Diplomacy

Diplomacy in FrEee is similar to diplomacy in SE4, but with some of the cruft removed (e.g. the distinction between "gifts" and "tributes"), and some new features added.

##Diplomatic Actions

You can perform a variety of diplomatic actions in FrEee:

• Send a general message
• Make a proposal
• Counter a proposal
• Accept a proposal
• Reject a proposal
• Break a treaty (or individual clauses of a treaty)
• Declare war

Proposals

Proposals are diplomatic actions that require confirmation from another empire. Proposals are composed of two packages - one for items that you are giving, the other for items that you are receiving. You can make a proposal with no give items or no receive items; in those cases it would be a request or a gift respectively.

You can also make a tentative proposal. Tentative proposals cannot be accepted; they can only be countered or rejected. This is useful if you want to trade for something that you don't actually know that the other empire has, and thus you cannot choose it from a list. You would then make a tentative proposal offering what you want to trade, and a description of what you want in exchange, and the other empire would then counter the proposal with a modified version that adds what he has to offer.

Packages

Packages contain items that can be exchanged in diplomacy. These include:

• Planets - only planets that you have colonized, of course.
• Vehicles
• Resources
• Technology - unlike in SE4, technology trades are specified with a maximum level, not a number of levels. This way if the other empire has more levels than you think they do, you don't accidentally give them more than you expect.
• Star charts - transfers your most recent sensor data about a star system. (Perhaps it should transfer only data of stellar objects and not of vehicles?)
• Communication channels - unlike in SE4, these are one-way; if empire A has a communication channel to empire B, then only A can initiate communications with B; B cannot send messages to A except in reply to a message that A sent. Note that A can give B its own communication channel to remove this restriction.
• Treaty clauses - like in SE5, treaties are customizable using clauses. (Treaties are not yet implemented.)

Treaty Clauses

Treaties are not yet implemented, but when they are, there will be a variety of clauses available to choose from. Most clauses are one-way, so if you want them to be two-way, you need to add them to the treaty package twice, once from each empire. Here is the current list of planned treaty clauses:

• Non-aggression - This would come in two flavors or levels, similar to SE5. The first would prevent combat only in systems that are not colonized by either empire, while the second would prevent combat everywhere. Perhaps non-aggression should only be two-way. Why should I be allowed to attack you if you can't fight back? On the other hand, one-way non-aggression treaties would be useful for keeping subjugated empires in check!

• Non-interference: This would prevent one empire from colonizing systems that have previously been colonized by the other empire, provided that the system does not already have a colony belonging to the first empire. Note that this is different from SE5's non-aggression pacts in that SE5 did not allow cross-colonization in a system even if both empires had a colony there. SE5's system stifled empires needlessly, so we'll be a bit more lenient.

• Defensive pact: This would cause one empire, in a three-way battle with his ally and a third party, to attack the third party if the third party is an enemy of the ally. It would not cause the empire to break its treaty with the third party, and the effects would last only for that battle; it would not cause the first empire and the third to become hostile to each other in other battles, unless the ally was also present there. This would be overridden by a non-aggression pact between the first empire and the third. You will be required to have a non-aggression pact with an empire in order to form a defensive pact, and if it's only a "non-aggression in neutral systems" pact then the defensive pact has no effect in systems that are colonized (since you'll be too busy fighting your "ally" to focus on their enemy)!.

• Economic cooperation: This is similar to the trade treaties from SE4, giving the empire resources in proportion to the gross income of the other empire. Unlike SE4, you will be able to specify which specific resources (including research and intelligence if so desired) will be shared, and the start percentage, end percentage, and change per turn will be moddable via Settings.txt. Yes, you can mod in trade treaties that cost resources to start up at the beginning!

• Research cooperation: This treaty will give an empire a bonus to research in any technology that the other empire already knows to the level being researched, and a bonus to research in any technology level that the other empire is also actively researching. Bonuses can be specified in Settings.txt.

• Tribute: This is similar to the tributes imposed by subjugation and protectorate treaties in SE4; however, you can specify the specific resources (including research and intelligence) that will be transferred, and in what quantities - essentially, an automatic resource gift per turn. This can be specified as either a flat rate per turn or a percentage of gross income. If I promise more in tribute than I can actually pay, then everyone I owe receives a share of what I actually can pay proportional to what I owe them, and they receive a log message saying that I was unable to pay in full.

• Share vision: Similar to the vision sharing from the partnership treaty in SE4, this shares normal (but not anti-cloak or scanner; those are separate clauses) vision with the other empire.

• Share combat logs: Just like in SE5, you will be able to share combat logs.

• Share designs: Just like in SE5, you will be able to share designs, though here you will be able to specify if you share only your own designs, only any alien designs you encounter, or both.

• Share espionage reports: This will allow you to share any reports provided by your spies with another empire. Naturally, it will not share reports of espionage against that other empire!

• Share ability: This will allow you to share usage of any sector-wide, system-wide, or galaxy-wide ability that the game host does not forbid the sharing of in game setup. For instance, you might share resupply depot usage, or spaceport usage, or system-wide value improvement.

Also, for further consideration: more ideas!