Native races
What they can do for you

The native races living on the planets in the Echo Cluster are the key to developing a large supply of megacredits from which to fund your empire. To a lesser extent, your colonists can also generate megacredits. However, the native populations are much larger in numbers. When you have a large population of colonists or natives on a planet you can begin taxing them. This taxation is the way in which you can collect megacredits directly from the population.

To be able to collect megacredits from native populations you need to own the planet and have clans present on the surface of the planet. Your clans work as a an Echo Cluster version of the IRS, collecting taxes from the natives. Native populations on the planets have an own government, ranging from total anarchy to a state of unity. This native government influences how fast the native population will become unhappy when being taxed, and also how much taxes the natives will pay. The better the government type, the more taxes the natives will pay and the less they care about being taxed.

Next to paying taxes, each of the native types in the cluster has it's own advantages or disadvantages. Knowing these advantages and using them can help improve your economy.

Humanoids
The Humanoids are expert starship hull designers. When a starbase is constructed in orbit around a humanoid planet the starbase will automatically gain technology level 10 hulls. Normally, you would have to invest a lot of money to improve a base up to a hull techlevel of 10.

Siliconoids
The Siliconoid are expert torpedo launcher engineers. When a starbase is constructed in orbit around a Siliconoid planet the starbase will automatically gain technology level 10 torpedo launchers.

Reptilians
The Reptilians are also a friendly native species. They are large, Lizard-like lifeforms that evolved into walking on two legs. Lizards are very strong, and will automatically help your colonists to mine minerals out of the planet's core. On planets with Reptilian native life, minerals are mined twice as fast as on other planets.

Ghipsoldals
The Ghipsoldal natives are experts at warp propulsion technology. When a starbase is constructed in orbit around a Ghipsoldal planet the starbase will automatically gain technology level 10 engines.

Insectoids
The Insectoids are good for producing extra megacredits in your empire. Being very responsible the Insectoid race produces twice the normal amount of taxes per turn. This way they yield a high amount of megacredits even at lower taxrates, and even Insectoid populations with a mediocre government will produce a steady flow of megacredits.

Avians
The Avians are very helpful at producing megacredits for your empire. The Avians are either very kind or somewhat dumb, scientists are not sure on which yet. Either way, the Avians are very quick to forgive you for overtaxing them. They will allow you to overtax them without growing unhappy. When they do grow unhappy, not taxing them for a few turns will result in the Avians become happy again very quickly.

Amphibians
The Amphibian natives are experts at energy wave-guide technology. When a starbase is constructed in orbit around a Amphibian planet the starbase will automatically gain technology level 10 beam weapons. This will save you the money to upgrade the base's beam techlevel.

Amorphous worms
The Amorphous natives are a very inhospitable race. These natives will consume 500 colonists (5 clans) per turn. They do not pay taxes and if you attempt to tax them they will become upset and eat even more colonists. Because the Amorphous lifeforms eat clans it is very hard to maintain a small colony on planets with these lifeforms. When your colonist population is large enough however, your colonists will grow fast enough to at least maintain their population size.

Bovinoids
The Bovinoids are cow-like creatures, and are perhaps the most valuable native race in the cluster. Bovinoids provide your colonists with extra supply units, totally free of charge. Every 1000 Bovinoids will produce one extra supply unit per turn. These supplies can be used to further improve your economy; the most popular use is to convert them into minerals so you'll be able to build more and bigger ships and starbases.