Seeing that the Cravers are the least favorite in the poll as of now makes me cringe.

And I can't stop thinking that the reason for this is not that they are not an awesome race ('cause they are) but their gameplay thus far has been... underwhelming to say the least.

They only need a few things to make them truly awesome and fun to play.

• Should be able to actually consume foreign pop in their Empire. If it's supposed to happen already, it's not. The minors in their homeworld are already more than the Cravers.
• Minor faction populations in their Empire shouldn't vote. Cattle don't vote.
• It seems to me that depleted planets have the same FIDSI output as undepleted ones. Maybe it should be at least 20%-25% lower.
• They should receive half the penalty for overexpansion than normal.

Aiyen wrote:

Vodyani because they are the one race that have a truly unique playstyle. 

I want to love the cravers, but they just feel so malplaced... I do not feel like I am playing a hive mind bent on galactic consumption when I play them.  They do not have any mechanics that really display what they are all about. The depletion mechanic is lacking in flavor the way I see it. 

With the Vodyani you actually feel like an evil enslaving bastard who brainwash people into allowing them to be just food... with the rare few allowed to be uplifted. 

Indeed.Cravers needed a specialist politic mechanic.The ingame one just doesn't fit..

Condorf wrote:

I really like the Vodyani, for what others have said, they are really unique. I also like how you can edit the Arc and put the +50% industry, science, etc. as support slots. The heroes also level so fast. I got my starting hero to level 20 just by keeping him on my starting Arc. Their ship designs are really cool too.

I have played the Sophons, but I found them to be quite 'meh'. The omniscience faction trait is okay, but with no tech victory it hard to get excited about it.  Also, their government type (democracy) frustrates me because I couldn't keep the scientists in power. Their ship designs are okay.

I haven't played the Cravers or the Lumeris yet.

Lumeris didn't do anything for me, personally, but the Cravers are a riot to use. They can flood the nearby systems, which in turn pisses off your neighbours, which in turn means you can go to war - usually with their one or two systems versus your half a dozen. The AI is laughably bad at using them though, and you'll be screwed if there's nothing close to colonize (Way moreso than any other race), thanks to their "Overexploitation" malus.

I really like the Vodyani, for what others have said, they are really unique. I also like how you can edit the Arc and put the +50% industry, science, etc. as support slots. The heroes also level so fast. I got my starting hero to level 20 just by keeping him on my starting Arc. Their ship designs are really cool too.

I have played the Sophons, but I found them to be quite 'meh'. The omniscience faction trait is okay, but with no tech victory it hard to get excited about it.  Also, their government type (democracy) frustrates me because I couldn't keep the scientists in power. Their ship designs are okay.

I haven't played the Cravers or the Lumeris yet.

Vodyani because they are the one race that have a truly unique playstyle. 

I want to love the cravers, but they just feel so malplaced... I do not feel like I am playing a hive mind bent on galactic consumption when I play them.  They do not have any mechanics that really display what they are all about. The depletion mechanic is lacking in flavor the way I see it. 

With the Vodyani you actually feel like an evil enslaving bastard who brainwash people into allowing them to be just food... with the rare few allowed to be uplifted. 

My favorite faction so far are the Vodyani and a close 2nd the Cravers. With a few well placed changes though, they can easily move to the 1st place.