hneilriggs

I just won my first game on normal difficulty, so I decided to try bumping the galaxy-wide AI up one step to gifted and try as a new race. Everything falls to crap almost immediately. I'm trying an Altarian game, beginning with a heavy focus on research and expansion. When I run into any AI faction, usually around turn fifty, they have more worlds than I do, more techs than I do, a significant war fleet, and they instantly hate me

1) It might be best to discuss what features I hate most. While I love the Total War games, I'm always annoyed at how gung-ho the AI is to declare war on me. Their system is disappointing because it can't affect meaningful impact. I like it when diplomacy opens meaningful interaction with the AI faction. Civ V also kind of fails on this front; the AI is only out to win and won't support any proposition that directly furthers a player's bid for a Diploma