So a faction owes me some favors. Can they be applied to a treaty? System trades?

[Wryson Rose]

Hello folks. Got a couple questions regarding favors.

So lets say I'm Green.
The other neutral fellow is Orange.

I've had diplomats talking them up for a while now, and I've acquired six favors.

I want to propose subjugation to them, and eventually merge them into my own faction.
Now if I go with my normal options, they'll turn it down.
Can I apply my favors to encourage them to do so? If so, how?

Secondly, exactly how does it work with a trade?
For example I want to 'buy' a system that has an excavation site. I've already claimed it.
How can I apply the six favors I have towards that 'purchase' so they transfer the system to me?

Unless I'm missing something obvious (which is possible!), it seems the favors don't do a thing. They're just going to say no way at 100% refusal.

[manniepants]

Its weird, but you cant use favors to influence subjugation. I think you should be able to, maybe they will update it.

As for trades, you can offer additional new favors for something but not leverage the favors you already have in this way.

In general favors are used when signing deals like commercial pacts/migration treaties etc. They can be used to influence votes within a federation and in the galactic community

[Oakshadow]

Favors can be used to influence trade deals, persuade empires into treaties, force opinion on federation proposals and add diplomatic weight in GalCom votes. But no they can't be used to force an empire into subjugation.

The biggest measures to vassalizing another empire is through relations and or relative power. If you're willing to be a little patient you can use the favors to fast track a wary or unfriendly empire into agreeing to treaties that will increase opinion over time.
They can also be used to trade for a pledge of loyalty from the empire after you've forced them to become a vassal through warfare. Helping you to level them up quicker.

Just so you know the AI will NEVER transfer a system peacefully to you. The reasoning the Devs gave is that because the AI can't judge the value of a system as well as a human player can, its never advantageous to allow them to trade away a system. Basically the only reason the option exists within the trade menu is so that players can trade systems between each other in multiplayer.

As for the mechanics there's a small box in the bottom right side of the trade menu where you can add favors to the trade deal. It won't appear on your side of the trade menu but it will increase their acceptable score positively for each favor spent on the trade. But again the AI will never accept trading away a system.

[Wryson Rose]

Right, I know how to APPLY the favor, but which way is correct?

If I am trading say....5,000 food or something, and I choose to have a favor added to THEIR Side of the negotiation, is that saying that I'm NEGATING a favor they already owe me? Or do I need to apply the favor to MY side? I'm confused as to how to actually apply a favor already owed by them *aside* from the federation and such.

[Ryika]

Originally posted by Wryson Rose:

Right, I know how to APPLY the favor, but which way is correct?

If I am trading say....5,000 food or something, and I choose to have a favor added to THEIR Side of the negotiation, is that saying that I'm NEGATING a favor they already owe me? Or do I need to apply the favor to MY side? I'm confused as to how to actually apply a favor already owed by them *aside* from the federation and such.

In trade deals you can only acquire or give away NEW favors. Existing favors can only be used in agreements, not in trades.