I just don't get it

[FroBodine]

Ok, I have only played a couple hours so far.  And most of that time has been dying after two, three or four missions in, many, many times. 

I just don't get what I should be doing, why I should be doing it, and how anything affects anything else.  I get that helping a race gives you more influence with them.  So, what do I do with this influence?  I get more "things to do", but I have no idea why I should do any of those new things, or how they will help me progress in the game.

I get combat, but everything else, not so much.

In no particular order, things that make me go hmm . . .

1. Why would I want to bribe a leader, or duel a leader? 
2. Why would I want to get more influence?  How do I use this influence to accomplish something?
3. How do I help a race be more compatible with their planet?  Who should I do this?
4. Why would I want to do a hostile act towards a race?  If I want them to all join me, what benefit could a hostile act possibly accomplish?
5. Tech research?  This is completely baffling.  I guess I understand getting my own techs to give me better ship capabilities, but why would I give tech to other races?  How do I get them to use this tech to do something that helps me progress in the game?

Other bizarreness . . . can races move to other planets?  Moons? 

I have never rage quit a game, in fact I hate the term rage quit and do not appreciate rage quitters.  But this game makes me want to rage quit because I just don't have any idea how and why things work.

Thanks for reading my ramblings.  I will continue to play.  It really is a game I really want to learn, and I think I will love it, but right now I hate it and am completely clueless.

[Draco18s]

The answer to all of those is "influence" which you need to get them to join a federation.  Except #4: which is basically "because you want them dead because they refuse to get along with everyone else, and without them in the fenderation you can't win."

You can also take hostile actions against allies (I've stolen tech from my federation races because I needed it and there was no other way to get it, and yeah, the influence penalty on that is pretty big, but when they worship you like a god* it doesn't even matter).

*170+ influence.

[GC13]

1. To gain influence with that faction. Dueling the leader is a Burlust-only thing, and that's the only way you can convince them to do anything interesting.
2. You need certain amounts of influence to do various things with them. Usually it's at least zero influence to do smaller things like start a positive trend on an RCI value, and fifty to do stuff like invite them to the Federation.
3. You can help them build terraforming kits somewhere, if I remember right. This will generally make them stronger.
4. Well, as I mentioned in #2 there's really a limit to the benefit of positive influence. If you need a tech from them (either to use yourself, to gift to another species, or both) you can just take it from them knowing that they'll forgive you. Or, as Draco said, you might just want to mess them up.
5. You can influence how strong they are. You can influence what they do with this by affecting their attitude towards other species or by opening asking them to declare war on that species.

[FroBodine]

I saw RCI  mentioned in one of my games.  But it did not explain what RCI stands for.  What is this, please?

Why would I want one race to declare war on another race?  Don't I want everyone to like me, to eventually join my Federation?  I'm guessing having a strong race that likes you declare war on another race that hates you, and beating them down, they will eventually capitulate and surrender to your buddy race, and then they might then join your Federation in fear of getting more beat down?  Is that basically how wars work?

[zespri]

It's explained on the tutorial screen right before you are given access to view planet's RCI.
Here is a screenshot http://cloud-3.steampowered.com/ugc/579020000739637780/C45D61506FE8DC8214AE72BFEA9951D50EDA5C30/

(not sure how long it stays current)

Also this info should be in the log book

[chemical_art]

Why would I want one race to declare war on another race?  Don't I want everyone to like me, to eventually join my Federation?  I'm guessing having a strong race that likes you declare war on another race that hates you, and beating them down, they will eventually capitulate and surrender to your buddy race, and then they might then join your Federation in fear of getting more beat down?  Is that basically how wars work?

In this case, sometimes you have a race that would take a *very* long time to get peacefully in the federation...but who is also weak.

So...if you already have a strong race already in the federation, you plant some conspiracies...and then the strong race takes care of the troublesome race.

EDIT: I will also add that a race liking *you* does not always mean into the federation, or vice-versa. A race may hate you, but because you are friends with a friend they like, they still get in. Also, sometimes they love you, but that means nothing in regards to getting in.

[BobTheJanitor]

It's explained on the tutorial screen right before you are given access to view planet's RCI.
Here is a screenshot http://cloud-3.steampowered.com/ugc/579020000739637780/C45D61506FE8DC8214AE72BFEA9951D50EDA5C30/

(not sure how long it stays current)

Also this info should be in the log book

It's not explained what it stands for, though, which is what the question was. And the answer is that it stands for a term from SimCity (residential/commercial/industrial) that has absolutely nothing to do with this game. The answer to the obvious followup question of 'why is that term being used?' is 'nobody has a good answer for that'.

But yeah, whenever you see 'RCI' just think of it as 'planetary health' and remember that it's not always in your best interest to keep all those numbers high. They are that particular race's problems, not your problems.

[zespri]

Yep, pretty much. Thank you for the followup.

[FroBodine]

Thank you for the comments so far, everyone.  I am still extremely puzzled with this game, but I will muddle through it eventually.

Thank you Bob, for defining RCI.  This is silly.  The game does not define it, and it certainly should.  Especially since it is not a common acronym.  And especially especially since almost EVERYTHING else is explained in detail, except any strategy of the hows and whys.  But, that would spoil the fun, I suppose.