Last minute question about Psionic/Synthetic Ascension.

[Foefaller]

Really excited about Utopia, and have pretty much cemented my ideas of the first few games I'm going to play. However, there is one tiny little question about both of these Ascension paths that I'm hoping can be answered now in the final hours before release.

Basically it boils down to this: Do we get to decide who, on a species level, gets to partake in Psionic and Synthetic Ascension? and, in particular to Synthetic, is this a one-time choice?

Basically, If I was to make xenophobic Spiritualists who see themselves as the only ones worthy of psionics, would I be able to suppress it from showing up among the other pops in my empire (remember @Wiz saying it could during the Starfish tech intermission), even if that means killing off some pops?

...and if I go the Synthetic path, can I go all Core/Borg and force new flesh and blood pops of the empire, whether they came by conquest or migration, to become a synth like everyone else?

Hopefully I can get an answer in the next 16-odd hours, otherwise I guess I'll figure it out myself tomorrow.

 

[Jerev]

As far as I understood from the dev diaries, psionic ascension starts with your prime race and slowly spreads to other races in your empire.
Synthetic ascension modifies your whole empire. So all the meatbags get transformed into shiny synths. It will also transform all your farms into power plants. New pops should be acquired through building while conquered meatbags can't be converted.
As I said, this is all just my view based on the dev diaries.

Edit:
Psionic ascension dev diary
https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...-dev-diary-60-psionics-and-the-shroud.998827/
Synth and biological dev diary
https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...3-synthetic-and-biological-ascension.1002382/

 

[Sheriff Godwin Law]

Basically it boils down to this: Do we get to decide who, on a species level, gets to partake in Psionic and Synthetic Ascension? and, in particular to Synthetic, is this a one-time choice?

It was mentioned during the Reddit AMA that you could decide who gets to become cyborgs by race. And in that way you get to exclude people from Synthetic Ascension. Whether it turns out to be a one time deal will depend on whether you lose the ability to use the Cybernetics project after Synthetic Ascension. I'm hoping you have the option at least.

Regarding Psionics, as Jerev said, once you hit the second tier of Psionic Ascension you'll be able to randomly and spontaneously awaken psionics in other races within your empire.

 

[Mitchz95]

Did they ever explain what happens if you get the AI crisis after turning all your pops into synths?

 

[Sheriff Godwin Law]

Did they ever explain what happens if you get the AI crisis after turning all your pops into synths?

Not that I saw. But they've already given players the ability to become immune to the AI crisis by permanently loyalty locking their synths into servile mode.

I can't imagine they'll make the AI crisis game breaking for any players using the new feature.