Some origins get choosen only for RP reasons, while others can get picked with a strategy in mind (AND for RP reasons).
In my opinion, ALL origins should have both great RP potential and great strategy potential for the long run, either through long lasting bonuses or through a short and beneficial buff that puts you ahead of others.
1) Galactic Doorstep: Basically useless. Even the RP potential is weak. If this origins will let you unlock a discount for building new "portals". Imagine an empire that uses these "doorsteps" consistently.
2) Prosperous Unification: Weak RP potential but good bonus that will let you have a good accelleration in the early game. I'm happy that the bonus will expire, since it was really powerfull, I would prefer a longer expiration date. Maybe to counterbalance its expiration, the bonus will carry on other planets after colonization (and still expire with the main buff)?
3) Lost Colony: Great RP potential. The bonus is weak but long lasting. I feel like it needs some changes but I don't think it is necessary
4) Calamitous Birth: Not my personal favorite, but I think it's a pretty good origin for both RP and strategy. Could be better? maybe. It is necessary? maybe not.
5) Mechanist: Good RP potential. The long lasting bonus is irrelevant. Robots will get unlocked by other empires in no time, so you don't even get any acceleration in your development. Your civilization was using robots since the steam age! can't you get something more? Solution in my opinion: make the robots customizable since the start like it happens with syncretic evolution or necrophage. The tech for robomodding would get unlocked later by other empires, making the difference between who chose this origin and who didn't.
6) Syncretic Evolution: Specialized pops since the start? where do I sign? The only problem is the impossibility for your "secondary" species to work all jobs, making it a risk if they "owerbred" your main species. The origin is fine, I would still change so that your secondary species CAN work some (not all) specialist jobs. I mean, if droids can do it, they should be able to do it.
7) Tree of Life: OMG, where do I sign? the only bad thing is that this is for hivemind only. Actually I would make a change: an icon that shows form the outliner if a planet doesn't have a three of life. Actually I would also like an outliner that shows if the main planetary building can be upgraded, but we can only desire.
8) Resource Consolidation: good
9) Life-Seeded: I have literally no idea why this is supposed to be powerfull or if there are startegies that go well with it AND can be supported by RP. I is good because you can have early access to advanced resources, however you should occupy 3 building slots on your main capital for this, and seeing how building slots got reduced and how your "main capital" will remain your only planet for long, I don't think it's a straight bonus.
10) Post-Apocalyptic: Riduculus. Yeah you could RP a civilization that got nuked into oblivion, but you could do somehting similar with remnants. Tomb worlds also got a huge nerf now that planetary capacity is a thing. How can we make it better? make it so your main species can get more traits than other species, both in "more trait points" and in "more traits at the same time". After all, radiations will make you evolve faster.
11) Remnants: good.
12) Common Ground: where do I start? you have your starting habitable planets occupied, you have to "fight" for early expansion, and you get stuck in a useless federation which will only drag you down. Losing your garanteed habitable planets? fine. Fighting for early expansion is a big nono. Even if I "win" the competition, it would mean that my allies will be weaker. Also the Galactic Union federation is really bad: I know it's supposed to be the vanilla one, but there is absolutely no reason why you should ever form this kind of federation. Change how gaalctic union works, then this origin could maybe be worth something.
13) Hegemon: all the problems from common ground, with the exeption that an Hegemony is a better federation type. Also you can exploit this by kicking a federation member and conquering it, giving you a big jump start. I don't like exploit, but this one could also be RP so I'm good (faking friend to conquer once you have the technology).
14) Doomsday: challenging origin is challenging. Also it could be exploited hard if you are a good player.
15) On the Shoulders of Giants: RP potential on the roof. you basically have a "personalized" story about you. the bonuses you get are fine, so let's leave it like it is. Maybe adding some variation to the "story" like it happens with the L-gate, but that's all I have to say about it
16) Scion: who plays this? you know what? keep it. New player do need an easy mod to learn.
17) Shattered Ring: Equally powerfull and challenging (not as much as doomsday though). All the downside of playing life-seeded and way more pros, even for the late game.
18) Void Dwellers: I think this origin is good. All the problem you could have with it are strictly correlated with the habitats changes in 3.0. I would change how habitat works, this origin per se is fine.
19) Necrophage: really powefull if you play it well. Also really good for RP. I have nothing to say about it
In my opinion, ALL origins should have both great RP potential and great strategy potential for the long run, either through long lasting bonuses or through a short and beneficial buff that puts you ahead of others.
1) Galactic Doorstep: Basically useless. Even the RP potential is weak. If this origins will let you unlock a discount for building new "portals". Imagine an empire that uses these "doorsteps" consistently.
2) Prosperous Unification: Weak RP potential but good bonus that will let you have a good accelleration in the early game. I'm happy that the bonus will expire, since it was really powerfull, I would prefer a longer expiration date. Maybe to counterbalance its expiration, the bonus will carry on other planets after colonization (and still expire with the main buff)?
3) Lost Colony: Great RP potential. The bonus is weak but long lasting. I feel like it needs some changes but I don't think it is necessary
4) Calamitous Birth: Not my personal favorite, but I think it's a pretty good origin for both RP and strategy. Could be better? maybe. It is necessary? maybe not.
5) Mechanist: Good RP potential. The long lasting bonus is irrelevant. Robots will get unlocked by other empires in no time, so you don't even get any acceleration in your development. Your civilization was using robots since the steam age! can't you get something more? Solution in my opinion: make the robots customizable since the start like it happens with syncretic evolution or necrophage. The tech for robomodding would get unlocked later by other empires, making the difference between who chose this origin and who didn't.
6) Syncretic Evolution: Specialized pops since the start? where do I sign? The only problem is the impossibility for your "secondary" species to work all jobs, making it a risk if they "owerbred" your main species. The origin is fine, I would still change so that your secondary species CAN work some (not all) specialist jobs. I mean, if droids can do it, they should be able to do it.
7) Tree of Life: OMG, where do I sign? the only bad thing is that this is for hivemind only. Actually I would make a change: an icon that shows form the outliner if a planet doesn't have a three of life. Actually I would also like an outliner that shows if the main planetary building can be upgraded, but we can only desire.
8) Resource Consolidation: good
9) Life-Seeded: I have literally no idea why this is supposed to be powerfull or if there are startegies that go well with it AND can be supported by RP. I is good because you can have early access to advanced resources, however you should occupy 3 building slots on your main capital for this, and seeing how building slots got reduced and how your "main capital" will remain your only planet for long, I don't think it's a straight bonus.
10) Post-Apocalyptic: Riduculus. Yeah you could RP a civilization that got nuked into oblivion, but you could do somehting similar with remnants. Tomb worlds also got a huge nerf now that planetary capacity is a thing. How can we make it better? make it so your main species can get more traits than other species, both in "more trait points" and in "more traits at the same time". After all, radiations will make you evolve faster.
11) Remnants: good.
12) Common Ground: where do I start? you have your starting habitable planets occupied, you have to "fight" for early expansion, and you get stuck in a useless federation which will only drag you down. Losing your garanteed habitable planets? fine. Fighting for early expansion is a big nono. Even if I "win" the competition, it would mean that my allies will be weaker. Also the Galactic Union federation is really bad: I know it's supposed to be the vanilla one, but there is absolutely no reason why you should ever form this kind of federation. Change how gaalctic union works, then this origin could maybe be worth something.
13) Hegemon: all the problems from common ground, with the exeption that an Hegemony is a better federation type. Also you can exploit this by kicking a federation member and conquering it, giving you a big jump start. I don't like exploit, but this one could also be RP so I'm good (faking friend to conquer once you have the technology).
14) Doomsday: challenging origin is challenging. Also it could be exploited hard if you are a good player.
15) On the Shoulders of Giants: RP potential on the roof. you basically have a "personalized" story about you. the bonuses you get are fine, so let's leave it like it is. Maybe adding some variation to the "story" like it happens with the L-gate, but that's all I have to say about it
16) Scion: who plays this? you know what? keep it. New player do need an easy mod to learn.
17) Shattered Ring: Equally powerfull and challenging (not as much as doomsday though). All the downside of playing life-seeded and way more pros, even for the late game.
18) Void Dwellers: I think this origin is good. All the problem you could have with it are strictly correlated with the habitats changes in 3.0. I would change how habitat works, this origin per se is fine.
19) Necrophage: really powefull if you play it well. Also really good for RP. I have nothing to say about it
- 6
- 2