Question about generated NPRs and initial NPRs

[Foolcow (OP)]

Is there any reason, other than early-game performance, to have a generated NPR percentage rather than a large number of initial NPRs?

For my next game, I was thinking of setting the generation chance to 0, and the initial NPR number to 40 or 50.  This would allow them to expand and develop while I do, so that the ones I meet won't just have a big population on a single planet.

[Shoku]

Well you'd probably get a lot more interrupts from them fighting each other and end up having to use autoturns a lot of the time.

So long as you aren't going to play long enough to exhaust that starting supply of NPRs or somehow jumping out way past them I don't think it would change the gameplay much.

[Foolcow (OP)]

So long as you aren't going to play long enough to exhaust that starting supply of NPRs or somehow jumping out way past them I don't think it would change the gameplay much.

What do you mean by "exhaust that starting supply of NPRs?"

And what do you mean by "jumping out way past them?"

[sloanjh]

My experience is that humans are smarter than NPR, and better at sheparding and growing their empires.  Therefore I'm in favor of the "activate them as you explore" mode.  The one downside to this is that there's a temptation to skimp on homeworld defences in the early game, since the bad guys can't stumble on you.  So in a TN game I'll often create a single NPR just to keep me on my toes.

John

[jseah]

Actually, NPRs seem to be quite friendly.  At least, I've never managed to make enemies of them without deliberately shooting at them. 

[Father Tim]

What do you mean by "exhaust that starting supply of NPRs?"

And what do you mean by "jumping out way past them?"

Encounter (fight/conquer/ally with) all of them.

Develop massively superior technology, strength, or resources than them.  NPRs do not all research/explore/build at the same rates, or in the same ways, as each other, never mind as a player.  (For example, most human players build far more Research Labs than NPRs do.)