AI Treachery

Well, they might like you enough to make all sorts of treaties with you, but until you DO make a cease-fire/peace treaty with them, you are technically at war with them.

So no treachery, just the continuation of normal wartime actions, until you both agree not to.

The AI backstabbed you. Back in the first beta they did this constantly.

An AI that can back stabbed. That is one awesome AI. So now, we can make computer AI into HAL, next, it might even start to develop a conscience.

The fact is the Diplomacy is rubbish. If you play on a large map against 6 or more players you will find yourself 1 against the lot which is impossible. Most of the early AI missions are on the other side of the map or otherwise undoable.You on the other hand cannot initiate anything. I cant believe the AI has any missions to fill other wise they wouldnt all wind up on the same side. After a while the AI stops fighting amongst itself and concentrates on you. As you expand there are more and more entrances to defend with a thinner and thinner number of defenders. Inevitably you have to lose unless you limit the teams to four or so. .

Chris that isn't true. Missions are chosen to be with 2 or 3 jumps of one of your planets and are always accomplishable at the time the mission was issued. You can ask AI allies to attack and defend planets but you have to earn it first. Just like teams of humans, AI's will team up with each other to take down whoever they perceive is too powerful (among other things) and sometimes that is another AI or AI team - they don't just go after the human. Teams against you is why its important to gain allies before getting too powerful. Ofcourse you can always lock the teams so they don't ally at all.

Also, if your friendly AI pal is the only one left after you take out all the other AI enemies, they will instantly go hostile on you. You should fortify any planets that are on their borders when you start running out of foes.

-- Retro

Im finding right now that while its nice its two or three jumps away, I think phase lane length needs to be another factor in the missions. For example, I made a map that had huge phase lanes but regardless of how many jumps, I cant even get to the destination within 15 minutes. Anyway just a suggestion. The thing about the AI ganging up on you is also untrue. The game im playing right now i only have one ally in my system and we are ganging up on another AI. The reason is simply because they have a larger fleet than the two of us but more importantly because I was able to get them to join with me first. Just before I finish off the one im going to backstab my ally. Cant just let them have half the system! Its ALL mine!