nweismuller wrote:Is there any method to gain influence as of yet? And what effects do embassies have- and what's required to get other empires to agree to trade embassies?
Various actions and responses to requests reward small one-time amounts of influence. I think most of these ways to gain influence probably aren't working in your build yet, so it may be difficult at the moment to get over the hump to establish the agreements that provide regular influence income. In order to establish a Trade Charter you need to have good relations and enough influence (though some factions are more eager to start trading than others).
Embassies establish normal diplomatic relations between two factions; they provide a small amount of influence per turn and are a prerequisite for most other agreements. They allow you to stay in contact even if you move out of range, and allow you to and the other faction to share contacts, and allow you to see statistical information about the other faction. Embassies are dissolved on declaration of war or termination of diplomatic relations.