So, I'm trying out MEs with the new changes in 2.2.5. Normally, when I play a standard ME or DA, I don't usually run grid amalgamation and I don't go conquest heavy until later unless I'm a DA. I'd rather not be seen as a xenophage until later, and by then, I'm not usually in a position to care too much about organics being used as energy.
This time, though, some spiritualist punks foolishly declared war on me in 2235. I say foolishly, because I had equivalent strength to them and a fortified border. Needless to say, the war went bad for them, and the only thing that prevented complete annexation was that I didn't have the influence to claim all their systems and grab a few key systems closer to another rival. I end up conquering some of their planets, and since I already had a defensive pact with another empire of organics, I decided to just amalgamate the conquered POPs.
Of course, I have no food production, and I get the "No food" penalty. This penalty imposes a big hit to happiness and a 75% hit to POP growth. I decided to not bother growing any food, and I've been generating no food for the past couple of decades. I still get some organic POP growth, so I get more energy out of the POPs than I would if POP growth was zero.
My question, though, is whether or not this is exploiting the game, a bug, or actually what you should be doing. It seems weird that I can just starve my organics, but they keep reproducing and producing energy. I mean, even the machines in the Matrix fed the humans in their little pods. Not much, but they did.
This time, though, some spiritualist punks foolishly declared war on me in 2235. I say foolishly, because I had equivalent strength to them and a fortified border. Needless to say, the war went bad for them, and the only thing that prevented complete annexation was that I didn't have the influence to claim all their systems and grab a few key systems closer to another rival. I end up conquering some of their planets, and since I already had a defensive pact with another empire of organics, I decided to just amalgamate the conquered POPs.
Of course, I have no food production, and I get the "No food" penalty. This penalty imposes a big hit to happiness and a 75% hit to POP growth. I decided to not bother growing any food, and I've been generating no food for the past couple of decades. I still get some organic POP growth, so I get more energy out of the POPs than I would if POP growth was zero.
My question, though, is whether or not this is exploiting the game, a bug, or actually what you should be doing. It seems weird that I can just starve my organics, but they keep reproducing and producing energy. I mean, even the machines in the Matrix fed the humans in their little pods. Not much, but they did.