Well EXCUSE me for living!

[Taqwus]

*chuckle*

I was wondering what was.

Of course, with my usual style of play versus the AI, it fits perfectly -- big, EVIL Empire. The AI never holds a grudge after a a game...

Only 4 systems, 'tho, and it was triggered? That is indeed odd... hrm. Unless you had a lot of tech / pop compared to the rest... interesting. Or it's a relative threshold, and the rest were doing very poorly...



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-- The thing that goes bump in the night

[General Hawkwing]

This leaves you with a few options.
1) Demand tribute from the weakest ones (1 system type) as much as possible. Would weaken them more and if you get a planet or 2 within their system, you should be able to defeat them while waging war against the others.
2) Maybe you could forestall this by offering minor gifts to the weaker ones (resources, old ships, general tech that would not come back to hurt you (medical, political, planet improvement, even propulsion since they don't appear to research it). This would increase their production/score and maybe forestall their declaration.
3) Wipe out weaker races upon contact. Cold but effective. You still gain any research they have that you don't.

[Baron Munchausen]

Or... use Intelligence Ops to stir up trouble between them so even if they are attacking you, they are also attacking each other. The "communications mimic" operation is good for this, it sends fake declarations of war. If everyone is fighting everyone, you're at much less disadvantage than if everyone is attacking you exclusively.

[greghacke]

I used the Baron's trick to great success. I work intelligence and colonization as my first research. By the time I meet my "friends," I make treaties, then broker my Intel to push them into war against each other. i have an 8 empire game going with me being the only one not at war.

[General Hawkwing]

After watching the "feeling" status for a few games, I have noticed the following.
1) Usually only 1 empire will turn on you gradually. For me it was the 2nd ranked empire. Nothing, free resources, tech, releasing claims to systems (I did not try giving away planets ) will stop them from turning on you.
2) The remaining empires continued to stay friendly while the 1 grew less friendly. Once the first declared war, the rest followed suit within a turn (maybe 2). I also could not stop this from happening.

I have not encountered any empires after war was declared, so I do not know what their response will be.

Also note that some of the empires that went to war with me had no "official" contact with the other empires. Nor did they during the war(s).

[Elmo]

FWIW: I'm currently at war with one AI empire and have been for quite a few turns in a PBEM game. At the same time I have partnerships with two other AI empires and they continue to have Brotherly feelings toward me with no outward signs of wavering in their friendliness. Seems like there is a wide range of possible AI actions and reactions toward non-AI empires.

Elmo

[General Hawkwing]

Elmo,
Did you declare war or did the AI?
What is your score relative to the rest of the AI's? (ahead by 100% or more, ahead by 50%, about even, or below)

This would influence their response.