Buff the "Discover L-Gate Insight" Minor Artifact decision

[Tamwin5]

Currently, you can spend 50 minor artifacts to get 1 L-Gate Insight. The problem is that you can sell a minor artifact for 500 energy and pay the Curators 5000 energy for an L-Gate insight.

In short, if you ever use this decision, you are wasting 40 minor artifacts. The one reason to do it is if you are on a timer, and can't wait for the 10 year cool down of the curator option.

10 does feel like it might be too little though, maybe 15 or 20? Maybe the Curator option needs to be more expensive?

 

[Methone]

You can pay the Curators 5000 energy for an L-Gate every 10 years. If you need an insight NOW then that's what you choose.

Plus, you may not have found the Curators yet. Or maybe the local Exterminator exterminated them.

 

[Tamwin5]

You can pay the Curators 5000 energy for an L-Gate every 10 years. If you need an insight NOW then that's what you choose.

Plus, you may not have found the Curators yet. Or maybe the local Exterminator exterminated them.

Minor Artifacts are a finite resource (unless you get a certain relic). You can always get energy, or sell things for energy.

I acknowledged the time constraint, but it's rarely an issue, I've found.

 

[DreadLindwyrm]

What if you can't use the curators?

 

[Tamwin5]

What if you can't use the curators?

It's not like the curators are a rare event, or specific precursor chain. Unless you isolate yourself and don't explore/make contact, you WILL eventually make contact with the curators.

And for those not aware, If you own Distant stars but not leviathans, you still get curators.

 

[DreadLindwyrm]

It's not like the curators are a rare event, or specific precursor chain. Unless you isolate yourself and don't explore/make contact, you WILL eventually make contact with the curators.

And for those not aware, If you own Distant stars but not leviathans, you still get curators.

Unless they're dead.
Or you can't do diplomacy with them.
Or they're behind a hostile empire with you having no access (or even, in one case stuck behind a fallen empire).

 

[Me_]

Unless they're dead.
Or you can't do diplomacy with them.
Or they're behind a hostile empire with you having no access (or even, in one case stuck behind a fallen empire).

Seriously, those are all fringe situations. Situations that happen 95% of the time are what should be considered. And 95% of the time the decision is a noob trap.

 

[DreadLindwyrm]

Seriously, those are all fringe situations. Situations that happen 95% of the time are what should be considered. And 95% of the time the decision is a noob trap.

A fringe situation? You mean like playing one of the non-diplomatic/genocidal civics?

 

[Tamwin5]

A fringe situation? You mean like playing one of the non-diplomatic/genocidal civics?

Yes, Playing a genocidal is a fringe decision.

 

[Tamwin5]

Unless they're dead.
Or you can't do diplomacy with them.
Or they're behind a hostile empire with you having no access (or even, in one case stuck behind a fallen empire).

Similarly, what if you get less than 10 rare relics? What if you spent them on other things? There are reasons that relics become unavailable to you too.

And if anything, the relic cost should be brought down so that in games where you don't get curators, you aren't gimped in your progress for the L-Gates.

 

[DreadLindwyrm]

Similarly, what if you get less than 10 rare relics? What if you spent them on other things? There are reasons that relics become unavailable to you too.

And if anything, the relic cost should be brought down so that in games where you don't get curators, you aren't gimped in your progress for the L-Gates.

If you've spent them elsewhere, then that's a choice you've made.

All I was saying earlier was that having access to the curators is not a given.

Getting cut off from all sources of relics is unlikely until the whole galaxy is explored. Getting cut off from the one system the curators are in seems a more likely case than never being able to get any relics.

And sure, the relic cost might need to come down. But lets see how the balance plays out over a couple of weeks of live play before jumping to "these numbers are completely unbalanced and should come down".
More likely what needs to change is the sale price of relics.

 

[Tamwin5]

If you've spent them elsewhere, then that's a choice you've made.

All I was saying earlier was that having access to the curators is not a given.

Getting cut off from all sources of relics is unlikely until the whole galaxy is explored. Getting cut off from the one system the curators are in seems a more likely case than never being able to get any relics.

And sure, the relic cost might need to come down. But lets see how the balance plays out over a couple of weeks of live play before jumping to "these numbers are completely unbalanced and should come down".
More likely what needs to change is the sale price of relics.

In order to have communication with the curators, all you have to do is have *seen one* of their systems (they tend to have multiple). Don't even need to send a ship to it, just establish communications with an empire who has one of their enclaves. It's quite cheap to just buy communications from non-hostile empires, if you need to. The chance of not having access to the curators is similar to the chance that you get cut off in a few systems due to an enemy spawn. Very low. Yes, if you don't explore/diplo you significantly lower your chances, but as you said, "that's a choice you've made".

Perhaps the sale price of minor artifacts is the thing that should change. My gripe is that going through a middle-man drops the price by 80%. I'm fine with the direct relic one costing more, but it should only be 50% more or twice as much, not 400% more. Once it's been dropped to that, then I think play testing would be good, to see if that feels ok, or if it needed to be dropped further still. Maybe the Artifact decision needs a 10 year cool down as well.