Influence questions (and my Diplomatic Victory update)

Hi!

the influence adding building starts off as an embassy (and goes through various incarnations as you get tech). It is indeed best to build them on the +100% squares, and they have an effect only on the influence of the planet it is built on. but actually, you'll probably find influence starbases more useful than embassies.

there is also a galactic acheivement, the restaurant of eternity (i forget which tech you need), this has an empire-wide effect, and there is no advantage building this on a +100% tile. tis very useful if you're planning an influence victory.

remember also a planets influence largely based on population and PQ, so not much point building embassies on puny planets.

other tips - research the influnce and diplomacy branches of the tech tree heavily, and build maxed out influence starbases near enemy worlds you want to try to flip. Be ready for the AI to declare war on you if you dont keep a decent military (and possibly even if you do), because they wont like seeing all those influence bases!

grab and protect at any cost any influence resources you can find.

well, cant think of anything else at the mo - good luck

The Restaurant of Eternity require Trade, so you can get to it very fast. It adds 20% to your race's Influence rating. There is no point building it on a bonus tile. According to one of the designers that posted somewhere on here, the bonus tiles only work for buildings that produce stuff, not for buildings that add bonuses to buildings that build stuff. You should research the entire Influence branch of the tech tree. You will need all the Starbase modules to flip planets. If you research to the end of the Diplomacy tree, you will get the Spin Control Centre, which will help convince other races that you have a big military. If you are better at keeping up on military research and production than I am you might not need it, though. Finally, your level of galactic influence is based on the amount of the map within your sphere of influence. If you build a starbase within an empty sector, it will add to your total influence, as well as get you some tourism credits. On the other hand, if you want to flip more planets and build your score, you should avoid the empty sectors. Of course, that give your opponents more time to get angry and attack you, and you cannot win an Influence Victory while at war. That's what happened to me in my last game, coincidentally also due to the Yor: I was very close to victory, and they attacked me. I was only just able to win that war.

Well, as stated, the most important thing is not going to war. There's a ten-week waiting period once you have your 75%, and the AI seems to like to pillage your bases during that time.

I don't suggest putting points into your influence traits at the start of the game. You won't usually be able to get an influence victory without turning a lot of planets, so you actually need things like diplomacy and economy more than you need influnce bonuses. In fact, diplomacy is your single most important stat, followed closely by military production (you need literally hundreds of constructor ships).

Just keep in mind that an influence victory depends primarily on these things, and in this order:
1) Not getting attacked (trade with everyone, don't play Evil, get as much diplomacy as you possibly can, give gifts)
2) Building constructors
3) Colonizing or turning planets
4) Getting influence bonuses (which you really don't need, since the planets are what give you space)

Influence victories are my thing.

You need to colonize as many planets as possible.

You need to mine the influence resources to the max

Build the ROE

Research the influence tree up to cultural conquest

Research the governments tree up to democracy at least

The larger the map, the harder it is. On a gigantic map you may need to go to war to expand your influence. If you have the strongest military and a good lead in all categories you might get by with building influence bases near the AI planets but this will often piss them off to the point of declaring war on you.

If you have the 75% influence and are forced to fight, make peace asap and the 10 week count takes up where it left off