from https://www.games2gether.com/amplitude-studios/endless-space-2/forums/65-endless-space-2/threads/34502-nakalim-another-mezari-offshot-coincident-update2-dev-reply-inside 

The-Cat-o-Nine-Tales wrote:

As far as I know, we won't change the planet type, as it could have some unwanted side effects on gameplay (e.g. hampering early growth due to the lower population capacity and low food output, potentially even early starvation.)

Of course, game must be playable. 

Very light proposal:

Remove Strategic Sustence hidden trait AND add Efficient Farmers(+5Food on Sterile). You are now 5 Food * Pop on starting location. Simulation(added cash to buy out 2nd planets, as steriles cannot be made into homeworld through creator), pics collage: see here

OR

Add titanium + hyperium traits. This works great with default Strategic Sustenance +2 Food on Strategic Resources Deposits. The lack of deposits and a pressence of this specific ***hidden*** traits seems to support it was planned, but somehow got lost during devolpment.

BOTH of these WORK.

Light proposal: 

Adding a trait that they are especially hardy and happy on Sterile planets-Hardened Dwellers (+3Happiness Sterile) or in general foodsavvy - Efficient Farmers(+5Food on Sterile) or adding Hyperium/Titanium deposits (I think it's an oversight, given their *hidden* trait Strategic Sustenance +2 Food on Strategic Resources Deposit ), I guess, would help them. 

Efficient Farmers is in limit of Population(default 45/60 turned into 55/60). Adding 2 deposits sums up traits as 115/100, 6/8. There's a place for malus or not, as Lumeris are 135/100. Lowering default terran to most-sterile like Arid brings it to 105/100, lowering to steriles would balance it out.

In traits menu, they have only 4/8, whereas Lumeris has 9/8 and UC has  13/8!

They are said by Jeff to be also ecologically minded, planet-reclaimers and all, and their effect in custom-race collection bonus, uniquely, an economic one while they are of pacisism disposition. All those support the drive to expand, at least in their homeworld quickly. Lore states they evolved on this dry, hellblown planet so they must be hardy and efficient in growing food.

Hard proposal: 

Change Religious to Economic, they are already anti-Industrialist for some reason(not anti-scientific wtf) and change Faithul to Sanctuarists or Preservationst. 

Nakali mare an oddity, they dont follow the established schema of X + anti-anti-X + optionally y event support X(y->x). I have checked, alsmost all of major races follow it, except Nakalim.

Examples:

Hissho Militarist + Anti-Pacifism + Fanatics(Religious supports Military)

Unfallen Pacifism + anti-Military = Hedonism(E->P)

Sophons Scientific-Anti-Religious - Curious(P->S)

other examples are slightly modified on 2tier - AND ONLY those modify the schema, but in a logical way, based on relationship of sister politics on politics wheel - examples, Horatio/Vaulters(that are twinned S-E) and Vodyani(twinned as of now, with Nakalim).

Nakalim are now X(Religious)+ anti-anti-Z(Anti-Industrialist) +B event supports X(Military->Religious).  This is chaotic.

My proposal: 

Ecologists + Anti-Industrial + Sanctuarists(R->E)/Preservationists(M->E) [but it can also be Utopian (I->E), Conservationists(P->E) or Biologists(S->E)

Prooftesting Light proposal : 

Already testing it. Looks good. Cannot be properly tested, as players cannot made custom races on sterile homeworlds and Strategic Sustenance is hidden tier 1 for Nakalim. 

This ends up with

+2 Happiness on temple, + 2 Food on Strategic Resource Deposit (default) and +5 Food on Sterile. 

Rich deposits of minerals would give them a boost at start that nicely works with their native  Strategic Sustenance +2 Food on Strategic Resources Deposit that is otherwise not used immediately.

Prooftesting Hard proposal: 

I've already tested it. It works great. I've played it with Eco+

Prooftesting hard+light:

Can be done and should be done. It works great IMHO. 

For purposes of gameplay with custom-Nakalim I incorporated all changes of Hard proposal and all chievable changes of Light - I cannot use Strategist Sustenance as well as Auspicious Augurs(both tier 1) so I chose the first ones. As I cannot pick Sterile planets I picked Arid, and as I cannot play with 105/100 traits I picked Poor Strategists 1 as an artificial malus (for all we know, Nakalim are doofuses :D). As of now, turn 40, it is nice.

Question: Why customs can't have sterile homeworlds? Why reverse terraforming is connected with afinity AND NOT Biophobic trait? Those should be fixed. 

Population traits should not be locked to one tier, as Strategic Sustenance and Strategic Science, being twinned, are for some reason, exclusively tier 1 and exclusively tier 2. (Nakalim have two tier 1s, one of them hidden) by default. Ugh.

Nakalim were meant to be a multicultural nation  - yret they are not. Eco laws favours picking other nations and synergizing your efforts. It's interesting, that's why people also like playing Horatio.  There are also important ecological handles already present, be it population collection type, their politics or race traits.

PARAdoxiBLE wrote:

Let me ask you something. Is there any other reason other than 'I want to change Nakalim's starting planet from desert to ash' for proposing all the population trait changes written above? If you don't have one, I would like to say you are trying to utilize too much resources on relatively small issue.

Im a perfectionist. I don't like broken games. I fought 7 Nakalims with my artificially (larp) constrained UE - I gave up after killing 3 Civs and steamrolling the rest. hen I tried with artifically constrained Cravers, Hissho (but vs 3 Nakalim) and steamrolled them aswell. Then I made a custom-race that was VERY weak (1 movement default, no starting techs) but with high 30% production and strong military - and steamrolled them as well. THey are just weak.

alos it's personall, because I  feel this expansion is faulty - the lore is bland and broken, with clear errors. I feel cheated for I was under an impression that there will be space rome, with no humanoids, with different mechanics, that would be multethnic. I'm angry that devs are ignoring not only me, but others. It's been a week. I was promised, I personally, answers 2 times during stream. I suspect THEY DONT HAVE GOOD ANSWERS for this trainwereck of a race.
 FFs, Weird Earth ? Lore tutorial text, introducton - when it says Nakalim were Endless-worshippers?  FFS MARUSIA. in the first text?!

anywat, their intro art and lore is not about desert - it's about ash. It's more exotic that way to play. More interesting. And as they are fixing the planet - they could add some quirksa as well.

Well, I was basically at mercy of painfully slow-growth. I picked traits such as biophobic, was constrained to 1 movement. and never used slaves as Craver-Affinity. Pretty much only maluses. Many attrempts mostly for fun of brutalizing Nakalim. Those were just examples. 

There are numerous players around that are pretty salty, that Nakalim are in many ways broken. And not enjoyably broken ,at that.

Anyway:

First of all, I assumed, that if community wanted non-humanoids, then robots and then humanoids - Devs would not create such things. Secondly, many here and in other places criticize the Devs for noninspired approach to this faction - they just are this - bland and uninspired. They are just Pharaoh larpers, Awakened Empire for Stellaris. Even one of their AI is named Farao or somesuch. Literally humans in rags.

Secondly, I will try - maybe they promised this, maybe it's my wishful thinkning or false memories. 

PARAdoxiBLE wrote:

Yeah I was also bit disappointed to see another human-like species in 4th expansion, though I didn't anticipated that much because most major factions were humanoids.

Can i ask you to vote in a pool? Normally I would not vote, thinking petitions are something nonusseful, but har har! it's Aplitude - they always ask for voting and are mostly brilliant community listeners.

My threads gathered, I think, about 500k points combined, with 350k being exlusively for Awakening. I think it's a notable contribution. Other people's threads, lambasting Nakalim, also get 100k points each.

PARAdoxiBLE wrote:

Yeah I was also bit disappointed to see another human-like species in 4th expansion, though I didn't anticipated that much because most major factions were humanoids.

from: https://www.games2gether.com/amplitude-studios/endless-space-2/votes/217-next-expansion-hero-origin 

At the peak of their power, the new faction controlled a vast galactic empire and had absorbed many other cultures and species into their own. Although their former glory has dimmed and their power waned, the legacy of this cosmopolitan society remains. As anybody can rise to power, regardless of their background, one of their new heroes will hail from an existing Minor Faction. Which one is up to you!

Well, there are no traces of this cosmopolitan society. Only lips-service of two heroes(individuals) and post-Endlesss addition of xirmisala. 

Also and alas. while it's not for Nakalim-creation, those were made for Umbral Choir:

Whereas Alien is almost 8 times more popular than humanoid and Technological is almost 6 times more popular. There was also a vote, that I cannot find, that picked Seafalros amongst a quadruple alien and a humanoid with 4 arms.

https://www.games2gether.com/amplitude-studios/endless-space-2/votes/196-complete-the-minor-faction-content-pack-roster  edit I've found it

After making the most basic of setups(and a harshest one at that) (adding strategic resources titanium &hyperium traits, removing - due to constraints - their Auspicious Augurs trait), they make (2 Nakalim + 1 Xirmisala, turn 2), +9 Food growth on Ash System, with 0 improvements.

So no, they won't starve 

The-Cat-o-Nine-Tales wrote:

As far as I know, we won't change the planet type, as it could have some unwanted side effects on gameplay (e.g. hampering early growth due to the lower population capacity and low food output, potentially even early starvation.)

 

I can provide a save, if anyone is interested.

Nakalim generate positive food on endless speed in the start, there is no need to amend anything.

If anything it might seem as most balanced release faction to date, given people just don't understand what to do with it.

I think the visual design is pretty much commited. I would not go into that. Get a mod for pic replacements if you wish.
I like the nakalim faction leader, I am only dissapointed, there is no hero like her.

Yeah but their lore, even the eaalierst one, favours multi-culturalism. Eco laws favours multi-culti. They are not balalanced, un my opinion, i nany way. Relics? Random. Temples? There are better alternatives.

You know, one can win with a trash empire, there are examples - but playing it must or should be enjoyable. I don't think Nakalim quirks are enjoyable as of now, as mods themselves quite drastically work on them right now. Anyway, Nakalim are NOT what was advertised: