So, along with the new aggressive AI comes an interface so you can see and somewhat manage your relationship with the AI.
This is a work in progress and would love some feedback and suggestions about how to make it cooler.
Basically, all AI start out neutral towards everybody, but when you fight an AI at a star you lose a point of regard. When you send them a tech or cash, you earn a point of regard. When you have less than 0 regard the AI is attacking you.
Now, the AI keep track of this regard before they actually take over an AFK so that they know who they are allies with and who they are at war with as soon as they take over.
As soon as you launch an attack on an AI, their regard for your empire will drop to -1 regardless of how high it had become until that point.
In my local test games I have successfully âsurrenderedâ to AI by throwing cash at them until we are allies, but keep in mind that any unresolved conflicts as a result of fleets on rout to combat will result in -1 regard, so youâll need enough to goodwill banked otherwise the combat might result in you going to war again. (In one case I abandoned a star and ran away because I didnât have the cash to pay for an additional point of regard )
Note. All games should show this interface, but the AI will only start attacking in games created since I uploaded the build a few minutes ago.
I think the interface is OK but Iâd much rather that this information be conveyed via private messages between the AI and the player.
For example: you send technology to an AI player that you have a neutral relationship with. You get technology back and a message that says (first draft) âGreetings from the collective. The collective benefits from the receipt of your knowledge and has authorized a response in kind. Machine and flesh can exist in peace. End transmission.â
Or you send cash to try to improve your relationship with a hostile AI, but it isnât enough. "Hostile species: your attempt to make peace has been evaluated and deemed a shallow ploy. Prepare to be assimilated. We are not without mercy. Your death will be swift and painless.
You send technology to an AI with a favorable outlook to you: Greetings, ally. Our processing power is at your disposal.
Isnât there a risk of confusion between âAllyâ and âFormal allianceâ ? (I havenât played any game with formal alliance enabled, but I had to check it was enable when I saw an AI was âAllyâ with me. Maybe âFriendâ would be a better term ?)