Policies
- See also: Species rights
Policies[1] are empire-wide laws of behavior that outline the governing precepts for how an empire will guide its expansion through the stars and its stance on certain subjects. Policies are different from edicts in that they cost nothing to implement, but have effects on how citizens and other empires are likely to view each other. Once altered, a specific policy cannot be changed until 10 years have passed.
Changing policies is advised as a way to mitigate faction unhappiness in large empires that have a lot of pops of different ethics, besides the possibility of opening up new possible avenues of power.
Diplomatic stance[edit | edit source]
The diplomatic stance determines the behavior an empire takes towards other empires on the galactic stage. It cannot be changed during a war.
Stance | Effects | Supporting factions | Opposing factions | Requirements | AI weight | Description |
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Modifiers
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This empire will attempt to find common ground and negotiate with other empires in the name of friendship. | ||||
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This empire seeks to grow peacefully, but has no specific diplomatic focus. | |||
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Modifiers
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This empire wishes to be left alone to their own affairs. | |||
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Modifiers
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This empire will attempt to bully weaker empires into submission to their will. | ||||
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Modifiers
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This empire demands that all will bow before them. | ||||
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This empire desires the facilitation of trade above all else. | |||
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Always | This empire believes that enemies exist solely to be destroyed, and that they are the ones chosen to do so. | |||
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Always | This empire hungers and consumes. | |||
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Always | This empire's purpose is to destroy all biological life. | |||
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Always | This empire fell into a dark age long ago, and largely isolates itself from the rest of the galaxy. |
First contact protocol[edit | edit source]
First contact protocol dictates an empire's stance on unknown aliens as well as whether an empire can order fleets to attack another empire before establishing communications. Encountering alien life for the first time will bring the option to set the initial policy, which cannot be changed for at least 10 years.
War philosophy[edit | edit source]
War philosophy limits the systems an empire is allowed to make claims for. The limit is removed during defensive wars for the defender and does not apply for systems owned by Fallen Empires. War philosophy cannot be changed while at war.
Subjugation war terms[edit | edit source]
Subjugation war terms determines the initial terms of agreement for subjects created with the Subjugation and Imposed Inclusion casus belli as well as their starting loyalty. This policy is not available to subjects, though a player who becomes subjugated will regain what they had previously if they become independent. (If they are controlled by AI when they become independent, they get a ×10 weight towards picking the policy previously picked by the player.)
War doctrine[edit | edit source]
War doctrines become available after finishing the Supremacy tradition tree. They are also used by mercenary enclaves. This policy determines the overall strategic military doctrine for fleets.
Orbital bombardment[edit | edit source]
This policy limits the maximum available stance of planetary bombing when orbiting enemy worlds.
Type | Effects | Requirements | AI weight | Description |
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Selective | ![]() |
Allows only the bombardment of identified military targets, while keeping civilian casualties to a minimum. | ||
Indiscriminate | ![]() |
Modifiers
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Allows the full use of all orbital weaponry, with no regards to life on the surface | |
Armageddon | ![]() |
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Allows the full use of all orbital weaponry, with no regards to life on the planet itself. Utter annihilation is the goal. |
Native interference[edit | edit source]
Native interference determines an empire's policy on how to interact with pre-FTL civilizations. This policy becomes available once a primitive civilization has been found.
Native enlightenment[edit | edit source]
Native enlightenment determines whether or not an empire can enlighten pre-FTL civilizations. This policy becomes available once a primitive civilization has been found.
Type | Effects | Requirements | AI weight | Description |
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Prohibited | Cannot enlighten primitive worlds | No native would be ready to grasp the wonders we have discovered, and exposing them to the truths of the galaxy would carry enormous risks for everyone involved. | ||
Allowed | Can enlighten primitive worlds | Through sharing our knowledge we can actively encourage natives to take their rightful place in the galactic community. |
Resettlement[edit | edit source]
This policy determines if forced organic pop resettlement is enabled. The policy is not available to Gestalt Consciousness who always have it enabled (though
Rogue Servitors can't forcefully resettle Bio-Trophies).
Land appropriation[edit | edit source]
Land appropriation determines whether conquered planets with pops without Full Citizenship will have some bottom-stratum pops replaced with Full Citizenship pops. The replaced pops will become refugees. The policy is not available to Gestalt Consciousness empires, who always purge or assimilate (or make into Bio-Trophies, in the case of Rogue Servitors).
Type | Effects | AI weight | Description |
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Prohibited | Conquered planets will have their population preserved as is | Modifiers
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The land that our empire controls belongs to all of its inhabitants. |
Allowed | Planets conquered from non-citizen species will have up to 5 pops displaced and replaced with citizens from our other planets | Modifiers
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The land that the lesser species are not properly utilizing can be put to greater use by their betters. |
Leader enhancement[edit | edit source]
Leader enhancement determines whether technology can be used to improve leaders' abilities. This policy becomes available once Selected Lineages is researched and the effect affects already living leaders. With
Federations, if the
Unchained Knowledge resolution 4 is passed, members of the Galactic Community must use the most powerful leader enhancement policy they have technology for or be in breach of galactic law.
Initial border status[edit | edit source]
Initial border status determines whether borders start open or closed to other empires.
Type | Effects | Requirements | AI weight | Description |
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Open | Borders will be open to other empires by default | Isolation invites suspicion, and suspicion invites conflict. Let us show our neighbors that we have nothing to hide. | ||
Closed | Borders will be closed to other empires by default | Modifiers
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The borders of our empire must be well guarded, lest we fall victim to insidious influences. Only those who have proven themselves worthy may enter our space. |
Economic policy[edit | edit source]
The economic policy determines whether civilian or military resource production should receive more focus. The policy is not available to Gestalt Consciousness empires (they have a production policy instead).
Type | Effects | AI weight | Description |
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Civilian Economy | The needs of the populace must come before the business of war. Economic might, not military prowess, is what our empire will be founded on. | ||
Mixed Economy | No bonuses or penalties to resource production | To commit ourselves fully to either war or peace is to restrict ourselves to a narrow view. We must be ready for whatever the future may hold. | |
Militarized Economy | To neglect our defense is to neglect our survival. Trinkets and baubles are scarce comfort when the enemy is battering down the gates. |
Trade policy[edit | edit source]
This policy determines what each unit of Trade Value is converted into once it reaches the capital system. The policy is not available to
Gestalt Consciousness empires. At the start of the game only Wealth Creation is available. The Trade League Policy is available for empire in Trade League federation and replaces Consumer Benefits and Marketplace of Ideas options. AI will always use Consumer Benefits or Trade League if it can.
Production policy[edit | edit source]
This policy determines what drone stratum a Gestalt Consciousness empire focuses on. AI will always use Balanced Production.
Type | Effects | Description |
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Balanced Production | No bonuses or penalties to resource production | The Mind dedicates itself equally to the production of raw resources and finished goods. |
Extraction Focus | The Menial Drones that extract raw resources are given priority by the Mind, becoming more productive at the expense of the Complex Drones. | |
Manufacturing Focus | The Complex Drones that manufacture finished goods are given priority by the Mind, becoming more productive at the expense of the Menial Drones. |
Artificial intelligence[edit | edit source]
This policy determines how much freedom an empire gives to artificial intelligence. This policy becomes available once the Positronic AI or
Synthetics tech is obtained, or after contact with certain empires. This policy is obviously not available to
Gestalt Consciousness empires as they either cannot use robots or must use them.
Robotic workers[edit | edit source]
This policy determines whether robots are allowed in an empire. This policy is not available to Hive Mind empires, which disassemble all robot pops, or to
Machine Intelligence empires, which always integrate them as drones.
Pre-sapients[edit | edit source]
This policy determines whether an empire tolerates pre-sapients living on their planets or not. This policy is unlocked when a planet within the empire's borders has a pre-sapient pop on it.
Refugees[edit | edit source]
This policy determines the stance on accepting refugees that are fleeing from purges, displacement and persecution in other empires. This policy is unlocked when another species has been met. It is not available to Gestalt Consciousness empires unless they have the
Rogue Servitor civic.
Population controls[edit | edit source]
This policy determines the stance on the Population Controls Species Right. The policy is not available to Gestalt Consciousness empires.
Slavery[edit | edit source]
This policy determines whether an empire can give an alien species the Slave Citizenship. Gestalt Consciousness empires cannot access this policy, but may give the Slave Citizenship without it (except
Rogue Servitors, who must subject them to Mandatory Pampering instead, and genocidal types, who purge them).
Purge[edit | edit source]
This policy determines an empire's position on the forced removal of species that are no longer wanted. This policy option only dictates which degree of purging is allowed; further details on which pops are to be purged and in what way can be managed with the species rights system. Pops that cannot integrate with the empire (e.g. Hive-Minded pops outside a
Hive Mind) may be purged regardless of this policy setting.
Type | Effects | Opposing factions | Requirements | AI weight | Description |
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Prohibited |
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The purge is an atrocity and should always be treated as such. | |||
Displacement Only |
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Modifiers
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It is not our responsibility to see to the needs of those who would undermine the foundations of our society. Let them find their homes outside our borders. | |
Allowed |
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The troublesome and corrupt elements within our Empire must be cleansed, lest their rot take root in us all. |
References[edit | edit source]
Governance | Empire • Ethics • Government • Civics • Policies • Edicts • Leader • Factions • Population • Species rights • Economy • Technology • Traditions • Crime |
Exploration | Exploration • Map • Species • Anomaly • Events • FTL • Fallen empire • Pre-FTL species • Precursors • Spaceborne aliens |
Colonization | Colonization • Celestial body • Planetary features • Planetary management • Districts • Buildings • Ship • Starbase • Megastructures |
Diplomacy | Diplomacy • Trade • Subject empire • Federations • Galactic community • AI personalities • Intelligence |
Warfare | Warfare • Space warfare • Land warfare • Ship designer |
Others | Traits • Terraforming • Pop modification • Slavery • Crisis • Preset empires • AI players • Easter eggs |