Post by Onishiba on May 14, 2008 11:23:23 GMT -5
Although never ever someone asked me about it and I'm not questioning anything, I thought I'd give my little FAQ for Master of Orion 2 in here. It's actually an explanation of how the 13 races in the game behave during the game. If you haven't played MoO2, DO IT. It's a great round-based strategy game and a classic.
Before I start off, here explanations of the AI behaviour wording:
Diplomacy/Aggression
There are six settings for personality, which determine the diplomatic style of AI-controlled races.
1) Ruthless: Ruthless leaders attack with little or no provocation and will sacrifice starships and people to achieve their goals.
2) Erratic: Erratic leaders are unpredictable. One year they may be peaceful, the next year they will go to war over any excuse.
3) Aggressive: Aggressive leaders will attack any time they reach a favorable position.
4) Pacifistic: Pacifistic leaders are eager to maintain peaceful relations. They rarely attack. When at war, they will sue for peace more rapidly.
5) Honorable: Honorable leaders will not attack those they are on good terms with. They react twice as strongly to unprovoked attacks and sabotage.
6) Xenophobic: Xenophobic leaders distrust everyone, halving the effects of positive diplomacy and doubling the diplomatic penalties of hostile actions.
Production Emphasis
There are six settings for strategy, which determine the production emphasis of AI-controlled races.
1) Diplomats: Diplomats concentrate on trade with allies and espionage with enemies. They seek a balance between military buildup, ecological maintenance, and technological research.
2) Militarists: Militarists seek to develop weapons technology. They will build and maintain a large star fleet at all times.
3) Technologists: Technologists focus resources on research, seeking to advance their knowledge in all areas.
4) Ecologists: Ecologists emphasize improving their environment. They concentrate research on planetology and construction, while prioritizing terraforming projects.
5) Industrialists: Industrialists emphasize factory construction. They prioritize research into areas that will increase production capacity.
6) Expansionists: Expansionists hunger for territory. They emphasize propulsion and planetology technology and the building of colony ships. They tend to be aggressive in border disputes over recently settled lands, but hold less interest in attacking well defended worlds.
Alkari
The Alkari are not an extremely good race, however, they aren't as bad as well. The AI Alkari usually are Pacifistic or Honorable, balancing each other out. When they're Honorable, they tend to be Militarists, but also have other leadership styles, although those more apply to Pacifistic Alkaris. Other types are Industrialists, Expansionists or Technologists. When the AI controls them, they hardly raise to be a stronger race, especially as they have a bad starting relationship to the Klackons, who usually are one of the stonger races. They haven even worse relations to Darloks and Mrrshan. When they are Honorable Militarists, they usually wage war against all of these species. However, if there is none of the fiendish races around, the Alkari are a calm race who is a reasonable partner for alliances and trade agreements. In diplomacy they are very generous, especially when being Pacifistic, and will trade technologies far easier than other races.
Bulrathi
The Bulrathi haven't changed much from their MoO1 incarnation, however, they never were extremely good to begin with, and the other races all got a few boosts in their usefulness. The Bulrathi have a good Ground combat, a higher Ship Attack, and a High-Gravity Homeworld, which gives them a good chance to colonize planets with all types of gravity. The Bulrathi tend to be Aggressive Expansionist, but I also caught them as Erratic, Ruthless or Militarists. They are not really good partners for agreements and tend to break them, but not necessarily so. Due to the fact the Bulrathi tend to have wars already very soon in the game, they normally are not in the position to get stronger as they are worn out from all these wars. They eventually declare it upon races being superior to them and will be defeated after all. However, if they are able to place themselves along the stronger empires, they are a force to be reckoned with - especially as they are very aggressive.
Darloks
In the lower difficulty levels the Darloks are just a little nuisance who will definitely be wiped out from the map sooner or later. They never will grow strong, as they depend very much on espionage. I never caught the Darloks to be something else but Aggressive Militarists and this is the perfect leadership for them, anyway. As said, the Darloks have to rely on espionage, as they have no other race bonusses other than Stealth ships. The Darloks will definitely try to spy on everyone, and definitely you can be sure that when playing on a higher difficulty you get framed for espionage at least once. As they have bad relationships with Alkari and Bulrathi, they tend to be at war with them. However, they do have better relationships with the other races. They are bad allies, as they spy on you even when you are friendly with them. The Darloks are a race which needs time to get the technologies needed, and when there are Psilons in the game you can be sure that in the end they will grow as nearly as fast in technology like the Psilons do. However, if they're not successful or even are discovered by a strong force to be spying, they eventually will be crushed, because their military forces are not as strong.
Elerians
The Elerians are the first of the three new races which joined the species pantheon from Master of Orion in the second part of the game. I've seen Elerian AIs with the attributes Aggressive and Ruthless a lot, as well as Industrialist, Technologist and rarely Expansionist. They are enemies to the death with the Gnolams and if both races are in the game, one is sure: Gnolams and Elerians will be at war. They tend to be enemies with Psilons and Silicoids, as well. They have a bonus for Ship Defense and Ship Attack, but have two features special to them, and, as I think, very useful. The first one is Omniscient, which makes them see the whole map from the beginning without scouting. The other feature is the even more useful Telepathy. In the lower difficulty levels the Elerian telepathy hardly is used by the AI, if at all, however, when the difficulty raises, so does the use of the telepathy. The Elerians are able to convert the whole population of a planet instead of invading them, and they also can do this to ships. When battling the Elerians you always have to keep in mind that they maybe take over your ships and let these fight for themselves. Feudalism as government system is a very bad weight on the science. The Elerians quickly fall behind the technology races. As they are a very aggressive race they share the same fate as the Bulrathi, that they won't come to high power due to their lots of wars, however, if they do, the Elerians most likely are one of the most fierce forces in the whole galaxy.
Gnolams
Ah, the Gnolams. These little guys are one of my favourite AI opponents. Usually their leaders are Aggressive Diplomats, however, I also caught them being Erratic, Industrialists and Technologists. The Gnolams have a Low-G-Homeworld, which makes colonizing harder for them, but they have a raised tax set, recieved the trade skills of the Humans in MoO1 and added to this own Luck. Latter feature results in the Gnolams being safe from negative random events and they have a higher chance of recieving a positive random event. The trade bonus is only beneficial for the Gnolams, however, trade agreements with them normally result in good money. The Gnolams are a very unpredictable race. Sometimes they tend to be a bit more peaceful, especially if there are no Elerians around, however, in some cases they are overly aggressive and normally are wiped out by stronger AIs or you. Other than that, the Gnolams are good allies, however, they tend to press you to go to war with them. Sometimes it happened to me that when I refused joining their war they declared it upon me, as well. They also like to spy a lot, though not as much as the Darloks. Their strong financial power makes them a force to be aware of, as they are indeed able to buy a half empire sooner or later.
Humans
Humans are usually Pacifistic or Honorable and always Diplomats. Their only bonus is the Charisma, however, they love to trade a lot, and trade technologies. And hell, they are fast in doing that! The Humans are peacefully expansionistic and it's normally not that surprising to see them have 3 or 4 systems already when you still are on your way to colonize the second one. However, after some time the Humans are overflown by stronger races like the Psilons or Sakkra. The Humans are the only race which were weakened in their race features from MoO1 to MoO2, as the Gnolams got their trading. The Humans are a weaker form of the Psilons, and when these are in the game, the Humans trade a lot of technologies, also with them. However, when the Psilons go to the more advanced technologies and the Humans have nothing more to trade, they fall behind quickly. However, if you want a stable alliance, go for the Humans. Especially when Honorable they won't break it and will assist you in your wars. Militarywise the Humans however are not much of a threat.
Klackons
The insectoid Klackons are one of the most interesting species in Master of Orion 2. They have raised Food and Production as race skill, however, they are Uncreative. This is a rather negative feature. When researching, they only find the one object they were researching in that technology tribe, other than other races who sometimes can get the whole tribe or the Psilons who always get the whole tribe. However, the population of the Klackons is growing very fast. They are usually Ruthless, but also can be Xenophobic or Aggressive. Ecologist, Industrialist and Technologist balance themselves out rather okay. However, this makes the Klackons to a state who are very hard to negotiate with. If you want the Klackons as allies, you have to maintain this relationship a lot, and have to spend tons of money or technologies on it. The AI plays the Klackons always very expansve, and the colonize faster than a lightning. Time definitely is not on your side, as the Klackon population grows very fast and therefore their science has a lot of advanced technologies soon. However, if there are Sakkra in the game, who are the main enemies of the Klackons, you have some more time. Also the Alkari and Mrrshan are enemies of them, but seeing how the latter two races tend to be a bit weak, they won't be a big problem for the Klackons. In the endgame, the Klackons definitely will become one of the strongest forces in the galaxy and you will have to keep them on their toes.
Meklars
The Meklars turned from a above average to a below average race. They have a bonus in production and their Cybernetic feature makes less food necessary for them. They really haven't changed from MoO1 much. Even the AI form is not that different. The Meklars normally are Erratic and often Technologists, but I also saw them as Industrialists and Ecologists. This makes them very bad allies, as they tend to demand you to join their war or simply break agreements with you. The Meklars expand very fast in the beginning of a game, however, soon will end their colonization and stick with only a few systems in their hand. They tend to have very good technologies, especially in weaponry and production, and willingly trade for other technologies. Their mortal enemies always are the Silicoids and the Trilarians. They tend to stay in their own territories most of the time and normally are wiped out from the map rather fast, especially when there are Silicoids in the game, however, when they are able to survive the first few conflicts, they are a powerful force, especially because of their good weapon technology and fast production.
Mrrshan
The Mrrshan are still one of the worst races AI-wise. Even though their homeplanet is rich, they have Ship Attack bonus and the Warlord feature, which gives advantages in combat on ground and in space, they are a race which has a lot of wars. Normally being Ruthless Militarists, they also sometimes are only Aggressive or Industrialists. The Mrrshan normally have war with half of the galaxy, even when this actually exceeds their strength. They especially hate the Alkari, Klackons and Gnolams. Due to the fact latter two being a very strong and a above average race, the Mrrshan normally never win these wars and are wiped out eventually. Even if they survive, they are not much of a threat, except you give them time to build huge fleets. They even make very bad allies, because in the beginning they like to negotiate and make trade agreements, however, after some while they break these alliances or try to get you to war with their enemies. My suggestion is to just let them be wiped out sooner or later or - if they still survive - do it yourself.
Psilons
The Psilons are by far the strongest race in the whole game. They normally are Pacifistic Technologists, but I also had an Industrialist once. The Psilons have a Research bonus and have the feature Creative, which allows them to discover all technologies of a tribe. This means that this is the only race to be able to get all technologies in the game by themselves. They love to research until they are highly advanced and start warfare on other races, however, they love to pick on the Elerians in the beginning of the game. If there are Psilons in your game make sure you either befriend them so well that you can ask for technologies or just wipe them out as fast as you can. Because if they start to overflow all others with their technology and build ships, they are hardly to be stopped. They normally are not blood-thirsty, but always keep in mind that they eventually will start to build huge fleets.
Sakkra
The reptiloid Sakkras, who look best in the MoO2 incarnation, are the second strongest race controlled by the AI. They nearly always are Aggressive, sometimes Erratic, and either Ecologists, Technologists or Industrialists. However, even when Erratic they make valuable allies. The Sakkra expand in insane speed and are very fast in getting advanced technologies. Although their Feudal government pulls on their science leg, the overflow of population growth makes up for it. Added to this they have a Food bonus, too. Trade agreements with Sakkra normally always go very fine, I don't really recommend military alliances early in the game, though. Although most of the Sakkra relationships are rather neutral, except for the Klackons, who are their main enemies. If there are both of these races in the game, you have more time in preparing for them. And if both of them are in there, I recommend you to forge your alliance with the Sakkra instead of the Klackons, because even if the Sakkra sometimes are a bit unpredictable, their relationship is not as hard to maintain as an alliance with the Klackons. However, be always aware that the Sakkra are Aggressive, and you probably will have to join a lot of wars with them.
Silicoids
Oh my, the Silicoids. In MoO2 they are probably one of the most screwed races, however, they still are able to make their flaws up. The Silicoids have two very incredibly useful features, Lithovores and Tolerant. They don't need food at all and they can live wherever they want and also don't need to care about pollution. Radiation? No problem. No atmosphere? Ah, they don't mind. However, they have a malus on population growth, and the biggest problem they have: Repulsive. This means they cannot have diplomatic negotiations with any other race. The only diplomatic options are War, Peace, Capitulation. This is the biggest restriction one could ever have, and this makes the Silicoids - in a political sense - to a very vulnerable race. Silicoids usually are Xenophobic Industrialists, however, can also be Erratic and Expansionists. They expand very fast, their military is very strong and they normally always have good relations to the Klackons, which filters out a strong race wiping the floor with them. Interestingly, the Silicoids don't tend to have senseless wars just to have wars like the Mrrshan, but are rather organized in doing so. They normally pick weak enemies, annex them and come out to be stronger. When controlled by the AI, the Silicoids are probably one of the strongest races. Their lack of diplomacy will however eventually lead to their end, because there is nothing anyone could do with them. However, always keep an eye on them.
Trilarians
Last but not least, the Trilarians. In my opinion, these fish are probably the worst race, AI-wise. The Trilarians are Transdimensional and Aquatic, which makes them tend to expand very fast. When there are Gnolams or Meklars in the game you can be sure they'll have war against the Trilarians, who are except that a very peaceful race who like to make a lot of treaties. If you want a loyal ally, go for the Trilarians, even though you will have to protect them. They normally are Pacifistic, sometimes Honorable, and either Militarists, Expansionists, Ecologists or Industrialists. When they're Militarists they have a bit higher chances to survive, however, they still won't unless someone bigger protects them. The Trilarians like to trade technologies, however, are not that good researchers. If they're bothering you, you can ask them to give their systems to you - it worked often for me. After you stripped them down till one system or even one planet, you can erase them yourself.
Before I start off, here explanations of the AI behaviour wording:
Diplomacy/Aggression
There are six settings for personality, which determine the diplomatic style of AI-controlled races.
1) Ruthless: Ruthless leaders attack with little or no provocation and will sacrifice starships and people to achieve their goals.
2) Erratic: Erratic leaders are unpredictable. One year they may be peaceful, the next year they will go to war over any excuse.
3) Aggressive: Aggressive leaders will attack any time they reach a favorable position.
4) Pacifistic: Pacifistic leaders are eager to maintain peaceful relations. They rarely attack. When at war, they will sue for peace more rapidly.
5) Honorable: Honorable leaders will not attack those they are on good terms with. They react twice as strongly to unprovoked attacks and sabotage.
6) Xenophobic: Xenophobic leaders distrust everyone, halving the effects of positive diplomacy and doubling the diplomatic penalties of hostile actions.
Production Emphasis
There are six settings for strategy, which determine the production emphasis of AI-controlled races.
1) Diplomats: Diplomats concentrate on trade with allies and espionage with enemies. They seek a balance between military buildup, ecological maintenance, and technological research.
2) Militarists: Militarists seek to develop weapons technology. They will build and maintain a large star fleet at all times.
3) Technologists: Technologists focus resources on research, seeking to advance their knowledge in all areas.
4) Ecologists: Ecologists emphasize improving their environment. They concentrate research on planetology and construction, while prioritizing terraforming projects.
5) Industrialists: Industrialists emphasize factory construction. They prioritize research into areas that will increase production capacity.
6) Expansionists: Expansionists hunger for territory. They emphasize propulsion and planetology technology and the building of colony ships. They tend to be aggressive in border disputes over recently settled lands, but hold less interest in attacking well defended worlds.
Alkari
The Alkari are not an extremely good race, however, they aren't as bad as well. The AI Alkari usually are Pacifistic or Honorable, balancing each other out. When they're Honorable, they tend to be Militarists, but also have other leadership styles, although those more apply to Pacifistic Alkaris. Other types are Industrialists, Expansionists or Technologists. When the AI controls them, they hardly raise to be a stronger race, especially as they have a bad starting relationship to the Klackons, who usually are one of the stonger races. They haven even worse relations to Darloks and Mrrshan. When they are Honorable Militarists, they usually wage war against all of these species. However, if there is none of the fiendish races around, the Alkari are a calm race who is a reasonable partner for alliances and trade agreements. In diplomacy they are very generous, especially when being Pacifistic, and will trade technologies far easier than other races.
Bulrathi
The Bulrathi haven't changed much from their MoO1 incarnation, however, they never were extremely good to begin with, and the other races all got a few boosts in their usefulness. The Bulrathi have a good Ground combat, a higher Ship Attack, and a High-Gravity Homeworld, which gives them a good chance to colonize planets with all types of gravity. The Bulrathi tend to be Aggressive Expansionist, but I also caught them as Erratic, Ruthless or Militarists. They are not really good partners for agreements and tend to break them, but not necessarily so. Due to the fact the Bulrathi tend to have wars already very soon in the game, they normally are not in the position to get stronger as they are worn out from all these wars. They eventually declare it upon races being superior to them and will be defeated after all. However, if they are able to place themselves along the stronger empires, they are a force to be reckoned with - especially as they are very aggressive.
Darloks
In the lower difficulty levels the Darloks are just a little nuisance who will definitely be wiped out from the map sooner or later. They never will grow strong, as they depend very much on espionage. I never caught the Darloks to be something else but Aggressive Militarists and this is the perfect leadership for them, anyway. As said, the Darloks have to rely on espionage, as they have no other race bonusses other than Stealth ships. The Darloks will definitely try to spy on everyone, and definitely you can be sure that when playing on a higher difficulty you get framed for espionage at least once. As they have bad relationships with Alkari and Bulrathi, they tend to be at war with them. However, they do have better relationships with the other races. They are bad allies, as they spy on you even when you are friendly with them. The Darloks are a race which needs time to get the technologies needed, and when there are Psilons in the game you can be sure that in the end they will grow as nearly as fast in technology like the Psilons do. However, if they're not successful or even are discovered by a strong force to be spying, they eventually will be crushed, because their military forces are not as strong.
Elerians
The Elerians are the first of the three new races which joined the species pantheon from Master of Orion in the second part of the game. I've seen Elerian AIs with the attributes Aggressive and Ruthless a lot, as well as Industrialist, Technologist and rarely Expansionist. They are enemies to the death with the Gnolams and if both races are in the game, one is sure: Gnolams and Elerians will be at war. They tend to be enemies with Psilons and Silicoids, as well. They have a bonus for Ship Defense and Ship Attack, but have two features special to them, and, as I think, very useful. The first one is Omniscient, which makes them see the whole map from the beginning without scouting. The other feature is the even more useful Telepathy. In the lower difficulty levels the Elerian telepathy hardly is used by the AI, if at all, however, when the difficulty raises, so does the use of the telepathy. The Elerians are able to convert the whole population of a planet instead of invading them, and they also can do this to ships. When battling the Elerians you always have to keep in mind that they maybe take over your ships and let these fight for themselves. Feudalism as government system is a very bad weight on the science. The Elerians quickly fall behind the technology races. As they are a very aggressive race they share the same fate as the Bulrathi, that they won't come to high power due to their lots of wars, however, if they do, the Elerians most likely are one of the most fierce forces in the whole galaxy.
Gnolams
Ah, the Gnolams. These little guys are one of my favourite AI opponents. Usually their leaders are Aggressive Diplomats, however, I also caught them being Erratic, Industrialists and Technologists. The Gnolams have a Low-G-Homeworld, which makes colonizing harder for them, but they have a raised tax set, recieved the trade skills of the Humans in MoO1 and added to this own Luck. Latter feature results in the Gnolams being safe from negative random events and they have a higher chance of recieving a positive random event. The trade bonus is only beneficial for the Gnolams, however, trade agreements with them normally result in good money. The Gnolams are a very unpredictable race. Sometimes they tend to be a bit more peaceful, especially if there are no Elerians around, however, in some cases they are overly aggressive and normally are wiped out by stronger AIs or you. Other than that, the Gnolams are good allies, however, they tend to press you to go to war with them. Sometimes it happened to me that when I refused joining their war they declared it upon me, as well. They also like to spy a lot, though not as much as the Darloks. Their strong financial power makes them a force to be aware of, as they are indeed able to buy a half empire sooner or later.
Humans
Humans are usually Pacifistic or Honorable and always Diplomats. Their only bonus is the Charisma, however, they love to trade a lot, and trade technologies. And hell, they are fast in doing that! The Humans are peacefully expansionistic and it's normally not that surprising to see them have 3 or 4 systems already when you still are on your way to colonize the second one. However, after some time the Humans are overflown by stronger races like the Psilons or Sakkra. The Humans are the only race which were weakened in their race features from MoO1 to MoO2, as the Gnolams got their trading. The Humans are a weaker form of the Psilons, and when these are in the game, the Humans trade a lot of technologies, also with them. However, when the Psilons go to the more advanced technologies and the Humans have nothing more to trade, they fall behind quickly. However, if you want a stable alliance, go for the Humans. Especially when Honorable they won't break it and will assist you in your wars. Militarywise the Humans however are not much of a threat.
Klackons
The insectoid Klackons are one of the most interesting species in Master of Orion 2. They have raised Food and Production as race skill, however, they are Uncreative. This is a rather negative feature. When researching, they only find the one object they were researching in that technology tribe, other than other races who sometimes can get the whole tribe or the Psilons who always get the whole tribe. However, the population of the Klackons is growing very fast. They are usually Ruthless, but also can be Xenophobic or Aggressive. Ecologist, Industrialist and Technologist balance themselves out rather okay. However, this makes the Klackons to a state who are very hard to negotiate with. If you want the Klackons as allies, you have to maintain this relationship a lot, and have to spend tons of money or technologies on it. The AI plays the Klackons always very expansve, and the colonize faster than a lightning. Time definitely is not on your side, as the Klackon population grows very fast and therefore their science has a lot of advanced technologies soon. However, if there are Sakkra in the game, who are the main enemies of the Klackons, you have some more time. Also the Alkari and Mrrshan are enemies of them, but seeing how the latter two races tend to be a bit weak, they won't be a big problem for the Klackons. In the endgame, the Klackons definitely will become one of the strongest forces in the galaxy and you will have to keep them on their toes.
Meklars
The Meklars turned from a above average to a below average race. They have a bonus in production and their Cybernetic feature makes less food necessary for them. They really haven't changed from MoO1 much. Even the AI form is not that different. The Meklars normally are Erratic and often Technologists, but I also saw them as Industrialists and Ecologists. This makes them very bad allies, as they tend to demand you to join their war or simply break agreements with you. The Meklars expand very fast in the beginning of a game, however, soon will end their colonization and stick with only a few systems in their hand. They tend to have very good technologies, especially in weaponry and production, and willingly trade for other technologies. Their mortal enemies always are the Silicoids and the Trilarians. They tend to stay in their own territories most of the time and normally are wiped out from the map rather fast, especially when there are Silicoids in the game, however, when they are able to survive the first few conflicts, they are a powerful force, especially because of their good weapon technology and fast production.
Mrrshan
The Mrrshan are still one of the worst races AI-wise. Even though their homeplanet is rich, they have Ship Attack bonus and the Warlord feature, which gives advantages in combat on ground and in space, they are a race which has a lot of wars. Normally being Ruthless Militarists, they also sometimes are only Aggressive or Industrialists. The Mrrshan normally have war with half of the galaxy, even when this actually exceeds their strength. They especially hate the Alkari, Klackons and Gnolams. Due to the fact latter two being a very strong and a above average race, the Mrrshan normally never win these wars and are wiped out eventually. Even if they survive, they are not much of a threat, except you give them time to build huge fleets. They even make very bad allies, because in the beginning they like to negotiate and make trade agreements, however, after some while they break these alliances or try to get you to war with their enemies. My suggestion is to just let them be wiped out sooner or later or - if they still survive - do it yourself.
Psilons
The Psilons are by far the strongest race in the whole game. They normally are Pacifistic Technologists, but I also had an Industrialist once. The Psilons have a Research bonus and have the feature Creative, which allows them to discover all technologies of a tribe. This means that this is the only race to be able to get all technologies in the game by themselves. They love to research until they are highly advanced and start warfare on other races, however, they love to pick on the Elerians in the beginning of the game. If there are Psilons in your game make sure you either befriend them so well that you can ask for technologies or just wipe them out as fast as you can. Because if they start to overflow all others with their technology and build ships, they are hardly to be stopped. They normally are not blood-thirsty, but always keep in mind that they eventually will start to build huge fleets.
Sakkra
The reptiloid Sakkras, who look best in the MoO2 incarnation, are the second strongest race controlled by the AI. They nearly always are Aggressive, sometimes Erratic, and either Ecologists, Technologists or Industrialists. However, even when Erratic they make valuable allies. The Sakkra expand in insane speed and are very fast in getting advanced technologies. Although their Feudal government pulls on their science leg, the overflow of population growth makes up for it. Added to this they have a Food bonus, too. Trade agreements with Sakkra normally always go very fine, I don't really recommend military alliances early in the game, though. Although most of the Sakkra relationships are rather neutral, except for the Klackons, who are their main enemies. If there are both of these races in the game, you have more time in preparing for them. And if both of them are in there, I recommend you to forge your alliance with the Sakkra instead of the Klackons, because even if the Sakkra sometimes are a bit unpredictable, their relationship is not as hard to maintain as an alliance with the Klackons. However, be always aware that the Sakkra are Aggressive, and you probably will have to join a lot of wars with them.
Silicoids
Oh my, the Silicoids. In MoO2 they are probably one of the most screwed races, however, they still are able to make their flaws up. The Silicoids have two very incredibly useful features, Lithovores and Tolerant. They don't need food at all and they can live wherever they want and also don't need to care about pollution. Radiation? No problem. No atmosphere? Ah, they don't mind. However, they have a malus on population growth, and the biggest problem they have: Repulsive. This means they cannot have diplomatic negotiations with any other race. The only diplomatic options are War, Peace, Capitulation. This is the biggest restriction one could ever have, and this makes the Silicoids - in a political sense - to a very vulnerable race. Silicoids usually are Xenophobic Industrialists, however, can also be Erratic and Expansionists. They expand very fast, their military is very strong and they normally always have good relations to the Klackons, which filters out a strong race wiping the floor with them. Interestingly, the Silicoids don't tend to have senseless wars just to have wars like the Mrrshan, but are rather organized in doing so. They normally pick weak enemies, annex them and come out to be stronger. When controlled by the AI, the Silicoids are probably one of the strongest races. Their lack of diplomacy will however eventually lead to their end, because there is nothing anyone could do with them. However, always keep an eye on them.
Trilarians
Last but not least, the Trilarians. In my opinion, these fish are probably the worst race, AI-wise. The Trilarians are Transdimensional and Aquatic, which makes them tend to expand very fast. When there are Gnolams or Meklars in the game you can be sure they'll have war against the Trilarians, who are except that a very peaceful race who like to make a lot of treaties. If you want a loyal ally, go for the Trilarians, even though you will have to protect them. They normally are Pacifistic, sometimes Honorable, and either Militarists, Expansionists, Ecologists or Industrialists. When they're Militarists they have a bit higher chances to survive, however, they still won't unless someone bigger protects them. The Trilarians like to trade technologies, however, are not that good researchers. If they're bothering you, you can ask them to give their systems to you - it worked often for me. After you stripped them down till one system or even one planet, you can erase them yourself.