-who has the best planets
This one's got to be the UE. Their planets were all previously uninhabited, and they don't force natives into submission like the Voinians. Plus they're relatively peaceful inside, according to the descriptions. For example, Saalia, Verril Prime, New Rome, and most of the other UE worlds are described as pastoral, idyllic places. But the descriptions for Dieram (full of Dieri rebels) and Naog (a desert world that the Voinians colonized for no apparent reason) are decidedly less pleasant. UE wins, hands down.
-who has the best weapons
This category's probably pretty much a tie, but the UE is slightly better. Neutron cannons and turrets are more powerful and accurate, but they're just so slow and big! Blaze cannons are smaller and faster, but half the shots are pretty much wasted. Of course, hunter missiles are better than rocketed turrets, so the UE wins in the realm of secondary weapons... So the UE is better in this category.
-who has the best ships
This one is easily won by the (url="http://"http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/dsghosh/evosite/shipyard1.html#uemilitary")UE ships(/url). (Yippee! Link time! :D) The (url="http://"http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/dsghosh/evosite/shipyard1.html#uedestroyer")UE Destroyer(/url) can defeat a (url="http://"http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/dsghosh/evosite/shipyard2.html#vfrigate")Voinian Frigate(/url) any time, and costs less and is faster to boot. Granted, the (url="http://"http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/dsghosh/evosite/shipyard1.html#uecarrier")UE Carrier(/url) can be taken out by a (url="http://"http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/dsghosh/evosite/shipyard2.html#vcruiser")Voinian Cruiser(/url) 4 times out of 5, but the (url="http://"http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/dsghosh/evosite/shipyard1.html#uecruiser")UE Cruiser(/url) can kill a Voinian Cruiser easily, plus it's a good ship to have almost anywhere you go. (In Voinian, human, and Emalgha space, it's good because it's so well armed, and in the Crescent it has high enough armor to keep it pretty safe.) And in fighters, of course, there's no contest. The (url="http://"http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/dsghosh/evosite/shipyard1.html#uefighter")UE Fighter(/url) can kill any Voinian fighter any day. I've killed (url="http://"http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/dsghosh/evosite/shipyard2.html#vheavyfighter")Voinian Heavy Fighters(/url) and (url="http://"http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/dsghosh/evosite/shipyard2.html#vinterceptor")Interceptors(/url) with a (url="http://"http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/dsghosh/evosite/shipyard1.html#scoutship")scoutship(/url) before. They're terrible. True, (url="http://"http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/dsghosh/evosite/shipyard2.html#voinian")Voinian ships(/url) are good in the Crescent...but the (url="http://"http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/dsghosh/evosite/shipyard1.html#uecruiser")UE Cruiser(/url) is too. No contest in this category either--UE wins.
-whose cause is the best
I think the UE wins this category too. The Voinians always seem to be the aggressors. Unless LV's story is true, which I doubt (no offense, LV ;)), the Voinians fired the first shot in the war. The Voinians attacked Sol, and are clearly more expansionist because of the way they treat the natives of the worlds they invade. In the UE missions, the UE helps races like the Emalgha and Hinwar that are trying unsuccessfully to defend themselves against the Voinians. The Voinian missions involve things like destroying Kelmaon and Verril Prime--definitely not missions of aid to weaker races. The Voinians seem cruel and, simply, evil. The UE's cause is obviously better.
Finally, the Voinian missions do pay better, but the UE missions are more morally satisfying. Who doesn't feel good helping the otherwise hopeless Hinwar and Emalgha? Who doesn't like killing those annoying renegades? Who doesn't want to open trade relations with a peaceful race? Who doesn't want to help the UE solve a kidnapping mystery? On the Voinian side, who likes to kill races that barely can fight back like the Emalgha? And what satisfaction is there in destroying an innocent colony planet? The UE are much more satisfying to work for.
Overall, it definitely seems that the UE is better. It didn't have to be that way; it's probably a subconscious bias on the behalf of the game designers. But the game can't be changed now, and the way it is, the UE is definitely a better race.
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Visit my EVO web site at (url="http://"http://www.evoverride.com")http://www.evoverride.com(/url)!
"One sting is remembered longer than a thousand caresses."--Toklar, Mon Calamari philosopher