Does making strategic resources more scarce make the experience more tense and decisions impactful? Does it make pacifist play styles useless?

Low resources is my favorite way to play the game. On normal, I feel like I'm almost always drowning in strategics, which means that they're not actually a choice--you can build almost everyh building that requires them until you get to the end-tier. You end up with so many stragetics that you can generate an insane amount of dust on the market by selling them, far more than you'd ever get from trade routes. Meanwhile, there's little reason to use the market to buy them, or trade with other factions for them.

Second, it makes resource enhancing buildings and hero skills much more important, rather than something that you can potentially ignore. I feel like it's in-line with how the game should be balanced.

On low, you end up taking systems that you'd otherwise ignore to get resources, and you can actually deprive your opponants of resources by strategic attacks. Unfortunately, the AI is very, very bad at trading, so it does gimp pure pacifists. It certainly makes multiplayer games more interesting, though.

I'd argue that it's actually a buff to the Lumaris, since their ability to colonize far-off stytems is far more useful on Low resources. I'm not sure about the Unfallen though--I think it does hurt them. 

The primary downsided to low resources is luxury balance is really, really fucky. This is a problem with the base game as well, where some resources are much, much better for system upgrades than others (*cough* Jadeonyx *cough*)

DrTentacles wrote:

Low resources is my favorite way to play the game. On normal, I feel like I'm almost always drowning in strategics, which means that they're not actually a choice--you can build almost everyh building that requires them until you get to the end-tier. You end up with so many stragetics that you can generate an insane amount of dust on the market by selling them, far more than you'd ever get from trade routes. Meanwhile, there's little reason to use the market to buy them, or trade with other factions for them.

Second, it makes resource enhancing buildings and hero skills much more important, rather than something that you can potentially ignore. I feel like it's in-line with how the game should be balanced.

On low, you end up taking systems that you'd otherwise ignore to get resources, and you can actually deprive your opponants of resources by strategic attacks. Unfortunately, the AI is very, very bad at trading, so it does gimp pure pacifists. It certainly makes multiplayer games more interesting, though.

I'd argue that it's actually a buff to the Lumaris, since their ability to colonize far-off stytems is far more useful on Low resources. I'm not sure about the Unfallen though--I think it does hurt them. 

The primary downsided to low resources is luxury balance is really, really fucky. This is a problem with the base game as well, where some resources are much, much better for system upgrades than others (*cough* Jadeonyx *cough*)

I'm desperate for someone to try what I have now labelled, and what it shall forever be known as...

The Sheredyn Potato Empire.

Use superspuds on every empire upgrade and get pulvis to get a total of 55% buyout reduction. Patriotic shipyards plus ship reduction law on republic gives a total of 40% ship cost reduction. Buyout super carriers every turn!  

But back to the question, low resources is great fun, and DrTentacles is spot on in everything said.

I'm trying one now and I appreciate that it's made trying to decide WHICH system gets to upgrade a fun choice. It doesn't help that I had to settle on a luxury resource bonus that I don't really care much for only because it was the only resource that I could nab at a suitable quantity.

I agree that it's an enjoyable change to now fight over systems that have particular resources rather than just spending half of the 999 Luxury Resource X that I am sitting on and buying what I need from the market.

Never thought of it. Good idea. It would be similar to playing Distant Worlds slow research speed option - giving you time to use the different techs.

WeLoveYou wrote:

DrTentacles wrote:

Low resources is my favorite way to play the game. On normal, I feel like I'm almost always drowning in strategics, which means that they're not actually a choice--you can build almost everyh building that requires them until you get to the end-tier. You end up with so many stragetics that you can generate an insane amount of dust on the market by selling them, far more than you'd ever get from trade routes. Meanwhile, there's little reason to use the market to buy them, or trade with other factions for them.

Second, it makes resource enhancing buildings and hero skills much more important, rather than something that you can potentially ignore. I feel like it's in-line with how the game should be balanced.

On low, you end up taking systems that you'd otherwise ignore to get resources, and you can actually deprive your opponants of resources by strategic attacks. Unfortunately, the AI is very, very bad at trading, so it does gimp pure pacifists. It certainly makes multiplayer games more interesting, though.

I'd argue that it's actually a buff to the Lumaris, since their ability to colonize far-off stytems is far more useful on Low resources. I'm not sure about the Unfallen though--I think it does hurt them. 

The primary downsided to low resources is luxury balance is really, really fucky. This is a problem with the base game as well, where some resources are much, much better for system upgrades than others (*cough* Jadeonyx *cough*)

I'm desperate for someone to try what I have now labelled, and what it shall forever be known as...

The Sheredyn Potato Empire.

Use superspuds on every empire upgrade and get pulvis to get a total of 55% buyout reduction. Patriotic shipyards plus ship reduction law on republic gives a total of 40% ship cost reduction. Buyout super carriers every turn!  

But back to the question, low resources is great fun, and DrTentacles is spot on in everything said.

The problem with every buyout plan is that  your dust buys less and less industry over time, due to inflation. 

Your resources (sold on the market) do buy the same amount of industry over time, so it's workable if you make most of your money selling resources. But this is unlikely in a low-resources game!

Dragar wrote:

WeLoveYou wrote:

DrTentacles wrote:

Low resources is my favorite way to play the game. On normal, I feel like I'm almost always drowning in strategics, which means that they're not actually a choice--you can build almost everyh building that requires them until you get to the end-tier. You end up with so many stragetics that you can generate an insane amount of dust on the market by selling them, far more than you'd ever get from trade routes. Meanwhile, there's little reason to use the market to buy them, or trade with other factions for them.

Second, it makes resource enhancing buildings and hero skills much more important, rather than something that you can potentially ignore. I feel like it's in-line with how the game should be balanced.

On low, you end up taking systems that you'd otherwise ignore to get resources, and you can actually deprive your opponants of resources by strategic attacks. Unfortunately, the AI is very, very bad at trading, so it does gimp pure pacifists. It certainly makes multiplayer games more interesting, though.

I'd argue that it's actually a buff to the Lumaris, since their ability to colonize far-off stytems is far more useful on Low resources. I'm not sure about the Unfallen though--I think it does hurt them. 

The primary downsided to low resources is luxury balance is really, really fucky. This is a problem with the base game as well, where some resources are much, much better for system upgrades than others (*cough* Jadeonyx *cough*)

I'm desperate for someone to try what I have now labelled, and what it shall forever be known as...

The Sheredyn Potato Empire.

Use superspuds on every empire upgrade and get pulvis to get a total of 55% buyout reduction. Patriotic shipyards plus ship reduction law on republic gives a total of 40% ship cost reduction. Buyout super carriers every turn!  

But back to the question, low resources is great fun, and DrTentacles is spot on in everything said.

The problem with every buyout plan is that  your dust buys less and less industry over time, due to inflation. 

Your resources (sold on the market) do buy the same amount of industry over time, so it's workable if you make most of your money selling resources. But this is unlikely in a low-resources game!

A bit of humour was maybe lost in translation. I don't think for a second this is a good strategy!

However, inflation doesn't affect influence buyouts, only dust ones. So, in theory at least, a ship buyout strategy for Sheredyn isn't the worst idea in the world.

Sheredyn Potato Empire would make a great band name.

However, inflation doesn't affect influence buyouts, only dust ones. 

Hm, I thought I chcked this. If so, that's pretty interesting.

Lightjolly wrote:

So after giving low resources a shot, don't think it's for me.

I appreciate the feeling of having to decide which systems end up being the golden ones, but it just feels geared very heavily towards a militarist play style and because as you said the Ai is bad at trading you'll end up most of the game without the cool upgrade for your ships and very limited on how to develop your systems, because again limited luxurys

I understand that. I wish there were more ways beyond conquest and pirate marks to obtain the resources that you want. I'd also like a resource setting somewhere between normal (which honestly feels like "rich") and low.