Synthetic population assembly

from GalCiv3 Forums

So just recently started playing with synthetics, and I think it's OP by the midgame.  There are lots of tradeoffs, but in the end, Synthetics come out on top:

Advantage: More planet tiles due to farm/hospital elimination
Counterbalance: Buildings are weaker (Mfg Yor = +10% versus Terran Factory = +25%); wealth buildings capped to tier 1

Advantage: 4 free race editor points (no need for farming or reproduction)
Counterbalance: Costs one trait (Synthetic when you could have been Intuitive, Prolific, or Patriotic)

All of the above cancel each other out pretty well, then we get to the kicker:

Advantage: Can manufacture 2/4/6/8 million population at a time
(Insufficient) Counterbalance: Opportunity cost of that production time + unintuitive build sequences

The production time cost becomes insignificant by the midgame, and the build sequences can be mathed out once and disseminated to all (Reach 5+ pop before building your first 4 factories). In the meantime, the advantage of the insane population growth won't even diminish in 1.02 (if I'm reading the patch notes correctly).

The counterbalance for this just isn't enough.

What does everyone else think?

 

90,949 views 7 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Its a hard balance point. On the one hand, you don't want it too powerful on the other not powerful enough and the Yor/synthetic are too diluted to truly stand out.

Reply #2 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Yeah, I didn't really write down any suggestions, but it feels like the OPness gets worse later in the game.  Maybe the cost of assembly should scale with your current population.  (e.g. assembly project costs 80 production when you only have 2 million pop, but costs 800 production when you have 20 million pop).

It can be cheesed with transports, but then you have to build, maintain, and micromanage those transports, so it will be a well-deserved benefit.

 

Sins of a Solar Empire II
Reply #3 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

The synthetic population cap still doesn't work though right?  Once that's fixed it will weaken them quite a bit.

Reply #4 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

True, but the synthetic population caps are also very generous, and I stick to them (+/- 4 mil) in my games anyway.  If my memory serves:

  • 10 million off the bat
  • 20 million by the end of the first age
  • 38 mil by the end of the second age
  • 60 mil at the end of the tech tree

For comparison, I have never seen a Gifted AI planet higher than 18 mil by the time I reach the end of the tech tree.

But yeah, maybe nerfing the pop cap will help control the problem.

Reply #5 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Paul has stated it's okay if some of the races are somewhat unbalanced. I agree. If all of the races were perfectly balanced, it would be terribly boring.

The Yor tend to start out very slow and then get on a role by midgame. I actually like the imbalance this causes. It means you'd better do something about it before it's too late instead of just sitting there turtling.

Reply #6 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Quoting Yeller123, reply 3

The synthetic population cap still doesn't work though right?  Once that's fixed it will weaken them quite a bit.
End of Yeller123's quote

It's fixed in 1.02 in fact. Which means Synthetics will be down to 2 extra free points, as they'll still have no need for Growth, but the Food reduction works on Synthetic Population Cap, which with needing to finally care about the pop cap in 1.02 means taking the "Food" reduction isn't free no downside points anymore.

Reply #7 from GalCiv3 Forums Top
Quoting AlienFromBeyond, reply 6

It's fixed in 1.02 in fact. Which means Synthetics will be down to 2 extra free points, as they'll still have no need for Growth, but the Food reduction works on Synthetic Population Cap, which with needing to finally care about the pop cap in 1.02 means taking the "Food" reduction isn't free no downside points anymore.

End of AlienFromBeyond's quote

 

Neat, I'll have to try it then.  Last night, Steam give me a choice to opt in for 1.02, so I may have to wait until it is publicly released.