How am I supposed to use gene modding?

[Kryndude]

By the time I can modify my species I'm already quite big and it takes forever to add trait on every existing POPs. Is adding non-habitability trait later in the game a viable strategy?

 

[Gyrvendal]

Colonize a planet with low habitability, then Genemod the first two pops with new habitability trait + other traits.
In the very late game you can have enough research to mod your entire species but don't try it early on.

 

[Denjell]

Currently the only use i find for gene modding is for small species in my empire or changing habitability to start colonizing new planet types. Spending 100k society research to grant a single trait for my main species is hardly ever worth it.

Personally i think the cost should scale down with the more pop you want to mod instead of a flat number.

 

[zezeb]

Have only used it to change prefered climate for a small ammount of my species so I can colonize more planets. I also guess you could add Strong or Industrious to a relatively small slave specie to increase their mineral output. Or have strong on one planet ment for army recruiting or something.

Side note: Should gene manipulating make the ones who are being changed unhappy as you are operating them or something?

 

[stumason]

It's not designed to use on the whole species, hence why doing so is so costly (I had a look in a game a few weeks back and for my 190+ pops it would have taken over 40 years..not including the addition of the new POPs that would inevitably grow!)

 

[romothecus]

By the time I can modify my species I'm already quite big and it takes forever to add trait on every existing POPs. Is adding non-habitability trait later in the game a viable strategy?

Absolutely. There are lots of viable uses. Planets lend themselves to specialization because of planetary modifiers and local bonuses. You compound that with leaders and unique buildings. You then further compound it with local genetic engineering.

For example, you take the planet with Unstable Tectonics. You build it up with lots of upgraded Engineering labs. You then mod the population to be Natural Engineers as well.

Another example: the planet with your Military Academy / Cloning Vats? Mod a single pop to be Strong / Very Strong.

More generally, you can also do things like make your distant planet populations into Conformists or just go down the list and make your best planets Communal for better output.

 

[faljen_isus]

you could gene mod a single 25t planet, then spread his pops across 24 worlds, while purging the species of those worlds
in 20y you could have a massive empire genemodded for a fraction of the cost, and a considerable opinion malus with the rest of the galaxy