Diplomacy and Trade

Playing Stars!

Multi-player games only

Stars! has features that allow you to practice diplomacy in multi-player games. Use the mail feature of the Message pane to communicate with other players, arranging alliances, rendezvous, trade agreements, joint remote mining ventures, and non-aggression pacts. (Stars! mail works equally well for hurling insults and taunts.)

Stars! does not require one winner. When you're setting up the game, you can specify winning conditions that encourage diplomacy by allowing for multiple winners.

Player Relationships

You can declare neutral and friendly players using the Player Relations dialog (select Player Relations from the Commands menu). This prevents you from attacking the wrong people and allows you to automatically come to a friend's aid if they're under fire. Friends can also pass through each other's mine fields without harm, automatically refuel at their starbases and are allowed to use their stargates. So it's worth while to set up alliances, even if they're temporary.

Trading Fuel and Minerals

You can also trade fuel and minerals with other players, sending messages to arrange the trade, then rendezvousing with the other player's fleet to give or receive minerals or fuel. Minerals can also be sent to another player's planet using a fleet-to-planet transfer or by flinging mineral packets to the planet (assuming the receiving planet has a mass driver of equal or greater strength—otherwise you might have a war on your hands).

Fleet-related trades can be automated by setting your waypoints between planets or fleets, specifying Transport orders, then selecting Repeat Orders. Automate mineral packet-based trade by adding Mineral Packets (Auto Build) to your production queue and aiming the mass driver at the correct planet.

Trading Technology

It is also possible to trade technological research data by scrapping fleets at each other's starbases. While this is not always 100% successful, due to the differences in each race's basic understanding of the laws of physics, it is a great way to add spice to an alliance.

Trading Ships

You can give fleets to other players using the Transfer Fleets waypoint task. The other player can take the fleet if doing so would not cause them to exceed the maximum number of ship designs. The receiving player cannot build additional ships of the types given by other players. They can, however, receive additional ships of the same type from the other player.

You cannot receive ships from someone you have specified as an Enemy.

Trading with Transdimensional Beings

You might encounter a transdimensional being with technology to sell during the course of a game. If you can catch this Mystery Trader and give it what it wants, you may learn about technology that neither you nor any other player would normally be able to research and build.

Joint Mining Ventures

You can join with other players to remote mine a planet, with each player using their own remote mining fleet and freighters. Since minerals can be transferred between different players fleets and planets, one player may also mine then manually transfer the minerals to the other player's holds for transports to the agreed upon ports-o-call.

Any race with the Super Stealth trait can automate transferring cargo from another player's mining fleet as a waypoint task—if the other player agrees, it's diplomacy; otherwise, it's piracy.

Claim Adjusters and Orbital Terraforming

Races based on the Claim Adjuster trait can terraform other player's planets from orbit. This creates unique opportunities for diplomacy or war. If the owner is your Friend, you perform positive terraforming (adjusting planetary conditions toward the inhabitants' optimal conditions). If the owner is your Enemy, you perform negative terraforming.

Terraforming from orbit happens automatically as soon as your fleet arrives. Just set the destination planet as the fleet waypoint. No waypoint task is necessary.

Terraforming for Hire

Terraforming from orbit requires a fleet outfitted with Orbital Adjusters. These are described in the Mining Robots section of the Technology Browser. Every race with the Claim Adjuster trait starts out with one ship outfitted with Orbital Adjusters.

Specify Friends, Enemies and Neutrals using the Player Relations dialog (press F7).

Terraforming from orbit is a great vehicle for diplomacy: in return for other technology, an alliance, or just a plain thank you, you can help your friends make their planets a better place to live. Only offer this assistance to friends who have lesser terraforming capabilities than yourself. Terraforming is not additive—you can't combine your orbital terraforming abilities with those of the inhabitants to super terraform the planet. The planet will only be terraformed to the limits of whoever possesses the superior technology. For example, if the inhabitants have 3% terraforming and you possess 5% terraforming, the planet can be improved up to 5% from its original conditions (not exceeding optimal conditions for the inhabitants).

Read about:

Sending messages to other players

Specifying winning conditions

Declaring friends, neutrals and enemies

Adding fleet waypoints and tasks

Rendezvousing with other fleets

Transferring cargo

Flinging mineral packets

Remote mining