In BotF, the Ferengi can always connect trade routes unless they're at war.
In BotE, the Heyoun must first establish diplomatic friendship just like everybody else.

This little detail gives the Ferengi some advantages the Heyoun lack:
- The Ferengi can immediately improve their relationships with most minors (except quickly hostile ones like the Sheliak), and they can generate good profits at the same time. I sometimes work hard to prevent the Ferengi from making first contact with any minors I want in my empire, because otherwise the Ferengi gradually develop better relationships with those minors than I have, and they use those extra profits to offer an endless stream of bribes I cannot match.
- The other majors are less inclined to declare war on the Ferengi, because they also have steadily improving relationships and receive bribes, plus those Ferengi worlds are rich trading partners.

I routinely declare war on the Ferengi right away for no reason other than just to prevent them from milking any credits off my worlds. The AI is stupid enough to often be crippled by this, but in multiplayer games being at war with the Ferengi usually means that the Ferengi and other majors will prefer to enjoy trading profits with each other while allying in a war against my empire. It can be very difficult to keep those Klingons or Feds or Romulans away while the Ferengi empire helps finance their military, even moreso when the Ferengi send their ships or just start sending fat bribes to your choicest minors. They'll always make more credits from trading than you will ... but you don't want to be the only opponent who's not their friend.

I hesitate to mention this because I've observed that AI Heyoun are almost always the largest and strongest empire in my games, they grow very quickly and always seem to have lots of friends and lots of ships.

Mods - my apologies if this is posted in the wrong thread, feel free to move if necessary.

usually the Heyoun get a trade treaty very quickly, faster than the other majors except Humans maybe. I think there is no need to give them the same advantage the Ferengi had in botf. As you already noticed the AI is already doing well with the Heyoun the way it is right now.

look also here http://bote-forum.square7.ch/wiki/index ... e_Union.29 to see the advantages and disadvantages of Heyoun and the other races (additionally I tried to create a table at the end there - it's atm at minor length)

As can be seen all races have there own advantages and disadvantages

but Ayrik you're right: All races must be kept in check before they get to big - that's a challenge. Solve it with getting your own empire the biggest + strongest one