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Man, the AI relation bonus is way too big a factor in deciding Diplomatic Victory. My friend and I tried to do a 2v2 with Cruel AIs and even though we were beating them back in fleet battles they were still getting diplomacy points at a rate three times ours. They were able to get diplomatic victory in about an hour just as we were starting to get into the swing of the game. It felt like a very lame loss with nothing we could do about it. It just doesn't make sense that they should get such a

I like the increased pirate strength but I do think it's a little ludicrous that they can get as strong or stronger than one of the main factions. Wiping out the pirate base in the late game should be a viable strategic option, in my opinion.