Heya
1. You mention Provinces? I saw the Star Map view mode button at the bottom of the main UI but have no idea how to create a Province. Does the manual cover this? I think I read somewhere, probably via Google of all things, a system needs at least a Civilian station to start a Province???
The Province creation button is currently the 5 pointed star in a circle below the rotating Research Project cube in the main Strategic screen.
The rules for Province creation are that each system for inclusion in the Province must be 7LY or less from any other system in the new Province, and not already in another Province.
You also have a maximum of 3 Systems per Province.
Both the LY distance limit and the number of systems per Province can be increased through Tech research.
You can open up the Province Creator at any time just to review what is available.
To close it without creating a province, click on the same button once more.
2. I keep getting these pop-ups about Trade Treaty Offer, but from Civilian Colonies that appear in systems I have surveyed, some with multiple planets of only 1 or 2 I've colonized but not all. Something about "Civilian Colony wants to trade with you for 0 turns offering the following incentives _______." Okay zero turns and offering nothing!? I always click "Accept" but what is the benefit and why not click "Decline?"
Accepting gives them warm feelings, refusing makes them wonder if you will be dropping by with Assault Shuttles sometime soon...
3. Kinda related to #2 I go into Diplomacy Manager / Independents and I see all these "Factions." Each 'card' is about as blank as the Empires. Should I just ignore this until later in the game or if I badly need their planet?
As you select each Independant in the list on the left hand side, a card showing the predominant species will pop up with an abbreviated version of the various cards available for the primary Factions.
Similar Diplomatic Actions are available here as for the main Factions, with some differences in each available choice due to the Indy not being a major power.
Independants are useful in that they do not require upkeep and can still contribute to your Empire if you can bring them to like you enough.
Bringing them to the point of liking you enough may be more effort than you are willing to undertake, in which case you can choose to simply declare war on them and claim the world that way.
As with the major Factions, how you deal with Independants will be noted by other Factions and your own Civilians, as well as being reflected by movements in the Govt graph.
