No Advanced AI start

[Helios]

Hi. Going to start new game after i rejected to be xenophobe AE thrall...gg, got crushed ofc.
Im going to use hyperline ftl only like in last game, it made early wars and expansion much more interesting. Hard difficulty as im experienced player. But what about advanced AI start? In most games it looks like when advanced AI goes to some military, xenophobe..etc, it make these empires really strong and big by conquer expansion. Im used to deal with it and FE at borders is ussualy much bigger problem... but its little bit boring, seeing galaxy devided in same way every game. Also i have to conquer some small empires to match that advanced AIs..and i dont like to war much.

What happens if i switch advanced AI start off? Never played such game. Are some empires still going to be able to become masters of their cluster, or galaxy is going to be full with tiny empires? Im afraid of second option, that would make game way easier i think. And what about AI empires spawns, keep it at cluster or not?

Also is this going to effect FE awakening? Now it awakes when someone, ussualy that advanced AI, gets strong nearby. So theres way to deal with them. But if nobody gets really strong before FE awakes, nothing can stop it imo.

[HugsAndSnuggles]

Advanced AI usually goes to warmongers - to keep conflict alive and provide some challenge late/mid game. Otherwise it's all up to rng (some AIs might get good enough start to get to similar kevels).

Question is: do you enjoy beating those strong empires, or prefer to encounter no resistance in your quest for galactic domination, if possible.

[Botji]

Even without advanced AI there will be some of them that grow to hold around 1/3rd 1/4th of a 1000 star map. Usually it is the more warlike ofc so not much difference there.

I use the Random placement, sometimes a few of the AI get clustered and some get space to grow, I think its a nice balance.

So far FEs have woken around 80-110 years after start for me but that probably ties into the fact that its around that time I usually hit where my fleet strenght rapidly increases due to planets, tech etc has devoloped enough to support it.

But afaik the FEs sort of balance themselves when they awaken, if someone is flying around with 300k fleets the FE is going to get huge fleets while if everyone is around 20-40k the FE also gets a bit smaller fleets when it awakens. Playing on Hard might change that though, I havent tried because I dont like the thought of the AI cheating.

[Yow!]

Aside from being nearly boxed in by awesomely random spawns, either too many neighbours or bad habitable planets spawn (like spawning with few neighbours but in a big empty region where the habitable planets are too far away), advanced starts, at least for me, are the only threat before crisis and AE, if they are not xenophiles.

So i would not suggest to turn them off.

I always play 4 advanced starts, 16 empires, 1000 stars, cluster, eliptic/spiral2, 4 FE.

Althought they have enhanced AI expansion, it still isnt enough. Its kinda creepy to have a neighbouring advanced start as devouring swarm or fanatical purifier, but its manageable, because they are hostile to everyone they cant wage war without risking being thorned apart in chain reaction war declarations after the first fleet engagements.

[Helios]

Originally posted by HugsAndSnuggles:

Question is: do you enjoy beating those strong empires, or prefer to encounter no resistance in your quest for galactic domination, if possible.

Now i wanna play more like long term galactic domination with few/no wars. I know it sounds strange, but i just want to enjoy full late game, finaly build first ring world etc...if you go full wars, game is decided already. Ill try to expand through strong economy - diplomacy - AE and Crisis. I dont really like wars, im even thinking about going pacifist.

[Meewec]

i never liked the idea of advanced starts so i never use them, i do like maxing the fallen empires because they force you and the galaxy to adjust based on what's near them.

usually someone or a coalition of someone's will take over their little clusters. i find at least one devourering swarm or fanatic purifyer starts to become a problem for the galaxy usually