Relationships are not static — they evolve every turn based on a blend of faction personality, geopolitical situation, military posture, and diplomatic history. Understanding these forces is key to managing your empire's foreign affairs.
Natural Equilibrium
Each pair of factions has a natural equilibrium — a baseline score that relationships drift toward when no treaties are active. This equilibrium is determined by both factions' aggression levels, diplomatic bonuses, and war history. Two peaceful, diplomatic factions naturally trend toward friendship, while two aggressive factions trend toward hostility.
Geopolitical Tensions
- Border Proximity: Foreign fleets stationed near your colonies generate -1 per turn.
- Territorial Expansion: A neighbor with more colonies than you (3+) causes -2 per turn.
- Shared Star Systems: Occupying the same star system without open borders causes -3 per turn.
- Adjacent Borders: Having multiple star systems bordering theirs causes -1 per turn.
- Military Power Disparity: A neighbor with more than double your military power causes -1.5 per turn.
Positive Forces
- Treaty Goodwill: Active treaties provide steady positive drift each turn.
- Common Enemy: Being at war with the same faction provides +2 per turn.
- Peaceful Coexistence: After 5+ peaceful turns with no threatening activity, a +0.5 per turn bonus kicks in.
- Open Borders: Adds an extra +1.5 per turn on top of treaty drift.
War Memory
Past wars permanently lower the natural equilibrium between two factions by -5 per war fought (up to -20). This means even after peace is made, the relationship ceiling is lower and trust takes far longer to rebuild. Aggressive, warmongering empires will find it increasingly difficult to maintain positive relations with any faction.