so I closed the lid of my laptop and went to sleep.
day after I woke up and found computer not really asleep, with my empire having colonized a quarter of the galaxy and pushed other away from the rim.
I feel a little bit useless.
Just did the same yesterday - my empire did about 10x better without my interference.
How do you get disputed colonies with someone/take their planets not through force? I've got absolute domination in every way over one race, but I don't want to go to war with them as I'm fighting a few others off and I just don't have the fleet capacity (even if I would crush them) to do it, plus I rather like them holding that area of space. That being said, they've got a few colonies I realllllly want, and I don't know how to get them diplomatically?
maybe spies can make their colonies rebel and then you take the one over? i dont know... its probably not that easy and would take a long time for multiple colonies, if that works.
not sure if there was something like "making a empire your vassal", but i guess you could ally up with them? non agression pacts, mutual protection pacts, alliance and all that stuff... somehow its kind of the same anyways just the opposite way.
they paying you vassal taxes = they give you gifts.
they do their thing next to you = they do their thing next to you.
you trade with them as they are your minions = you trade with them as they are your allies.
they dont attack you because you are stronger but might rebel and go to war at some point to get out of the vassal stuff = they dont attack you because you are allies, but might backstab you at some point and go to war.
weirdly similar if i think this way...hmm
but the diplomatic route would probably take a while too if they dislike you much.