Anybody else likes playing Xenophile?

[Prince Jude of Nohr]

I know it's very fun to joke about purging the xenos and committing wholesale galactic genocide on an unwitting galaxy, but how many Steam users here like to play Xenophile, usually? I'm asking largely out of curiosity, especially when I'll have to confess myself that I genuinely have a hard time bringing myself to play as a Xenophobe, but not a Xenophile. Seriously, I always feel terrible whenever I'm presented with an option of massacring an entire species, and I'm curious if anybody else happens to feel similarly.

Thanks!

[Nightskies]

Nah, even a xenophile only needs one friend.
Me.

[Danny]

We need to re-educate the xenophobe!

[Lady Crimson (RIP)]

Some people like ruling the galaxy, and others like helping other empires out and banding together.

It's all just different playstyles.

I personally enjoy doing games as part of a great federation fighting swaths of outside foes at the hardest difficulties. Xenophile is great with that as it saves you a lot on influence costs.

(It's also really nice to have some allies early game at the very least to help you take advantage of neighbors that everyone else hates).. so on a winning the game part.. xenophile is still great. Friendship is usually the key to victory in strategic empire games.

[Valentine Michael Smith]

xenophile is kinda easy since you always have an ally or two, or whole federation to back you.

[Nightskies]

There are three kinds of xenophiles:

the Righteous:

• will look for and fight the bad guys
  
• will work with the strong, as long as they aren't bad guys
  
• won't let you get in their way

the Bubbly:

• loves everyone except ugly people (there are a lot of uglies)
  
• will fight the ugly
  
• will work with anyone who is nice to them and isn't ugly

the Lazy, the most common kind of xenophile:

• doesn't want to fight anyone
  
• would like to be your friend so you can help them
  
• doesn't really want to help anyone, but at least they're generally loyal

1. I get along with the Righteous because I'm strong and don't do slavery or other such inefficient nonsense. I let them do what they want, they admire my muscles, we work out.
   
2. I'm cool with the Bubbly because I'm beautiful, and they usually are too. We're not together, like allies, but we hang out sometimes. I especially like their Starbucks Slave Guild if they have one.
   
3. The Lazy can go get massacred, but if they don't, I'll at least put them to work for me. The Righteous agree with me there, even if they don't like my indiscriminate bombardment. This is why the Bubbly and I don't always get along.

See, even as a xenophobe, I have a couple xenophile friends.

[Minoris]

Am definitely a Bubbly. I'll always try and make friends with the cute fox people, even if they're fanatic purifiers. Something eventually WILL touch their cold little heart, won't it?

[Jewbacca]

The primary problem is the inability to work together with the allies, and their very bad AI in lategame. If you want to beat the crisis, then you need a strong galaxy, and to get that you need to rule over it.

The other problem the game has/had is the missing/illogical diplomatic options.

Back in the day whether an empire accepted someone in to the federation was dependent on distance too. That is okay actually. However distance was calculated from empire itself, and not from the federation borders. Uniting the entire galaxy into a single federation from start using liberation wars only was literary IMPOSSIBLE above a certain number of empires.

Another problem is the other federations. 2 federation builder creates 2 very similar federation, and despite all the friendship they can't do anything. No defensive pacts, no unity, nothing. The best they can do is open borders, and attack enemies together.

I might try again sometime. But i did tried to play the federation gameplay style with fanatic xenophile pacifist. Federate with those who can, and "liberate" those who can't.

[Lazard]

Well... i almost go Synth every game... so i take all aliens and make them into robots... no other species in my empire... and no problem with jobs... hail to the machine gods ;P

[killtastic201]

diplomacy is super shallow but playing xeno freindly isn't that bad. you just have to micro manage everyones gene's..

[Rhym3z]

I love the xenophile way of playing except for one major thing, federation fleets.
With federation fleets the game feels far too easy, there's literally no challenge.
I like the idea of taking every trust cap civic, every opinion modifier possible etc to get that absolute most out of friendly diplomacy, but when you start getting around 3-4 people in your federation, the fed fleet is so large that nobody else has a chance.

Im also not a huge fan of the "liberation" war goal, as your ideologies are still being forced into other empiresz which to me, isnt a very nice pacifist thing to do (xenophile and pacifist go hand in hand for me)

I would much prefer it if there were events to make you want to liberate an empire.
Example: there's been a small uprising on an enemy's planets they're citizens contact you talking about all the atrocities taking place there. Purgury, slavery etc and the citizens are begging for help.
This would make me want to liberate someone for the greater good.
Unfortunately right now it still feels too forced, if that makes sense

[Jewbacca]

Rhym3z eredeti hozzászólása:

I love the xenophile way of playing except for one major thing, federation fleets.
With federation fleets the game feels far too easy, there's literally no challenge.
I like the idea of taking every trust cap civic, every opinion modifier possible etc to get that absolute most out of friendly diplomacy, but when you start getting around 3-4 people in your federation, the fed fleet is so large that nobody else has a chance.

Im also not a huge fan of the "liberation" war goal, as your ideologies are still being forced into other empiresz which to me, isnt a very nice pacifist thing to do (xenophile and pacifist go hand in hand for me)

I would much prefer it if there were events to make you want to liberate an empire.
Example: there's been a small uprising on an enemy's planets they're citizens contact you talking about all the atrocities taking place there. Purgury, slavery etc and the citizens are begging for help.
This would make me want to liberate someone for the greater good.
Unfortunately right now it still feels too forced, if that makes sense

Maybe when Espionage DLC comes out.

By the way former slaves gain great happiness boost, if they get freed through conquest. Don't know, if they get similar with impose idology though.

For now the real question is. How much you are willing to pay to unite the galaxy. Will you wage war for it? Or just try your best to be friends. Also what would you do with the genociders? Would you hunt them down as soon as possible, or only once they start attacking others?

[Meewec]

Jewbacca eredeti hozzászólása:

For now the real question is. How much you are willing to pay to unite the galaxy. Will you wage war for it? Or just try your best to be friends. Also what would you do with the genociders? Would you hunt them down as soon as possible, or only once they start attacking others?

for me this all depends on the empire i'm playing as. some i expand just for the sake of expansion, some i just sit and develop and only grab space from people who attack me or from genocidal races. if i'm my rogue servitors then i simply must free all the biologicals from having to do any work for themselves as soon as possible.

as for dealing with genocidal empires it all depends. if they're getting to a point where they're becoming a threat or there is something in their space i want i will deal with them. other than that i will sit and watch them unless another empire is at war with them, then i'll usually try to grab some space if they're blocking me in.

[Rhym3z]

Im a bit of a sad ass roleplayer, so it takes a lot for me to want to wage war.
Im trying to do a baddie style playthrough on modded vanilla, and the true pacifist fed builder style using star trek new horizons mod.
Right now im trying to come up with an empire that can justify going to war.
So far i have created a plantoid race that lives to serve planets themselves, and they are the only true race that actually cater to the need of planets, almost like mother nature come to life to destroy everyone else who exploits their planets.
For me to get properly involved in a game of stellaris, i need to feel the lore lol.
I can also never take min/max civics either, it must fit the empire, even if it has a lot of negative traits etc.

Edit:
wow just after creating the above empire, i get this start.
Best start ever?
https://steamcommunity.com/id/Rhym3z/screenshots

[Malaficus Shaikan]

My favorite build is Fanatic Materalist Xenophile Technocrat Machinist Free Haven.

My reasoning are:
Gameplaywise:
Xenophile allow me to befriend the space whale's and friends.
It allows me to get cross breeding and increase pop growth.
Fanatic Materialist for the research bonus and minnor reduce robot upkeep.
Machinist is to get robots early and increase chance for synth aswhile as upkeep reduction.
And technocrat so i dont have to waste buildslot on unity buildings as lab jobs create unity.
Getting me the valueable resourse by building something usefull.
Free haven is because increase migration is to get a massive labor forced.

From a roleplaying point of view My technocracy people want to learn and master all laws of reality.
To become like the gods in the stories of old.
Xenophile play's into there desite to learn how other race's think, feel, act, etc.
There interest in other race's is acadamic.

I have tryed playing more evil factions but i just cant do it.
It just feel so pointless to go to war.
For what?
Planet i dont have the population for?
Slave labor that causes uprising and other headache.
Extra resourses that you dont have a use for?

At best i go to war with nihilistic acquisition with the sole purpose of getting more workers and that is the most evil thing i useally do in stellaris.
I just dont see the point of war in stellaris.
Meaby i shoud play on smaller maps?

[LegendaireNic]

On paper, Xenophiles sounds awesome. It's the perfect ethic for a trade empire: more trade value means I can get more credits, comsumer goods and unity. On top of that, you reduced influence cost for diplomatic deals. They're also more inclined to trade with you because of the opinion modifier.

However, the diplomatic actions are kinda of limited. Civ 5 has a bit more diplo options, but they give you enough flavor so you do not feel forced. Embassies could and would be a must, we already got association status, make it so everyone can do it. and don't get me started on the things you can't do as a federation member.

Speaking of Feds, I don't understand how the AI as always better economic score than me. I have seen the planets of the AI, they're almost always on deficit with comsumer goods, minerals and credits. Economic score shold be calculated on how stable you're economy is (If you're going into deficit) then how strong it is (Making surplus all around). I also would help if federations had congresses so they can vote on policies, federation leader, ect.


At least, you can still play the game as xenophile. Which is already better than pacifist where you're just there, not doing anything, until the federation leader which you created, decided to go on a warmongering spree. It's a secondary ethic you would pick along side a major one like Materialist, Militarist or Spiritualist.