You can't trade with anyone using freighters.

And hippies demonstrate outside your capital with signs.

Space Hippies?

Aren't those the Torians?

Don't they have the "frisky" birthrate? Free love and all that......

Actually removing yourself from the council can be good at certain times in a game! If you are busy 'culture bombing' other civs with your starbases and the resolution that bases outside your influence will attract 'x' charge, or you can only have 'x' many modules on any given starbase appear, it can be a good thing to leave the council. Yes, it would mean a drop in income but at later times in your game you should be self supportive anyhow and should be able to cope with the loss.

I tend to leave the council once every 4 or 5 games or so, depending on any resolutions made in the council.

DG
GCII Moderator

Or you could just go mad, build as many colony ships as you can, giving them the bare minimum colonists, and take over a large portion of the map early on... With a preference to the high quality planets. Then get building loads of Embassies (or Cultural Centers).... I love it when I get a high class planet (e.g. level 19, or 26, which always seem to be near the vilest race, like the chimp impersonating Drengin) and the high class planet has 2 - 4 influence bonus tiles.

The best I had was a Class 26 planet, which had 3 influence tiles, 1 700% research tile, a 300% production tile, 2 approval tiles and a 300% food tile.... It ended up producing something like 300 Infuence points, thanks to my flagship finding loads of infuence enhancing anomolies. This one planet brought 3 other planets over to my side... hahahahahahaha

1 700% research tile

Do you have a screenie?
I haven't been on in a while, did anyone ever post one?

I've gotten one of them mythical 700% mines, but no research and I *can* give a screenshot if ya want it, but I dont think the 700% production is as rare as the research one :/

I get one of the 700% mines every 5th game or so on one of my planets but have never ever ever never ever seen one of the research ones. I definitely think they are a lot more rare. Think of it this way, sure 700% manufacturing bonus is great, but it really only helps one planet... The research one would make you an unstopable research machine if handled right and would improve your entire empire as a result. Definitely seems like it should be more rare.

I'm having a Star Trek flashback... (cue hippy music) Take us back to Eden. Yea, brother. Take us back to Eden. Yea, brother.

Lol, Spock jammed with the Space Hippies!