Panzar75 wrote:

I always try to make the best custom faction in every game of this type and here is my current build.

Name: Customers (because, you know, custom race?)

Gameplay affinity: Omniscience

Visual affinity: Imperials

Starting planet: Atoll

Starting Government: Federation
Population Ideology: Scientific

Population Traits: Adept Workers and Prolific Farmers

Population Collection: Peer-Reveiwed

Faction Traits:

Constructionists III (+30% Production)

Crowded Planets II: +2 Population cap on Planets

Growth Plan III: 30% boost to Food Production

Combat Rookies: +30% Manpower Cost

Amateur Executives: Trading companies level up 15% slower

Doubful Tacticians +2 turns on Battle Tactics Cooldown

Vexed II -15 Hapiness on Planets

This is the best combination I have found so far. Important to note is that I only play single player with one victory condition turned on; the one where you have to take all home systems. I also don't have any expansions so lack access to a few options.

I admit not having tried all gameplay affinities but if something beats +50% to most science I'd be surprised. Same is true for the visual affinity, I haven't tried them all but started with the Imperials and really liked their ships and quests. Atoll is the best for production and food and eventually all planets will be terraformed to Atoll or Forest.

Federation helps with the overcolonization penalty. -20% luxury cost to upgrade is also solid. I don't dislike republic or democracy but miss federation when playing without it. I am of the opinion that production is the way to go in these types of games. More production is more of everything else. To that end I must in this game chose scientific to ultimately maximize my overall production. Peer-Reviewed is the obvious choice for the amazing -20% tech cost at 50 pop. Adept workers with +5 to IDS (industry, dust, science) per population seems like an obvious choice. Prolific farmers since all planets will be terraformed to fertile.

There exists no person today that can convince me not to take Constructionists III. 30% extra production is massive and I could not imagine living without it. As for Crowded planets II, I am less sure. The second level is expensive with its 25 points. That and the third level on Growth Plan is what I would sacriface if I were to change this build. I take growth plan for the food conversion to production later in the game. Even if extra food is nice, without the conversion to production I would not spend the points on it.

To pay for those choices I take some negative traits. Combat Rookies (+30% Manpower Cost) isn't very noticable to me. Amateur Executives: (Trading companies level up 15% slower) has no impact at all; I almost never research trade since I find it underwhelming. Doubtful Tacticians (+2 turns on Battle Tactics Cooldown) isn't a penalty at all. I change the cards like 3 times per game. Vexed II (-15 Hapiness on Planets) is the harshest penalty early on but the planets get happy soon enough. Especially with some terraforming. And at -25 points it's very... what's the oposite of expensive... cheap doesn't seem to apply... worth it I guess. You can look at it as paying for an extra population slot on every planet as the last level is also 25 points.

The plan for this custom faction is simple. Maximize production, build fleet, go conquer. (Remember, I only play with the victory condition to take all home systems. (and play on disc-4 for additional information)) Researching military techs as needed, the idea is to rush (but you do need other techs too so rush not beeline) terraforming and the tech that give Biofuel factories that convert food to industry. This can be done fairly early with the science permanent law that let's you research further out in the tree and the -20% tech cost for 50 pop bounus (-30 if you have the spare production for the wonder). Oh, and don't forget to chain gang everyone not your +15 to IDS original population. Later you can have a Privateer take care of them giving some dust in the process.

I do pretty well with this setup but I admit to mostly playing only on the second hardest difficulty level as I am cursed with starting positions. No - seriously, I'm cursed. Yes, there is such a thing. Sometimes the AI gets surprisingly strong early. Had such a game recently where Sandor AI (Imperials of course) turned up with about 8 of those ships you find or buy as well as 5+ of his own at about turn 21, declaring war. I almost survived but since he was so strong his kinetics managed to beat my missiles that time.

Since then I have played around with a slightly altered version. It pains me to invest points in tech that takes like 4-6 turns to research but sacrificing growth plan level 3 for Rare Earth Foams is probably worth it. It's a tech you never get the full omniscience bonus on and is helpful early to get to Savannah and Arid planets when needed. With this already researched you often get 50% on at least one of those two following techs.

Anyway, that's the best I have come up with. Everything else I have tried have been worse so far.

Helliscoming wrote:

Name: better than your gods

Gameplay affinity: gene hunter

Visual affinity: riftborn

Starting planet: Arid

Starting Government: 

republic for 10% off technology

Middle Government:

democracy for expansion

Late to end Government:

Republic for wars

(+90% damage just from laws)

Population Ideology: 

Scientific

Politics Minor's:

Science to military (points 5)

Science to industry (points 5)

Population Collection: 

Peer-Reveiwed (for 20%off of tech)

Population Traits: 

extreme Foreman (points 15)

and 

Planet Mender's (points 5)

Faction Traits:

Crowded Planets II: (points 40)

+2 Population cap on Planets

Constructionists II: (points 25)

+20% Production

Rational minds II: (points 25)

20% boost to science

Biophobic: (points 10)

+10 happiness per person to sterile

-2 happiness per person to fertile

+1 slot sterile

-1 slot from fertile

Material expertise: (points 10)

Adds strategic resource's to system development

Sower citizen: (points 5)

Price of perfection: (points -10)

+20% to ship cost on system's

+10% to damage on weapon modules

Vexed II: (points -25)

-15 happiness on system's

If anyone wants to try here is mine

Be warned if you splice cravers even once with a pop of 500 or more dust inflation will max

Figure I’d quote both since it consolidates things. First off decent custom faction builds. My only concern is that both of you picked Vexed II as a con. Setting the starting Happiness/Loyalty to 35 as opposed to 50 really hampers early game since you can’t use Cram Exam or Super Tax Act to bolster Science or Dust output. Furthermore, on Helliscoming’s Riftborn faction, you’ll be starting at 26 after the -9 Penalty from the Arid start. Meaning you get a 30% reduction to Food/Influence and 15% reduction to Dust/Science. I recommend that instead of Vexed II that you try Stay at Home. It doesn’t match the Faction points(hence you’ll have to find 5 points from something) but having overcolinization penalty at -20 as opposed to -10 is really nothing unless you go wild on conquest or claiming star systems, Furthermore Federation(+1 cap per Senate rep) and Imperial Visual Affinity(+1 bonus on Xeno Anthropology) can mitigate running afoul of it. Another alternative to combat the early game effects of Vexed II is to go with a Dictatorship/Autocracy with Ecologists in power. The Forced/Power Law grants 15 Happiness that offsets the Vexed II malus. Only the Tier 1/2 Laws are worthwhile sadly unless you go with Gene Hunter Affinity where level 3 and 4 can boost Science/Industry output from spliced populations.

 @Panzar75 Thought I should mention that while Omniscience is indeed strong, Gene Hunter + Extreme Foremen beats it. May not be noticeable early on but trust me when I say that it will when you have Planet Mender secondary and Sower starting minor population to splice first to remove Extreme Foremen’s malus. You then do Crowded Planets II for extra population space and watch their output when they’re on Sterile worlds. Gene Splicing can achieve population buffs that are stronger than Riftborn’s Adept Worker buff. It’s even stronger if you add Growth Plan, Constructionist or Rational Minds to boost output further. Once you splice 3-4 factions, you basically snowball.

Gameplay affinity : Genehunter

Visual Affinity : Horatio

Home planet : Boreal

Government : Republic

Politics : Ecologist Pragmatic

Population bonuses :

- Foreman

- Planet Mender

- Peer-Reviewed Collection

Empire traits :

- Crowded Planets II

- Luxury Connoisseurs

- Sowers Citizen

- Ace Senators

- Combat Rookies

- Strange But Good

- Titanium Mine

The objective of this built is to have as much FIDS as possible ; Foreman/Planet Mender/Sower citizen is a classic combo to achieve that : you get 150% FIDS bonus for no downside, ones sowers are spliced. Every other species you splice also increase your main pop FIDSI, which then benefit from Foreman (with the exemption of happiness and influence). Ecologist, Republic and Strange But Good (good anomaly on starting world) allows you to pass the improved ecologist law for a sweet +3 food per pop and +10% FIDSI in your starting world. Titanium Mine add 1 industry as well, and after researching Plasma Metallurgy you can built this building that give +1 industry and +3 industry if strategicresource on planet, per pop on planet, which is the case thanks to Titanium Mine. Those early food and industry bonuses benefit from that %150 bonus from Foreman (again), so it become a +7.5 food and +12.5 industry per pop.

Pop is power, even more so with this build, so Crowded Planets II is a solid choice IMO. Everything else is up to your liking : Peer Reviewed Collection (Sophons) allows for faster teching, Horatio is as much for their bonuses to pops (industry path unlock a building that gives +3 industry per pop => +7.5 with +150% from Foreman) than their storytelling, Luxury Connoisseurs allow faster expansion end game thought more lvl4 systems, Ace senators helps running strong ecology laws, Combat Rookies is unnoticeable as a malus and Boreal start... I just rather have Fertile Cold and Hot planets, those benefit from improved industry and science from improvements, both very important resources. Whenever possible, I terraform all planets to Boreal and Jungle, no further.

This build have no precise objective, but considering all bonuses it get you can aim for any victory condition you want ; I'd say that Science Victory is the easiest... ? At least it is the one I aim for most of the time.

This one is far more effective as achieving its objective than the one I just posted, believe me !

Gameplay affinity : In the Shadows

Visual Affinity : Umbral Choir

Home planet : Crescent

Government : Republic

Politics : Ecologist Futurist Biologist

Population bonuses :

- Natural Born Hackers

- Hardened Dwellers

- Peer-Reviewed Collection

Empire traits :

- Expansionist II

- Growth Plan II

- Organic Network

- Twitch infiltrators

- Dark Matter Manipulator

- Doubtful Tacticians

- Ghosts

- Corsairs

This built is meant to achieve the expansion victory (colonize something like 30 systems in the galaxy). With In the Shadows, you settle new systems via hacking. Hence Organic Networks which allows for an additional hack, and Twitch Infiltrators for 10% hacking speed. Starting as Ecologist gives you two major bonuses : you can settle any new system you found (excepts those who only get gaz giants, but these are really rare), allowing you to expand quickly, and you unlock the first industrious law, which, thanks to Republic, gives you +30 food per Sanctuaries. This helps you with early growth, and more pop also mean more bandwith, thanks to Natural Born Hackers.

As Umbral Choir, the scientific Questline gives two very strong bonus : a law that increase hacking speed by 10% per backdoor (5% when non Republic, which is why Republic is even better), and 1 more Hacking operation.

In Endless speed, by the time I reach turn 40 (equivalent turn 20 on normal speed), I am already past the colonization limit. However, thanks to Expansionist II I only get a 5 happiness malus per additional system. Hardened Dweller also always apply to pops on Crescent (it gives +3 Happiness to pops on Sterile), so I can colonize new systems as long as I also expand my home system.

The very first techs I aim for are the one who unlock building that increase production, science and food per planet (in this order). With In the Shadows, those bonuses also apply to planets on Sanctuaries, thus the more you expand, the more industry, science, and food you get in your capital.

Finally, Ghosts and Corsairs allows you to explore the galaxy without fear of being found : even if your cloaked fleet is found, they will be tagged as pirates. You can also consider conquering other players' systems : I personally build "bombing" fleets (explorers filled with Titanium AS2 Slug, depleting 7 soldiers per turn per module, so 28 per ship, on systems under siege), and ships bought on the market. Just aim for a one pop system, bomb and conquer it, hack the next system, jam command them then conquer any system you can afford, they won't be able to use Draft thus you are assured to conquer without spending a single of your soldier's live regardless of pop on planets. Dark Matter Manipulator allows you to replenish manpower at a slow but still decent pace.

Doubtful Tactician is a free pick, and Peer-Reviewed Collection is good if the game last longer. Those are clearly not necessary.

With this build I was able to win the game on turn 76, Endless speed, so turn 38 equivalent on normal speed.

Edit : recently I finished a game at turn 69, no pirates, max difficulty.

Honestly, since AI take time to research anti-cloaking modules, you do not have to fear even the strongest military-oriented AI. Human players might be a threat thought, if they know what you're planning.