For the most part, there do seem to be a few exceptions, I'd like to see more ways that you can get a minor power to join your Empire other than just showering them with gifts until they relented.

I'm aware that Trade Routes, Terraforming Planets, and possibly other things will improve relations with minors and [IMHO] this is very good. However I'd like to see even more diplomatic options to get a minor power to join you.

For example lets say that you're the Khaorons and have a massive fleet. Instead of "gifting" a planet or subjugating them it would be nice if you could bully [at least some] minor powers into joining you without a fight.

On the other hand lets say that you're the CoPs and you've met the minor power that the Khaorons are bullying. Perhaps if you offered the protection of your Empire perhaps this could be used to improve your relations with that minor power dramatically.

If you meet a minor power that values research highly perhaps a "gift" or sharing of research points instead of credits could replace a gift of credits.

Saving a planet [lets say without their own ships] from a random event [comet, volcano, etc.] would also be something to look at.

For minor powers that like to resolve issues through diplomacy it would be nice if you earned points with them for dealing with other major & minor powers through diplomacy instead of armed conflict or other methods ....

To a degree doing the same for a major [AI controlled] empire would be nice instead of having to build friendships through credits.

That sounds good, but it is hard to implement. With the new intelsystem you get the possibility to sabotage the relationship between minors and other majors. Maybe you have an advantage after such a sabotage. Than there are plans for a senate, similar to the senat in MoO3. There you also should have the possibility to change some relations between races. But I can't say yet, how all will work together.

I don't know if you're going to use my system or not, SirP, but this could quite easily be integrated with <some> of the random events that I have come up with so far.

This is the entire random events list that I have come up with. I have left out the descriptions of the events and the Empire-related messages, but if you would like a copy just let me know.

I've highlighted the events that I think could be integrated with Alamars suggestions in some way in red. Obviously i'm not expecting you to agree with me or even to use my system, these are merely suggestions and always will be. I'm just posting it in the hopes that it will be useful in some way. I definitely like the idea of making the random events useful during diplomacy though.

1. Borg-replacement
2. Sphere Builders
3. Alien other-dimensional super-species
4. Survivor cruiser
5. Giant Amoeba
6. Space-baby
7. Jellyfish
8. Crystalline Entity
9. Planet-eating alien
10. Powerful survivor battleship of ancient fleeing race
11. Energy being
12. Powerful buyable Defense System
13. Cytoplasmic Being/Void
14. Alien orphan
15. Pirates
16. Alien Shipyard
17. Alien God-being
18. Fast-Transportation Array
19. Continuum Bubble
20. Continuum Anomaly
21. Graviton Ellipse
22. Dark Matter Nebula
23. Ion Storms
24. Solar Flare
25. Positive Temporal Disturbance
26. Negative Temporal Disturbance
27. Hekaras Corridor Incident
28. Unstable Wormhole
29. Wormhole Discovered
30. Nebula Formation
31. Nebula Collapse
32. Solar Wind Change
33. Nexus
34. Supernova
· Supernova 2
35. Comet Strike
36. Asteroid Impact
37. Earthquake
38. Supermassive Volcanic Eruption
39. Climate Change
40. Polar Shift
41. Neural Parasite Infestation
42. Radioactive Explosion
43. Weather System Breakdown
44. Geological Survey
45. Archaeological Dig Success
46. Advanced Starship Discovered
47. Advanced Starship Captured
48. Alien Fossils Discovered
49. Mutation
50. Lab Explosion
51. Rare Subspace Reaction Observed
52. New Subroutines
53. Discovery Of Data
54. Engine Malfunction
55. Student Prodigy
56. Geographical Expedition
57. Discovery Of A Dyson Sphere
58. New Mining Methods
59. New Operating Protocols
60. Artificial Intelligence
61. Encounter The Kyrethians
62. Encounter The Zeta Particle
63. Encounter The Think-Tank
64. Covert Scans
65. Test Beds
66. Data Lost
67. Fuel Leak
68. Salvage Operation
69. Perfect Growing Conditions
70. Famine
71. Diplomatic Summit
72. Positive Foreign Government Change
73. Negative Foreign Government Change
74. Points Of Opportunity
75. Defector
76. Enemy Spy Defection
77. Compromising Material
78. Enemy Leader Assassinated, Relations Improve
79. Enemy Leader Assassinated, Relations Worsen
80. Popular Advisor Dies
81. Diplomat Rescued
82. Highway Robbery
83. Diplomatic Failure
84. Pro-Empire Speech
85. Anti-Empire Speech
86. Undercover Reporter
87. Commercial Terrorism
88. Domestic Terrorism
89. Propaganda
90. Terrorist Bombing
91. Engine Core Breach
92. Diplomatic Success
93. War Declared, Enlistments Boost
94. Academy Enlistments Record
95. Dishonourable Discharge
96. Academy Disaster
97. Scientific Breakthrough
98. Influx Of Scientists
99. Computer Hack
100. Officer Exchange Program
101. Terrorists Captured
102. Donation
103. Trade guild Strikes
104. Plague
105. Refugees
106. Splinter Colonies
107. Renegade Captain
108. Defector Captured
109. Conspiracy Uncovered
110. External Affairs Breakthrough
111. External Affairs Crisis
112. First Contact Disaster
113. Severe Setback
114. War Averted
115. Civil War

I know your random events list. I think I will use some events of your list when I'll implement the random events. But I don't know yet if I can use it for influencing some minorraces.

Diplomacy can be expanded to make the game even more interesting. How about being able to give or request research data (represented as resarch points)? Also, being able to offer or request a specific system or sector. Requesting or giving raw material would be useful as well.

Is there a way to allow human players to send statements to the AI empires? In the orginal BoTF the AI sends statements that are not requests. An example would be the Khaorons saying the Rotharians have no honor after the Rotharians destroy a colony ship. Or, you are colonizing too close to our territory.

will of course be added later on (after intel implementation). For all eagerly expecting the new release, it's loosely planned for mid september if everything goes as usual!

One option that seems crucial to me is the ability to request other empires to sign peace treaties with each other.

For example, in my current BOTE game I have an affiliation treaty with both the Cartare and the Omega Alliance; they however, are at war. So basically they're just having it out in my territory and there's nothing I can do to make them stop.

Another way to avoid this specific problem would be to have stricter rules about signing alliances. So if I'm allied with the Omega Alliance, and the Cartare want to ally with me, they have to ally with the Omegans at the same time.

yeah we noticed that too. good suggestions but I don't wanna rule out the possibility of allies getting at war with one another whilst having a joint ally both (imagine two smaller allies and a big one, the big one might not really care about a small war amongst them), so the idea would be to request termination of that war and if no response follows declaration of war on one of them or both.

we'll see when that gets implemented.