The new Vaulters DLC introduced a few new racial traits to pick from in custom race design. One of them is Core Worlds which simply seems to be a patently worse version of Optimistic I for the same trait cost:

Core Worlds (10 pts)

+10 Happiness on Systems while under the Colonization threshold

Optimistic I (10 pts)

+10 Happiness on Systems

There are a couple problems here:

1. From a strict trait cost/benefit perspective, Optimistic I wins out every time. It simply offers the same bonus unconditionally, while Core Worlds added a condition to net the same bonus.
2. If one were to argue that Core Worlds offers more flavor, I could agree to that but only to a point. The only interesting part of Core Worlds is a conditional effect based on the "while under colonization threshold" condition. However, adding simply a flat happiness boost, moreover at the same value as an existing unconditional trait simply falls flat.

Solving (1) could just involve tweaking the numbers until they feel balanced from a trait cost/benefit compared to Optimistic I. However, since the condition of "while under the colonization threshold" is the interesting mechanic, perhaps a better solution would be to make the bonus effect under that condition more unique. For example:

• Set minimum happiness to Happy on systems while under the colonization threshold.
• Halves the overpopulation happiness penalty while under the colonization threshold.
• +1 happiness, +1 influence per pop on systems while under the colonization threshold.
• +2/3 happiness per pop on systems while under the colonization threshold.

I'm sure there's plenty more ideas out there to be had to make it more interesting. In any case, I hope Amp will consider some change to distinguish the Core Worlds trait from Optimistic I.

Yeah, Core Worlds is objectively worse than Optimistic. I'd love it if there were some additional, thematic bonus to it, to emphasize the importance a faction places on keeping together. Your ideas are great potential solutions for this; have you posted about this on the Idea section of the website?

Hi guys :)

Thanks for pointing out this imbalance, we'll look into making it right!

Cheers,