It it possible to finish game without making any alliances?
If not, what is the best time to start working with them?
Would I lose out much if I completed just about everything else first?

( Slimy bugs or militaristic rhinos, can't stand either of them. Given a choice, I'd rather kill them all. At the moment, I'm ignoring them. )

No you MUST joine one of them Umpany or T`Rang because you need a letter to enter the Mook house and grab one of the 3 artifacts you need to complete the game! and you should joine ASAP! [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img]

Why should I join ASAP?

Because when you do the "mission`s" they give you, you get tonns of exp!! :D

I'm not sure that it matters when you start working on your alliances, but Megabot is correct. You will eventually need to ally yourself with either the Umpani or the T'Rang (or both) in order to gain access to the Mook compound (which I've never found a way around).

There is a great deal of experience to be had in allying yourself with one or both of the empires, and their quests constitute a large part of the game.

Basically you can make one of three choices. Ally with the Umpani against the T'Rang, ally with the T'Rang against the Umpani, or act as a double agent and reap in the rewards of both. When you choose to do this is up to you, just keep in mind that it is an excellent source of experience and you'll have to do it eventually anyway.

[ 01-19-2002: Message edited by: Erydian ]</p>

The letters can be pickpocketed.So if the only requirement to access the mook is the letter maybe you don't have to ally after all.