What exactly controls troop strength?

[Cindar]

So I find a ruin that improves the strength of troops trained their by 100%, in addition to making them train 100% faster. So this is awesome, I queue up 50 troops and start loading my megatroopship with them. Then, I see that these troops ("Angry Hunting Party") only have 11400 strength! What the heck?

Checking the rest of my empire, I find troops that go up to 36k strength. In fact, I have another Angry Hunting Party which has 29k strength. These were all trained outside of the ruin that supposedly doubles strength.

Am I missing something? As far as I can tell from the ingame help, troop strength should be entirely dependent upon the racial stats (and readiness, but all my troops are 100%). So all Angry Hunting Party's should theoretically have exactly the same strength other then those trained at my special ruin, which should have double strength. Yet, I'm finding random hunting party's who weren't trained at the ruin who have almost triple the strength of the ones that were.

http://img22.imageshack.us/i/24380015.jpg/

[Rustyallan]

I think there's an XP modifier.  I've found that troops with combat experience have 2-3x the strength of freshmeat.

[Fishman]

Aggression and Intelligence both improve troop ability. Being veterans will also improve their ability. Atuuks are rather lousy fighters, being that they are Ewoks, and really quite stupid. They make terrible offensive troops as a result, but for some reason, are incredibly ferocious defenders despite their horrible troop strength. Some interesting and sometimes surprising results can occur as a result: Kiadians are ferocious fighters despite their total lack of anything which indicates they are a warrior race, while the "Ultimate" Sluken warriors are decent, but not exceptional. The top tier fighters are the Boskaras followed by the Mortalens. Kiadians may be #3, followed closely by Dhayuts. Naxxilians are not as good as they claim to be, but not entirely slouches, either. Pretty much all the "peaceful" races are all lousy fighters, with the Aquatic races being all poor, the Quamenos being the only ones who can put up any fight at all, and even they are subpar.

[Cindar]

What exactly determines whether a troop gains experience? Because I certainly wasn't attacking with most of those troops. Does it simply go up over time?

We really need a way to carry out an exterminatus on certain aliens. Even though I colonized the planet with my Ur-Quan race (modified from the Dhayut) to produce the ultimate super soldiers the damn Atuuk decided to immigrate and now I have to use 50 troops just to take out a colony with 5 defenders.

[Fishman]

Attacking, being attacked, maybe even just sitting around training. And the aliens thing also noteworthy: Previously, incorporating alien species was generally a good thing, and 1.03 had a distinctly pro-diversity position: Incorporating a sufficient number of an alien race inserted them into their place in society, and you got the bonus for having them around. I think I'll go rant about this as well, may as well finish my series of rants before I go.

[Cindar]

I rather like the new system where you only get small bonuses for alien races, and your own race is always dominant and gives the large bonus. Before it was too easy to start out with Securan tree-huggers, find 1 independent colony of Boskara and become immune to war weariness, then find 1 independent colony of Teekan and get an instant +20% economy, ect. It gives races more individuality that way.

Perhaps troop strength should be modified to take into account both the race that makes up the troops and the race of the overall empire? I imagine even Atuuk could be dangerous after being put through the Dhayut death squad training regime.

[Fishman]

ORIGINAL: Cindar

I rather like the new system where you only get small bonuses for alien races, and your own race is always dominant and gives the large bonus. Before it was too easy to start out with Securan tree-huggers, find 1 independent colony of Boskara and become immune to war weariness, then find 1 independent colony of Teekan and get an instant +20% economy, ect. It gives races more individuality that way.

I think that's because at 2 billion, it was TOO easy to get full bonus. It should be harder, but not impossible, if a race has been sufficiently integrated in large enough numbers to slot themselves into the role. And perhaps some racial bonii should always be individual to the race: If you add Boskara to your empire, they immediately and always have the -70% war weariness...for any colony that is Boskara.

ORIGINAL: Cindar

I imagine even Atuuk could be dangerous after being put through the Dhayut death squad training regime.

I doubt it. If you did that, they would probably die.

[Cindar]

ORIGINAL: Fishman

ORIGINAL: Cindar

I imagine even Atuuk could be dangerous after being put through the Dhayut death squad training regime.

I doubt it. If you did that, they would probably die.

If for every strong Atuuk we make 10,000 must die in the process, then I am willing to pay that price [:D].

[Fishman]

That doesn't seem like a very efficient use of Atuuks. The best way to use Atuuks is not to try to make them strong, but just to give them pointy sticks and rush them en-masse at the enemy as cannonfodder meatshields for your real troops.

Or, when fighting those nicer guys, the Chinese Strategy.
Day 1: A million Atuuks surrender.
Day 2: Two million Atuuks surrender.
Day 3: Three million Atuuks surrender.
Within a year, your opponent will be at 100% corruption and won't be able to do anything.