Can we be honorable warriors in Sins.......

Well, you can take over a planet by culture, the population just disappears from existence, but you can pretend that they just migrated elsewhere or rejoined in whoever took over the planet.

well... I don't think they gonna implement this by the means of a patch (you never know though, these devs seem very dedicated to the comminity's wishes) but you cound have a an alternative method of conquering a planet, via planetary invasion (that way, you would only fight the military, sparing the civilians along the way)... that would be the default method for "good" civs like the TEC, and nuking the hell out of the everyone would be the "evil" way of conquering a planet, (ej vasari)...

something like that may be delivered in an expansion though...

...... AHAHAHAHA, I loled.

Take it over by culture instead

I had brought up this question before the games release, but got over it fairly quickly after a round.

I would still like to have other options though. Perhaps add a "blockade" research that allows siege frigates to lay siege to a planet without firing a shot. Have a countdown timer (more siege frigs the faster it counts down) that starts when all military units are removed from the gravity well, and the timer is stopped/reset/slowed if a large enough enemy force enters the gravity well.

That is what i want.

Sometimes you have to nuke a planet to get control of it. Culture is nice, but it can take a while. Or you could be away from your culture lines.

I have also raised this question. I've opted for the option for the colony to surrender and the devs did not implement it. Culture works as a good alternative to genocide

Well, actually, you take over a planet by destroying it's infrastructure, not killing the people, you can take over planets while they still have population depending on how you bombard it. I remember in Hegemonia, some planet that I had to kill 7 billion people before it finally surrendered, That seems far more harsh than '290 population units'.

Would be interesting if you could flat out buy the opponent's planets out from under them (or at least their fringe worlds). Hostile takeover FTW. No idea how to implement something like that though, probably beyond the scope of things now. I wonder if a mod would allow people to buy culture bumps for cash... might have a similar effect, burning cash to grab planets. Of course if you are doing that you may as well just spend the cash building more culure centers. Hmmm.

Some may question your right to destroy ten billion people. Those who understand realize that you have no right to let them live...
- Officio Exterminatum In Exterminatus Extremis

Culture....hmmm. A bit more work but yeah, that'l do it eventually. If you have a multi-star map, you'd have to have a planet in that system though....and reasonably short phase lanes.... Thanks, Blair. Will try it out next game.

I agree, the thought of total planetary genocide through bombardment is distasteful to me, even if it is a game. After all there are real people in the real world who think nothing of total genocide of some one of another race or culture. So more options and more ways other than just culture would be a nice addition to the game in future releases.

Agreed, I would like the blockage/surrender option

You could just play a defensive game so no one has to die by your hand, and hold ground until the enemy loses their taste for battle and gives up (good luck with that against AI players, though)

I would be one of those people.

What is honor compared to victory?

Honor is the delusion of those who lack resolve.

Well, in the context of this game, the races dont exactly like each other all that much. Considering that, it makes since why mass genocide is the only option. Really it is human nature. Humans will do just about anything to survive.

well one of the capital ships has the ability to suspend trade and steal the income from the planet lol you dont take over it that way but might as well

For Honor, Look in dictionary.com, Knew that take over planet or bombing is very evil indeed, beside how about ship with troop, then when troop ship close by then set timer maybe 10 min for one ship? Same for Caption, there should be on/off every caption ship if bombing is on, meaning troop is off, but bombing is off, troop is on when nearly planet, did any one like this one, yeah????  at leat that's little more honor, beside real Honor is leave everyone alone unless they are theating to other living thing for fun.

I play as Vasari and do not use nukes so I'm not guilty of nuclear fallout. But I am guilty of massive planetary scars caused by high powered particle beam weapons.

Though I'd prefer Mass Drivers like in Babylon 5.

I think it would add a little does of "realism" in the game to have individual planets surrender to you sometime after you started Nuking or something. For game balance, maybe a planet would surrender to be colonized by your empire when only 20% of it's population is left or something?

I rather not nuke on them not even one unless whole alien on that planet but nothing other living thing like "Alien" in movies, think about pink cat, pink pony, ect on planet you dont want kill those cute even they willing to kill you!

I also dislike thz idea of genocide. Add that to the fact that a massively bombed planet could not be colonized again before a very long time. It's a real weakeness in soase and a non sense I want it to be changed. The Ironclad team did it to simplify but it's a major flaw. How can a population disapear? if a faction is overthrown they must be still there...

True, races don't like each other that much, but even for strategic and tactical purposes, sometimes I'd rather take a planet mostly unscathed, with its planetary developments intact or with minor damages, and with a population to pay taxes, than take a floating rock, devastated by orbital bombing.

In fact, right now the effects of massive orbital bombing are rather weak, if you ask me. One would expect that when a planet is bombed into oblivion from orbit, nuclear fallout, wheather destabilization, etc. would definitely hamper further re-colonization attempts...

What I'd like to see is the option for a planetary invasion, coupled with some sort of planet quality loss if you decide to bomb anyway, and maybe an intermediate solution consisting of selective bombing, for instance.

if Humans will do just about anything to survive, they would not try to nuke it on the planet, they try other way to kill enemies without harm on planet with living thing, harmless animal, though it's true human nature, but more and more future of children of humans will learn not to use it but find other way without harm they wish not to harm it.

i myslef would always go the boming option but thats just me.

puls you have to put yourself in their shoes. these are people fighting not just ur average war but a war for suvival. this measn you will do anything nessacary ot ensure your species wins.

and if you could invade. and you invaded an alien race, do you really think they would be happy with you as overlords? no! ther would be endless rebellion and fighting, which would give the enemy time ot strike back. and thus defeat the purpose of taking the planet.

while it may be very nice or 'right' to take over a planet isteadvof bombarding it, it just would not be practical when engeged in an intergolatic war.