How is AI taking over my minor civilizations?

[Eldrin]

They ally to me in the start, i get relations to max, and eventually i notice some AI has got their alliance? How are AI getting the relations with them? When their allied to someone else i cant praise them anymore to gain influence and i get all the abnormalities near them for the influence too, but somehow eventually some AI becomes their ally?

[Viktor]

If someone do their missions (to assimilate the minor faction) they obtain it even if you are their best friend. And anyone with 50 points with the minor factions can take and complete the mission.

[CursedPanther]

This annoys the hell outta me too. I haven't played through all the factions but I've read that it's some kinda faction specific skill thing to instantly gain favor of a minor civilization but not outright assimilating them. Feel free to correct me if it's incorrect info.

All I can say is, in my current playthrough I've reached 100 point relationship first with a minor, then colonized both its adjacent systems expecting it to be in my tight grip for the rest of the game. But then another empire somehow manages to break the bond we have and the minor 'sided' with them instead while still being politically neutral, refusing assimilation or assist, yet all this time continue paying me tribute becuz of the 100 point relationship. Not until both my adjacent influence rings somehow squeeze into the minor's ring enough(not overlapping) then the minor suddenly decide to 'side' with me again during one turn and open up the diplomacy options, without me doing anything really. This is very confusing.

[Groo the one]

Before you reach 100% relationship you can boost the relationship improvement per turn by influence, so it raises past 100% pretty much as long as relationship improvement lasts. Apart from taking over by quest, like Viktor wrote about, the 2nd option to kick another player out of place.

[Red Star, Blood Moon]

Originally posted by Groo the one:

Before you reach 100% relationship you can boost the relationship improvement per turn by influence, so it raises past 100% pretty much as long as relationship improvement lasts. Apart from taking over by quest, like Viktor wrote about, the 2nd option to kick another player out of place.

I also should add, if you explore a curiosity/anomaly with a probe on a minor civilization's inhabited planet it gives you a very nice bonus. Just one of those details you only find out while playing. You also can demand that player give you sovereignship (called suzerainship) over the minor as a demand when you hit maximum influence.

And yeah, the AI is really sneaky like that. First of all, don't EVER just assume your stuff is safe. That is ironically what a lot of IRL late stage empires tend to do and are shocked to find how fragile things really are. If you plan on assimilating a faction the best thing to do is get on it ASAP preferably with influence conversion if you can before an AI finds them and flips it.

[Viktor]

And assits them is always there with one exception I think, Vodyani brainwash (I'm not sure) so if they gain the favor as Groo the one said and then brainwash them you are locked out from assimilate them with diplomacy but you can just declare war and assimilate them that way.