Is there any gameplay reason for passive observation?

[Admiral]

So far, enlightenment and infiltration seem good, equal choices for interacting with primitives: Infiltration takes a fixed amount of time whereas enlightenment is variable, infiltrated civilizations are automatically integrated but enlightened ones become protectorates that provide Influence bonuses (which I'm now wondering is still profitable once you take vassal integration into account, considering the 5 influence monthly cost for integration vs. the .5 monthly bonus for having a protectorate).

The same cannot be said for passive vs. aggressive observation.

I currently have 7 observation posts, 3 aggressive and 4 passive. On top of providing twice as many Society research points, the aggressive observation posts have also given me events, several of which go beyond flavor text and actually provide some practical benefits and interesting effects on the primitive pops. To date, I have received these events:
* A brilliant scientist among the primitives whom I could choose to abduct. It succeeded and I got a 5-star alien scientist.
* Malfunctioning brain implants/tracking devices that caused accidents. I resolved the event and got 250 Society points.
* Scientists screwing around and making crop circles as a prank, causing the pops to become fanatic spiritualists.
* It's been a while since it happened, but I also believe that a drunken scientist of mine decided to pretend to be a god or something. In any case a Great Pyramid was built in their name causing holy wars to erupt across the planet giving me some nice flavor text to describe the event as well as killing 1 primitive pop.
* People becoming fearful of abduction shuttles also causes them to become xenophobic.
* Primitives forming some sort of anti-alien task force or something.

So essentially, aggressive observation gives you more (and more interesting) events and more society research points whereas passive observation gives you...nothing, I guess. The ethics changes from events might be a turn-off to some players, but beyond role-playing purposes ("We must not interfere with the natural development of pre-FTL species!", etc.) I don't see why ethics changes would be a problem. I mean, I know ethics divergence is a problem, but chances are that the primitive pops have different ethics than you even if you don't interfere. Is there any practical, gameplay-centric reason to passively rather than aggressively observe?

On a side note, does the "X-Com Event" (as I call it) actually enhance the primitives against you, or is it just flavor text? I hear about some civilization with 4 industrial armies organizing against me and I'm like "Oh, that's cute." as I put the finishing paint job on my fiftieth battleship and get a notification that my production run of 30 clone armies is complete.

Also, on the topic of interacting with primitives with regards to invading primitive worlds, let me say that it's massively expensive to the point of not being worth it. No way am I going to spend 234 influence (maybe the cost is variable? That's a pretty awkward number.) per attempt at invading the planet. All I wanted was to have some fun with the "normal fish in a tiny pond" effect, seeing if a single unit of the starter assault army could conquer an entire primitive world, but they lost and I wasted half my influence.

 

[MAHak]

If you're xenophile, and they change their ethos to xenophobe as a consequence of active studies, in the future you might end up with a planet populated by pops of opposing ethos. Also a xenophobic vassal or protectorate is more troublesome to a xenophile overlord. I consider these issues a nuisance compared to the benefits of active studies.

 

[Teutonizer]

Also a xenophobic vassal or protectorate is more troublesome to a xenophile overlord.

And even more troublesome to not-xenophile (with xenophobic overlord being the most "I hate your guts...as you mine")

 

[scaper12123]

in many ways there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't use aggressive observation or above, mainly because it's not that complicated to deal with opposing ethos.

 

[CocoCincinnati]

Yeah, it's a shame but RP is really the only reason to use passive. I will use if it I'm playing individualist.....kind of a prime directive sort of thing.

 

[Lothmar]

Other then Rp, the only reason I see to do passive is if you or your government have made it illegal to aggressively study. Or if you're looking for a happiness boost from your pop cause enough pops support the policy so you placate them by doing it.

I think the X-com event raises the risk or you getting an event where they shoot down one of your abduction shuttles and then you have a limited time to save them and cover your tracks. One species got so good at it they shot down a shuttle every ten years or so for the last 50 years before becoming a splotch on my map worth 'liberating'. I've never seen the repercussions of not rescuing them though. Id laugh if they got a big chunk of research towards becoming a space age civ from reverse engineering your shuttle. *chuckle*

Also in 1.5 there will be the ability to indoctrinate and convert people to your ethos so that might be worth persuing if you have the ability and your civilization allows it. ex: You aggressively study them until they reach atomic/early space age, then set the thing to indoctrinate so you change their ethos away from something that is likely different from you and then welcome them into the fold with a quick enlightenment and sweep the probing under the rug.

 

[Nosforontu]

Also, on the topic of interacting with primitives with regards to invading primitive worlds, let me say that it's massively expensive to the point of not being worth it. No way am I going to spend 234 influence (maybe the cost is variable? That's a pretty awkward number.) per attempt at invading the planet. All I wanted was to have some fun with the "normal fish in a tiny pond" effect, seeing if a single unit of the starter assault army could conquer an entire primitive world, but they lost and I wasted half my influence.

The influence cost to invade is roughly equal to the cost to colonize that planet (not sure if their any other modifiers attached to that).

 

[Velorian]

Generally I'm not opposed to some options being mostly rp choices. If there's any logical improvements that could be implemented then that's still better of course.

So maybe passive studies should give 0.25 influence or something in addition.

 

[Neocv]

There isn't good reasons beyond RP to choose passive observation.
Ironically the most fun things that ever happened to me related to primitives was with passive observation.

My empire was a Fanatical Pacifist/Xenophile, and one of my observation posts were in a continental planet called Home at Last inhabited by starfish cuties.
-Inicially I was kind of worried since they were in the Early Space Age and I couldn't invade them or declare war since I was a Fanatical Pacifist, but my worries were vain since theirs nations declare a nuclear war against themselves making their entire planet become a tomb planet, but instead of having no pops(as usually happens with me), they continued to have 2 pops and regressed to the Bronze Age.
-The scientists make a prank and they become Fanatical Spiritualist.
-A while after, criminals use the planet as a hideout, that I take down.
-After this a scientist becomes a god(don't remember the details but he is recovered) and they build a Great Pyramid, but I had no choice beyond wait to see what happens due to my Ethos, so they wage war, the Skyborn wars, killing one pop(making the planet have only a single pop) and build another Great Pyramid.
-You would think that the events of Home at Last finished but in fact a meteor goes to destroy the planet(I prevented the meteor).
-In the end the prosperous continental planet became a tomb world full with cities ruins and wastelands, 2 great pyramids and a single starfish pop.

I don't know why this events only happened in that planet, probably just luck since I had 11 observation posts, all passive, but it was a really fun ride considering how simple it was.

I call these events The chronicles of Home at Last(I know that this is a little sidetracked but I had to share)

Edit: The events occurred mostly in this order, my memory is a little cloudy since it happened a while ago

 

[Admiral]

There isn't good reasons beyond RP to choose passive observation.
Ironically the most fun things that ever happened to me related to primitives was with passive observation.

My empire was a Fanatical Pacifist/Xenophile, and one of my observation posts were in a continental planet called Home at Last inhabited by starfish cuties.
-Inicially I was kind of worried since they were in the Early Space Age and I couldn't invade them or declare war since I was a Fanatical Pacifist, but my worries were vain since theirs nations declare a nuclear war against themselves making their entire planet become a tomb planet, but instead of having no pops(as usually happens with me), they continued to have 2 pops and regressed to the Bronze Age.
-The scientists make a prank and they become Fanatical Spiritualist.
-A while after, criminals use the planet as a hideout, that I take down.
-After this a scientist becomes a god(don't remember the details but he is recovered) and they build a Great Pyramid, but I had no choice beyond wait to see what happens due to my Ethos, so they wage war, the Skyborn wars, killing one pop(making the planet have only a single pop) and build another Great Pyramid.
-You would think that the events of Home at Last finished but in fact a meteor goes to destroy the planet(I prevented the meteor).
-In the end the prosperous continetal planet became a tomb world full with cities ruins and wastelands, 2 great pyramids and a single starfish pop.

I don't know why this events only happened in that planet, probably just luck since I had 11 observation posts, all passive, but it was a really fun ride considering how simple it was.

I call these events The chronicles of Home at Last(I know that this is a little sidetracked but I had to share)

Very interesting chain of events. I was beginning to wonder if passive observation completely ruled out events (from your testimony it seems it just reduces the chance of them happening). I'm also surprised that you also got some events I've gotten, such as the Skyborn wars one and the crop circles prank.

As a side question, does the climate preference of a species change if they go through a nuclear war but survive (i.e. do the survivors get Tomb World Preference)? Or do they just somehow survive on a world that would have 0% habitability for them?

 

[Neocv]

As a side question, does the climate preference of a species change if they go through a nuclear war but survive (i.e. do the survivors get Tomb World Preference)? Or do they just somehow survive on a world that would have 0% habitability for them?

Sorry, but I don't remember exactly but I think they survive the world with 0% habitability, and due to this they have happiness 0%. But I can't confirm, since I already erased the empire were this happened in preparations to the Banks update.

Edit: Also it is rather common to have events in passive observation, just happen with fewer frequency than from agressive observation.

 

[ThatRabidPotato]

Half of those events OP cited occur in Passive Observation. The only thing I've ever gotten out of Aggressive is a crapton of events that always end with the natives becoming Fanatic Xenophobes. Always.
I only ever do PO because I'm sick of Fanatic Xenophobe natives.

 

[elitesix]

Curious, does anyone know if you suffer a diplomatic penalty with other xenophile empires if you enable the full native interference policy?

 

[lilsaihah]

Curious, does anyone know if you suffer a diplomatic penalty with other xenophile empires if you enable the full native interference policy?

There is a malus if your policies are set in a way they don't like.
I am not sure if there is a happiness malus for your own pops if you use this policy.

 

[Alblaka]

Aggressive > Passive Observation (on a pure minmax perspective, disregarding RP or the alternatives of Enlighten/Infiltrate/Conquer), but is not avaible to Xenophiles.
Simple as that.

 

[Notho]

There isn't good reasons beyond RP to choose passive observation.
Ironically the most fun things that ever happened to me related to primitives was with passive observation.

My empire was a Fanatical Pacifist/Xenophile, and one of my observation posts were in a continental planet called Home at Last inhabited by starfish cuties.
-Inicially I was kind of worried since they were in the Early Space Age and I couldn't invade them or declare war since I was a Fanatical Pacifist, but my worries were vain since theirs nations declare a nuclear war against themselves making their entire planet become a tomb planet, but instead of having no pops(as usually happens with me), they continued to have 2 pops and regressed to the Bronze Age.
-The scientists make a prank and they become Fanatical Spiritualist.
-A while after, criminals use the planet as a hideout, that I take down.
-After this a scientist becomes a god(don't remember the details but he is recovered) and they build a Great Pyramid, but I had no choice beyond wait to see what happens due to my Ethos, so they wage war, the Skyborn wars, killing one pop(making the planet have only a single pop) and build another Great Pyramid.
-You would think that the events of Home at Last finished but in fact a meteor goes to destroy the planet(I prevented the meteor).
-In the end the prosperous continental planet became a tomb world full with cities ruins and wastelands, 2 great pyramids and a single starfish pop.

I don't know why this events only happened in that planet, probably just luck since I had 11 observation posts, all passive, but it was a really fun ride considering how simple it was.

I call these events The chronicles of Home at Last(I know that this is a little sidetracked but I had to share)

Edit: The events occurred mostly in this order, my memory is a little cloudy since it happened a while ago

That's pretty cool.

 

[Sheriff Godwin Law]

Observation is a solid idea if you don't feel like spending society research and energy at that moment to technologically enlighten a species and you're not playing the kind of game that would have you conquer them outright.

Currently it's not an end game move by design.

 

[Zohtun]

If you're xenophile, and they change their ethos to xenophobe as a consequence of active studies, in the future you might end up with a planet populated by pops of opposing ethos. Also a xenophobic vassal or protectorate is more troublesome to a xenophile overlord. I consider these issues a nuisance compared to the benefits of active studies.

If you're Xenophile you can't aggressive study anyway so this is a moot point.

 

[WhiteWeasel]

The influence cost to invade is roughly equal to the cost to colonize that planet (not sure if their any other modifiers attached to that).

And in turn that is modified by distance from your borders. So the closer they are to your home worlds, the cheaper they should be to invade.

 

[Chaos_TLW]

And in turn that is modified by distance from your borders. So the closer they are to your home worlds, the cheaper they should be to invade.

Isn't that to your borders? So that a world that is inside your territory will always be 30 influence cost, as long as it is within your borders.