screen that looks like a red alien. Is that part of the way of the computer telling me that someone else already claims the system?