+15% PQ trait had an interesting effect on a culture push game I played.
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For those that haven't tried it, the +15% PQ trait turns a Class 14 planet into a Class 16 planet as soon as you land, and a Class 13 planet with Soil Enrichment also turns into a Class 16 planet. Even a Class 12 with Soil Enrichment turns into a Class 15 planet.
Because of this, on a 12x12 map I played over the last two days, I just about never stopped colonizing, because systems that the AI couldn't use were perfectly acceptable to me.
Last night in the game I was playing I finally built up enough military so that the Drengin would leave me alone, so I finished filling in the systems that the Drengin had skipped over, then switched to constructors and started building culture-based starbases (full defense, full culture, nothing else, took 10 constructors given my level of tech at the time, and I was cranking out 3-6 constructors a turn). All of a sudden, it was like a scale tipped, and I was converting 2-3 systems *EVERY* turn.
I win most of my games by cultural domination, but this is the first time I've had empires switch sides en mass.
Two side notes: There's now a popup that tells you when a civilization has been defeated, if they're last planet was taken by invasion, but there's no such message if it culture-flips.
Second, this can be important, since with this strategy, you tend to consume your allies fairly quickly as well. I didn't realize that the Altarians were completely gone until my budget went negative because of lost trade routes.
Guess it's time to try the next level up from "Normal" (said slightly apprehensively).
Because of this, on a 12x12 map I played over the last two days, I just about never stopped colonizing, because systems that the AI couldn't use were perfectly acceptable to me.
Last night in the game I was playing I finally built up enough military so that the Drengin would leave me alone, so I finished filling in the systems that the Drengin had skipped over, then switched to constructors and started building culture-based starbases (full defense, full culture, nothing else, took 10 constructors given my level of tech at the time, and I was cranking out 3-6 constructors a turn). All of a sudden, it was like a scale tipped, and I was converting 2-3 systems *EVERY* turn.
I win most of my games by cultural domination, but this is the first time I've had empires switch sides en mass.
Two side notes: There's now a popup that tells you when a civilization has been defeated, if they're last planet was taken by invasion, but there's no such message if it culture-flips.
Second, this can be important, since with this strategy, you tend to consume your allies fairly quickly as well. I didn't realize that the Altarians were completely gone until my budget went negative because of lost trade routes.
Guess it's time to try the next level up from "Normal" (said slightly apprehensively).
