Please add some Diplomacy...

[Chilled Legumes]

An idea could be a decaying malus, dependent on the interactions of the two empires? More positive interactions decrease the malus over time, emulating your species getting over your differences?

Heck, expanding on that idea, it could be a variable malus, if you do something they don't like, it increases the negativity between your species. For instance, lets say you insult them. Alongside the insult malus, it could cause your ethos malus to increase as well, further lowering the total opinion. Essentially, this would cause empires of opposite ethos to suffer worse diplomatic penalties that are harder to overcome as opposed to those they have with empires that have less conflicting ethos.

edit for clarification: I think the problem is that there is little the player can do to overcome the ethos and policy maluses, nothing the player can do to alleviate the problems between the two empires.

 

[Liquidbones]

I understand your viewpoint but what would a better way? Opposite ethos dislike each other, it makes sense IMO.

But they don't have to hate them, they'll have an opinion penalty but their overall opinion may still be positive.

I disagree, the idea is that their fundamental difference of opinion towards reality causes some bad feelings. And it isn't two species disliking each other, it's two governments disliking each other because they have intrinsically different ideologies which is something that makes sense.

I know that the opposite opinion penalty isn't supposed to be a big deal, but I've found it's almost always impossible to overcome. That's my real complaint about the way things work now; it doesn't make any sense. Imagine if we went to space right now, and we found an alien species that didn't believe in any God/Allah/etc. Would we refuse to trade with them or deal with them in any meaningful way because of that? Of course not, but that's what happens in game, and I find it really annoying that the species a few jumps away, which has gone through thousands of years of development to reach the stars, can't put aside that minor issue for five seconds to trade some goddamn map info.

 

[The Founder]

Because it does not mater anyway; I cannot engage in any (let alone interesting) diplomacy with them!
So after 3 hours, this is where I am at diplomacy wise: 1 non-agression pack with a inferior neighbour...yeah!

I have extreme issues having such occurences in my games. Unless I am playing hyper-agressive I hand NAP's out like candy on Halloween.

I'm with 1 (known) other fungoid species (like me) who is getting raped from all sides; don't we all want an galaxy full off fungoid?! Why not make it possible to do a "help me - help you" deal with them?

My direcly neighbouringing empire which is 'squashed in' between me and another empire; how about the possibility that this (mutual rivals) can trigger a 'start war' option, by which we both attack and devide ther area (I mean you already have that with war goals...but for the life of me I cannot get an alliance).

Last one: i've extended a bit to far to early; Empire A has declared war on me for it. Empire B is also interested in my far-outpost, and most of all is an border rival of Empire A...How about me asking Empire B to join the war, and give them the (my outpost) region whatever the outcome + maybe divide some spoils of Empire A?

1. That should be solved via shared threath, wich is reinforced by shared rivalries. "Help me, help you" does not work. It requires planning ahead or way to stiff terms. Game AI can not plan ahead. That is why there is 10 year cooldowns on so many things.

2. That is already in. Asuming there is not too much border pressure between you too. After 1.3 they had to fix the AI being to inviting friendly. Also there is the Federation.

3. Joinig wars would just screw everyone over big time. They barely do it for Protectorates becomming Vassals.
Suddenly it is impossible to know how many forces will be defending, so a sure attack would turn in a sure defeat. Based on the Diplomacy game, that the AI can not really play.
The AI pouncing on you after you lost your fleet or it is occupied elsewhere? That is already in. Indeed there is a AI personality tag for that.