The Sim are race of genetic engineers who respect nature and prize unique biology.

-their gameplay is characterized by claiming valuable planets, terraforming planets, and assimilating other species peacefully, but doing this without making strong allies will only make you a target for more warlike races interested in your valuable real estate. necessitating a balance between diplomacy and self serving growth

-purposely vague on stats and bonuses as i don't know how to balance a game

Affinity:  Amalgam - each faction assimilated changes the sim genome granting unique bonuses based on who they were, empire bonus is gained political ideology is not - can only assimilate diplomatically, diplomacy screen displays assimilation bonus, makes for prioritization of some factions over others

Faction Traits:

• Organic Hulls - ships heal damage over time and gain bonus xp (higher cost, lower fleet size)
• Heuristic Genetics - terran, jungle and ocean worlds periodically generate random technologies (planets with life on them)
• Adaptable - no happiness penalty for any planet colonized
• Fertile Seeds - at full population gets a huge discount to terraforming 
• start with terraforming unlocked

Victory Type: Diplomacy

Homeworld: gaieem - Sim for mother, a planet with extreme weather and geography, leading to equally extreme biological diversity

Lore:  Due to tribal influences arising from the temperamental weather patterns and the myriad dangers of various mega-fauna, disease and the ancestrally ingrained lesson that anything you don't recognize will probably kill you; the Sim have respect for nature and survival knowledge. Given these factors it should come as no surprise that their most prized and celebrated scientific field is genetics, seconded only to advancements that further this endeavor. Spinning life is the highest work one can undertake among the Sim. Whether it's an animal whose eyes can see every spectrum of light, a plant whose fruit will be fermented into fuel or a modification that will allow an astronaut to survive the vacuum of space. Hereditary changes are heavily regulated and policed, but modifications are not passed down resulting in extreme individual diversity. It is not uncommon for Sim to completely change their anatomy multiple times throughout their lifespan for work, living environment or preference. The Sim are separated into castes based on abilities that determine employment and can be changed as desired. The Sim did not conquer and reshape their home world, but themselves, they search for unknown worlds filled with biological wonders for them to unravel and assimilate.