War

[Q]

I agree it should be easier to end a war and the AI should propose even a trade of a treaty against e.g. a system (depending if the AI lost or won the Last few combats).
But it's not completely impossible now. If you are at war with the AI, you don't fullfil the Mega empire settings and avoid all hostility, you might be able to get a new treaty after a certain time. There is a miminum of turns after a war breaks out, the AI won't accept any treaty (it's specified in the political text-file IIRC). But after that it's possible and I've seen it more than once.

[Saxon]

A related frustration is the rejection of gifts. I am so far ahead in my current game that I know I have won. To make it interesting, I thought I would build up a nice border, focus on getting tech and build a sphere world. To make the border line easier to defend, I tried to give 5 systems to my neighbor. I also though there was the off chance he would then become tough enough to knock the others out and make my life interesting again.

He refused to take the systems. So did the other two races. Now, I know we are in MEE stage and all, but it was frustrating that they wouldn’t take candy from me. Is there something that stops all relations once you hit MEE?

You should be allowed to buy peace, even if the cost is very high. As Stone Mill pointed out, the system in Eurpoa Universallis is excellent in this area. You can make peace successfully, as long as you are willing to either pay or be paid off. This system does restrict nations from going on the rampage, which may not have a place in a game like SE4, but it does allow a more sophisticated model of diplomacy for those peace treaties which do not involve the utter defeat of one side.