*NEW PLAYER* Diplomacy Tips

[Dividing_by_0]

Hello! Firstly, if this is in the wrong place, I apologize, but getting into my question.

So I bought Stellaris today, and I've probably played it for about 2 hours now. I'm really enjoying the depth to this game, and for the most part, the tutorial system does 1st least a fair job of explaining everything. However, diplomacy is something it almost completely skipped over.

So here's what happened so far:

As I was trying to colonize my second colony, an unknown ship came into the star system I was trying to colonize. They surveyed everything and then left. I took the quest to examine them and we established contact. They're a reptilian species...and they're very full of themselves. They opened up to me with, "Don't mind us, just creating technology more advanced than anything you could ever dream of." I just said 'nice to meet you' in return, and 3 days later they closed their borders to me. I now have a -67 as far as their appoval of me, and whenever I open the communications tab he says something like 'Subspecies like you make me sick.'

So firstly, is it even worth trying to get these guys on my side? Secondly, just in general, how would I even do that?

Also, while your at it, are thereby tips that you would want a new player like me to know?

Thank you so much for helping me out. This game is extremely complex and I'm just trying to learn the ropes.

 

[Ultimuh]

This depends.. What are your own ethics, and what are theirs?

 

[Dividing_by_0]

Well, I can tell you I'm a democracy, but that's all I have. XD

I stopped playing for tonight, but I can let you know tomorrow.

I think I know, but just to be sure, how would I find ethics?

 

[Ultimuh]

I think I know, but just to be sure, how would I find ethics?

You should be able to see it on your diplomatic screen. Somewhere near the upper left area.

 

[Dividing_by_0]

Oh yes, one more unrelated question before I go to bed...

One of the options I have is to declare this species as a rival. What does this do and how could it benefit me, because I'm not sure how it would.

 

[Tatterhood]

One of the options I have is to declare this species as a rival. What does this do and how could it benefit me, because I'm not sure how it would.

The main things declaring a rivalry will do are:

• Close your borders to them, and prevent you from opening them as long as you stay rivals.
• Severely lower their opinion of you. (In particular they are likely to rival you back.)
• Give you bonus influence per month.
• Make other empires that dislike these guys more friendly to you.

 

[The Founder]

We have a wiki, this is the article on Diplomacy:
http://www.stellariswiki.com/Diplomacy

Mostly the tables are not up to date, but those values you can see ingame.

 

[Dividing_by_0]

Their ethics:

Authoritarian
Xenophobe
Materialist

My Ethics:

Fanatic Egalitarian
Xenophile

I'm standard United Nations on Earth, as it's my first playthrough

 

[Alblaka]

That is a tricky match-up, but not an outright hostile one. If they don't rival you, and you don't encroach on their boarders, they might leave you alone.
Strongly depends on their personality, too (upper left, below their government type, but above their ethic symbols).

Since you are new to the game, take the basic advice that there's very few empires that will innately react positive to you, unless they perfectly mirror your ethics, but you can easily smooth things over by offering NAPs and guarantueing independence (but be advised that latter may draw you into a war if they are actually attacked).
As well, be warned that there are many types of empires that will outright hate you for one reason or another, and as soon as they rival you, you should give up on diplomacy (towards them).

 

[The Founder]

I'm standard United Nations on Earth, as it's my first playthrough

First: Get rid of missiles. Kinetics or Energy, those are the way to go. Missiles suck when teh enemy has any PD or the fleets get larger. Loose them now before you loose your fleet later.

The Problem is Fan Egal vs Authoritarian. And Xenophobe vs Xenophile.
The later two just negate each other (you get +20 to any relation. They get -20 for any Relation).
But the first one should give some serious penalty.

That combination should also make them one of the very agressive AI types. Those have penalties to diplomacy acceptance too.
http://www.stellariswiki.com/AI_personalities#Regular_empires

Frankly Authoritarians have to avoid Diplomacy with Egalitarians. They have a hard enough time Maintaining thier Ethics Attraction as it is. You could turn them to Egalitarian simply by being friendly with them. Egalitarian can be quite Invasive in that Regard:
http://www.stellariswiki.com/Ethics_attraction#Authoritarian

You could try to build Trust and thus Relations via Guarantte of Independance. But really you should just be looking for someone a lot less dicky to befriend. Maybe if you ever get shared Threat or something like that.

 

[Dividing_by_0]

I just tried a NAP and they refused. I could guarantee independence but I don't want to do that bc I don't want to be rushing to the defence of a race that essentially hates me.

I also just noticed that they have turned from unfriendly to hostile. Their opinion of me decreased to -112 because of increasing border friction.

At this point I think diplomacy is a waste. What do you think?

 

[DreadLindwyrm]

They won't get on with you. You're basically looking at opposed ethics at the very fundamentals of society here.

They might attack you, they might not. If you can keep your military (fleet size) and technology on a par with them, they *may* just remain hostile and sit at a distance and ignore you.

If you think you can at least get a white peace (a draw) out of any war with them, go ahead and rival them. Especially if they've done the same already.

If you think you can beat them, then when they declare war on you set a goal that will help you - "liberate" makes a new empire that matches your ethics, and may make for a good future ally, "cede" takes the planet off of them and gives it to you.

 

[Dividing_by_0]

As far as wars go, my fleet power is superior to theirs, but they have superior technology. (Not by much, we were considered equivalent just a little bit ago.)

So how important are each of these in a potential war?

(Thanks for being so patient with my questions btw.)

 

[DreadLindwyrm]

More fleet power generally means that you're fielding more ships (or bigger ones - or both).

Better technology can mean they have *better* ships, depending on what their better technologies are based around - if they've gone for mostly military technologies they'll be stronger in battle than if (for example) they've gone for mostly farming technologies.

 

[The Founder]

As far as wars go, my fleet power is superior to theirs, but they have superior technology. (Not by much, we were considered equivalent just a little bit ago.)

So how important are each of these in a potential war?

(Thanks for being so patient with my questions btw.)

First: is that Fleet Power with missiles? Because if it is, Forget that value.
Missiles are just over-estimated by the Fleet power routines. And it is always hilarous to see a Rocket based Ai declare war with Superior power and get curb-stomped.

If not, what weapons did you pick? How many ships do you got?

Spaceports are incredibly tough nuts to crack with Corvettes.
But there is somethimes the option to go for a small, newly established colony. They often lack both a Spaceport and a relevant ground army. Should be relatiely easy to conquer and get some decent warscore out of it. Might also draw the enemy fleet out from under thier Spaecport.

 

[Dividing_by_0]

Okay so I do have missiles. I didn't realize how bad they are.

How do I change? I assume I just wait until I can reasearch a new tech for it. Is that correct?

 

[The Founder]

Okay so I do have missiles. I didn't realize how bad they are.

How do I change? I assume I just wait until I can reasearch a new tech for it. Is that correct?

Correct. You should get the Start tech (unlocks the basic weapon + spaceport defense module). From there it is as if you had started with that weapon technology (indeed you just get one of the 3 for free based on empire setup).
I think behind T2 of the first weapon, a secondary weapon type is gated.

This section of the Wiki might help you get a hang of the shiptypes and weapon types/sizes:
http://www.stellariswiki.com/Ship_designer#Design_Ramifications

 

[Dividing_by_0]

Okay here we go

The aforementioned empire has been sending survey ships into my territory. I largely ignored them because I have been busy with building up my colonies and stations. However, just now they sent in a fleet. I sent my fleet to the same place, and they left.

At this point, I can't just do nothing. I already decided to close my borders. Should I also declare them my rival? I don't see a reason why not at this point because dimplomacy will obviously get me nowhere, but I just want to see what you all think.

I now am also recently in contact with a second empire that is much more compatible with mine. I immediately got us both into a NAP and have a trade deal going with them. If I were to go to war, how likely am I to get them to fight with me?

(BTW they are Xenophile and I believe militaristic, though I'm not sure because I'm off the computer atm)

 

[PalmettoExplorer14]

Hm....if they're Xenophile you might have a chance to patching things up with them. Try trading some things with them, but start with a gift such as as star charts and research agreement and if you have a lot of resources, then toss some into the gift bag as well. Make sure the resources you give are in the 100s as thatll make them like you more.

This should make them friendlier with you.

 

[purplegamer]

Just gotta say that this thread gives me the warm fuzzies. It's awesome seeing the community being so helpful.