carolean7 wrote:

Great stuff here! Here are some comments.

How does the fact that they can use food to make ships, mesh with having an empire that incorporates the populations of other factions into their folds (a central mechanic in ES2)? Are the other factions starved, or is food double counted?

For me, Pauci population eats as much as other populations (so "food upkeep") but they are not taken into account for the multiplication of populations in the systems (at the end, it augments growth of other populations in the system).

The idea of starving your population when you construct ships would be "funny", but it would be contrary to the Few's philosophy, so the idea would be more of an addition of the food produced in the system to the production (so food is taken two times into account in your empire : for production of ships and for growth of non-Pauci population ; without one influencing the other).

At the end, it means that it will be quite necessary to chose wisely when to product new ships and use propaganda : because their adjacency bonus can be very strong, you must place your Pauci population quickly and wisely in order to optimize the benefits, and be aware of the increase of non-Pauci population in your system. 

Maybe a unique technology could permit a better control over these populations (maybe through sterilization, genetic manipulations or suppression of selected individuals) during the end-game ? 

So if you have a dreadnaught-class ship (the biggest), and it colonizes a system, is it consumed in the process like any other faction's colonization process? If yes, this seems like a large price to pay and practically unusable. Alternatively, let's say each ship isn't consumed but can only colonize once? Well now after colonizing you are left with super-high upkeep warships, which doesn't seem very peace-inducing to me.

Maybe superior vessels could hold more than one population (ex. : three or four for dreadnaughts) and each population could be relocated freely (in ES, if you have several colony ships in a fleet, you colonize one pop by one pop). When a ship don't have any more population, it disappears : all ships will have tremendous upkeeps, so keeping ships after a war wouldn't be a good thing for your strategy. The goal is to use them efficiently and predict your opponents behavior in order to prepare yourself. => I'll also increase their amelioration cost I think.

Another way to make the big ships more useful in colonization would be to make them add population AND production to the system they settle in : that would be a good idea ^^

EndlessCrashes wrote:

It is interesting how the Pauci themselves are a very endangered race due to their past conflicts, numbering only 12 or so main individuals.  Pushing themselves to near extinction has given them a unique angle on the Pacifist theme, as war-hardened veterans who can use their experiences to share with others the toll of war.  Perhaps similar, on a smaller scale, to some real world veterans who may say "I was doing what needed to be done" or "I was following orders" but might ultimately regret their actions in hindsight.

I like your idea : maybe it could influence the appearance of one hero or even a part of their faction quest => A alien Sun Tzu/Ned Stark with tremendous knowledge and power, but who is dedicated to guide those it encounters and protect them with ruthless efficiency, would be quite impressive (it makes me think of Zenyatta from Overwatch ^^).

Thank you for feedback ! 

I like how, unlike most other pacifist diplomats The Few were once violent and aggressive but have learnt from their mistakes.

I've responded to your comments in my entry, Carolean7.  Thanks for your examination of the problems with my faction, it helps me make adjustments and try to define them better.

Also, be sure to check your inbox, it does not notify you when there is a new message.  It is another flaw with this new forum system.

Hinin wrote:

I only answered here because you asked me to : i've already shared my opinion on the rule thread. 

As I said, I've also created a private thread with other people in order to maybe write a common declaration at the end of the first step (hence my goal to put EndlessCrashes in the top 3 : it would give us much more visibility). For now, nothing has been done, but I can easily begin if enough people is present.

Would you be interested to participate (your opinion is well presented, and someone who has a divergent opinion is always an interesting asset) ?

I would like to join your private thread, I think that the way the contest was held isn't fair for those that have worked on their entries and submitted them late.

I only answered here because you asked me to : i've already shared my opinion on the rule thread. 

As I said, I've also created a private thread with other people in order to maybe write a common declaration at the end of the first step (hence my goal to put EndlessCrashes in the top 3 : it would give us much more visibility). For now, nothing has been done, but I can easily begin if enough people is present.

Would you be interested to participate (your opinion is well presented, and someone who has a divergent opinion is always an interesting asset) ?

It is right to say that I prefer the way my own thread is presented, and that, mechanically, the Weatherkind isn't what we could expect from a pacifist/diplomatic faction, but :

1. Amplitude can easily modify any gameplay element that doesn't correspond to what they want (this is why some of the most non-realistic factions gameplay-wise are so populare : some elements used for the Unfallen use elements that aren't even supposed to be integrated to the game, but it is BY FAR the most popular for ... reasons).

2. As EndlessCrashes said in his/her thread, this faction corresponds well to this "exotic and innovative" faction that we find in every Endless game (The Harmony, The Cultists).

3. I want EndlessCrashes to become the messenger of those who have been unpleased with the way this contest has been held : by voting for him/her, I also vote against those who put their thread first and were heavily advantaged by the system.

Nonetheless, I understand your concerns : most opinions are acceptable if they are ready to be debated.

Edit - The third reason is for me the most important : I would like to make Amplitude notice the way the things are evolving and maybe, maybe, take measures to assure a fair contest is held, but I also don't want to be perceived as a troublemaker. The ultimate goal is to create a consensus in order to resolve this problem quickly and preserve our trust toward Amplitude.

For commodities, I'll call their race the Pauci (sg. : paucus).

Description :

Remnants of an ancient warmongering civilization that destroyed itself through endless conflicts, the Few are an handful of individuals who have modified their bodies and their planet for centuries in order to construct a new, peaceful and self-sufficient society. Now controlling their entire planet, the dozen (their number can vary, but I want to give an idea of why they are called the Few ^^) now superior individuals that forms the Few are searching for more ways to protect themselves from the madness of war, which led them to look upward, to the stars.

Society : Protocraty whose hierarchy is maintained through genetic dependencies. 

- The Ones : survivors of ancient wars, the Ones serve as mentors to all Pauci. Because they have lived and worked together for centuries, they have attained a high level of understanding which facilitates consensus.

- The Seeds : created thanks to blends of the Ones' DNA and conditioned to share with them memory and knowledge, they are responsible of most of the contacts with other species. As such, they serves as counselors and experts wherever they are.   

- The Cells : semi-sentient servants created using the Ones' own DNA and controlled by Seeds, they are the backbone of all manual labors and the bulk of Pauci troops.

Gameplay : 

- Preferred ideology - Pacifism/Scientific/Industrialist : The Pauci are pragmatic beings who value all forms of knowledge (some of them are brilliant martial artists, others famous architects etc) but whose dedication to peace is unparalleled. If they declare war, they'll try to make it quick and decisive, using large scale attacks and alliances to bring the warmongers down. 

- Faction affinity - The Ones who know : Respected among other people for their wisdom and their knowledge, the Few can influence the elections of the factions they have encountered (ex. : if Pacifism prevail during their elections, others factions will see more systems voting for this ideology during the next elections).

- Faction traits - Natural predator : Because their violent tendencies were consequences of their DNA, the soldiers of this faction can return to their primal nature when cornered, boosting their power when fighting on the defensive during a ground battle but also forbidding them to surrender.

                          - Unanimity : During elections, the player choice have a far greater impact on controlled systems.

                          - Master proselytes : Increase the effects of propaganda originating from player's systems

                          - Expertize : Each ship has more experience when constructed, but gains less experience in combat.

                          - Arks of legacy : 250% upkeep and production cost for all ships /  and  are used to produce ships / Each ship acts as a civilian ship (so no civilian ship model) with one to three "ark charges", each one providing  1  and sometimes , and is recycled automatically after colonization (without  gain) / Ships and troops production doesn't consume  on systems.

                           - Everlasting loyalty : When inhabiting a system not controlled by their original faction, the Pauci provide no population affinity bonus.

                          (- Optimized hierarchy : Laws can be enacted at a smaller cost.)

                          (- Advanced homeworld : Homeworld population full at the beginning of the game.) => in order to respect the lore

                          (- Terraformed homeworld : Homeworld benefit from a positive anomaly) => in order to respect the lore

- Population affinity - Artificial paragons : In any system adjacent to a system where Pauci are present,  per non-Pauci  increased for each Pauci  in the system by a small percentage. / Their  cannot increase from  on a planet and are immune to propaganda.

- Ships :

Class	Civil	Corvette	Destroyer	Cruiser	Battleship	Dreadnought
Name	NA	Libra	Gemini	Sagittarius	Scorpio	Virgo
Base Cost (based on ES)	NA	100	100	400	300	1000
Unique capacity	NA	Gives back as much  as its cost when recycled after colonization.	Gives back as much strategical resources as its cost when recycled after colonization.	After last ark charge as been depleted, isn't recycled. Instead, gain + 30% attack and +5 .	- 25 % cost in	+10 %  and +10 %  on system for 10 turns after colonization
Ark capacity	NA	1 x	1 x	2 x	1 x ( + )	3 x ( + )

Unique technologies - Growthless society (Era III) : Give access to the Equilibrium, an infinite improvement that stops any population growth or decay in the system.

                                    - Overinspiration (Era IV) : Give the possibility to sacrifice a Pauci  in a system to provide a boost to  and  (+20% maybe) or a non-Pauci  for a smaller bonus (10% maybe) in the system for 10 turns (the bonus doesn't stack if multiple  are sacrificed) => This sacrifice could be automatized every ten turns if wanted.

                                    -  Endless genetics (Era V) : Increase  production by 50% in all systems / Increase population limit by one on all planets.

Explanations : 

- Pacifist diplomats : The Few is a faction whose goal is to assure their survival by maintaining the galaxy in a peaceful state and by forging formal and informal alliances using indirect methods (little to no bonus to influence or diplomacy) : its faction affinity (in combination with its preferred ideology) allows it to decrease others factions militaristic bonus and to make their laws (and so their behavior) more predictable, and its population affinity make settlements in the middle of other empires a viable strategy for both sides (it gives you intel and commercial presence, it gives to your partner nice bonus) while enhancing minor faction-based strategies.

- Control your population : One of the main features related to this faction is the way it allows you to control your population : because Pauci cannot be produced naturally, are immune to propaganda and use it efficiently, you have much more influence on the balance of populations in your systems (minor faction/major faction balance I mean) and so can optimize the fids production in the way you want. This, in synergy with the adjacency bonus, allows you to benefit from a polyvalent and strong economy in the mid and late-game (the unique technologies you to manipulate even more accurately your population). Unfortunately for your enemies, this control isn't granted to them, and it will be impossible to move Pauci  and to multiply them in their empires (which reduces the interest to conquer your systems, and so increases your chances).

- The Arks of legacy : Because each Pauci  is produced through expensive genetic experiments and represents a part of the Ones' legacy, the vessels used by the Few are difficult to product and to maintain, but are made to inspire awe and to help colonization efforts throughout the galaxy. In terms of gameplay, there upkeep and production costs can be staggering, but each of them will be a valuable asset during any battle : Pauci ships will be designed to use as many modules as possible (because, if it is already expensive, why bothering making it even more ?) and, by using both  and  to product them, a specialized system can even overcome this initial difficulty and construct these ships relatively quickly. Overall, it gives to this faction a military made for important battles and not so much for attrition wars. On the other hand, it can be a viable idea to construct fleets of exploration ships with minimal weaponry in order to colonize entire systems more efficiently than any other faction. 

- Playstyle : Thanks to its adjacency bonus, this faction allows you to create tall but spread empires based on outposts or minor-faction based dense ones. At the beginning of a game, use your exploration ships to find and colonize the best systems in terms of  production or of localization and try to befriend minor factions and other empire as soon as possible. Then, maintain your "allies" under your influence by using your faction affinity and optimize your systems while building colonization/exploration fleets to extend your possibilities. Finally, thanks to your strong and polyvalent economy you can build impressive fleets to protect your possessions, silence the last warmongers and "convince" your friends to not backstab you until you are capable of completing a victory condition.

- Ships - The two minor vessels can be considered for long as the main part of the Pauci's fleets : serving as scouts and exceptional colonization ships, they compensate their cost by their ability to be recycled almost entirely after colonization

Thank you for the feedback : I suppressed most of what I though was redundant or not important enough.

Concerning the control over systems problems, I think that outposts will still be important (which makes the population affinity still valuable) and, as I said, it gives a nice and more stable counterpart to the Cravers affinity.

At the beginning, my main goal was to create a faction whose main attribute was its scarceness (to give  more weigh in fact), so my main focus are the faction affinity and the vessels.

Edit : I have found a solution to maintain this "tall but spread" playstyle => The population affinity has been modified to procure adjacency bonus.