New origin: Climate Crisis

[Lorenerd11]

This is an idea that has been suggested before, including in this thread by @Reedstilt, which offered an apt name for the origin.

To facilitate the function of this suggested new origin, I believe a fundamental change would need to be made to all empires by default, which is that the climate preference trait should always be displayed in the empire design.

Spoiler: Regular empire example

The interface should probably also be tweaked to allow more space for trait listing.

Normally, the preference trait would be forced by the chosen planet type (except when altered by an origin, like Life-Seeded, Shattered Ring, or Void Dwellers), impossible to manually add or remove.

This however wouldn't be the case for empires with the Climate Crisis origin, which would be able to freely choose between any of the main 9 climate preferences at will in the trait menu, separately from their planet type.

Spoiler: Climate Crisis empire examples

The base homeworld habitability would be 50% (base 20% with +30% homeworld bonus), or 90% if you pick a planet type from the same climate group (60% with +30% homeworld bonus), like when pairing an Ocean planet with Continental preference to represent flooding. You would however be forbidden from using the same climate preference as the chosen planet type (cause then what's the point of picking this origin?).

The guaranteed worlds would be based on the climate preference rather that the chosen homeworld planet type, meaning that the planets in neighboring Chinorr systems would spawn as Tropical Worlds.

 

[indalecio248]

Let me suggest something.

Origin - Climate Change
-Change planetary type to something other than what is your preference.
-Homeworld is now Size 25
-Start with double the number of tile blockers.
-Start with the tech Atmospheric Filtering, which grants Habitability +5%

The Size 25 planet is a benefit of choosing this origin, but its not too strong at start. The rest is in theme with the origin. The additional tile blockers represent stuff like pollution, trash heaps, etc, etc. The athmospheric filtering tech would represent starting attempts in dealing with the problem.

Thoughts?

 

[Tamwin5]

Let me suggest something.

Origin - Climate Change
-Change planetary type to something other than what is your preference.
-Homeworld is now Size 25
-Start with double the number of tile blockers.
-Start with the tech Atmospheric Filtering, which grants Habitability +5%

The Size 25 planet is a benefit of choosing this origin, but its not too strong at start. The rest is in theme with the origin. The additional tile blockers represent stuff like pollution, trash heaps, etc, etc. The athmospheric filtering tech would represent starting attempts in dealing with the problem.

Thoughts?

Size 25 doesn't make a ton of sense as a bonus, and isn't really much of a bonus to compensate for the -10/-50 habitability. Blockers is a little interesting, but I'd make it something like +5 slums, so that you have 5 extra pops, but requiring more of an investment to recover them.

If the planet type is a separate type, (thus the -50) then you get the atmospheric filtering tech, and an "emergency terraforming effort" modifier giving +20% habitability. That means it's -10 vs -25, but the 25 gets a habitability boost to other planets as well. The "emergency terraforming effort" modifier should probably give some other bonuses, similar to prosperous unification or lost colony, but I'm not sure exactly what or how much. The more extreme habitability change should have a greater bonus, to compensate.

 

[Lorenerd11]

-Homeworld is now Size 25

What? Why?

 

[indalecio248]

What? Why?

To make it more desirable as an Origin. Its not perfectly on theme, but it is a nice little bonus.

 

[Lorenerd11]

To make it more desirable as an Origin. Its not perfectly on theme, but it is a nice little bonus.

I see no point to this. It's not like Life-Seeded, where you're encouraged to stick to your home planet.

 

[indalecio248]

I see no point to this. It's not like Life-Seeded, where you're encouraged to stick to your home planet.

You're instigating a major change to the habitability of a planet, which leads to low stability, and potential unrest events. That's not nothing. With this, at least you're rewarded with a size 25 planet when you finally pick up the terraforming technologies. It doesn't have to be size 25, but something larger than normal wouldn't be too out of character.

 

[Lorenerd11]

50% (or 60% if the empire starts with a +10% habitability bonus) is not that low at all.

 

[indalecio248]

50% (or 60% if the empire starts with a +10% habitability bonus) is not that low at all.

We're talking about the possibility or reducing it to 20%, aren't we? When you have the option of choosing a different planet type than your species prefence, you can potentially bring it that low. The sane option would be to not bring it that low, but it could be done.

 

[Tamwin5]

We're talking about the possibility or reducing it to 20%, aren't we? When you have the option of choosing a different planet type than your species prefence, you can potentially bring it that low. The sane option would be to not bring it that low, but it could be done.

The homeward gets a +30% habitability boost. So even with the 20% habitability planets, you still get 50% habitability. For the 60% habitability planets (same class, but different type) it's be 90%.

I think there would need to be two variations for the civic, as starting with 50% habitability is MUCH more punishing than 90%.

 

[indalecio248]

The homeward gets a +30% habitability boost. So even with the 20% habitability planets, you still get 50% habitability. For the 60% habitability planets (same class, but different type) it's be 90%.

I think there would need to be two variations for the civic, as starting with 50% habitability is MUCH more punishing than 90%.

If we're giving it a +30% habitability modifier, then I have no problem it. Though I think adding in the extra tile blockers and habitability tech would be on theme as well.

 

[Tamwin5]

If we're giving it a +30% habitability modifier, then I have no problem it. Though I think adding in the extra tile blockers and habitability tech would be on theme as well.

We aren't giving it anything, the 30% habitability bonus on your homeworld is already present in the base game (otherwise starting habitability would be 80%). Starting out with only 90% habitability isn't that big of a concern, and is easily compensated for with the starting modifier or some other bonuses. Starting with 50% habitability gives -25% pop growth speed, +50% pop upkeep and amenities usage, and -25% job output. That's a massive penalty, especially considering how important the homeworld is early game.

 

[WeeBigTerd101]

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I like it, but the climate crisis should occur during the events of the game, similar to the Doomsday Origin. Having it happen in the past, without any way to deal with it, isn't very interesting. If its happening during the game, there might be some events that would give you some control, some interesting story bits, and possibly benefits and downsides.

I agree with you that there should be an in-game climate event like MASSIVE flooding that transforms a world into an ocean world and destroys some of the districts and some of the buildings. (which means there could be more natural disasters) however the origin listed above would also be cool.

 

[The Founder]

Well, okay, but why would you do that? I don't see a mechanical advantage. If its already done and dusted, the only benefit I see would be RP.

"Not all origins are perfectly balanced against each other" - the Developers on certain challenging Origins.

Normally, the preference trait would be automatically and forcefully tied to the chosen planet type (except when altered by an origin, like Life-Seeded, Shattered Ring, or Void Dwellers), impossible to manually add or remove.

This however wouldn't be the case for empires with the Climate Crisis origin, which would be able to freely choose between any of the main 9 climate preferences at will in the trait menu, separately from their planet type.

When they first added the Syncretic Evolution Civic, there was no way to even define how the syncretic species looked. It was randomly generated looks, with fixed traits. I think they only added a way to design the secondary species with the Robot Empires. Between Syncretic, Assimilators and Servitors several Empires needed the UI so it was worth the work at that point.
So how about trying that one with randomisation rather then a full UI first? It should be possible to mod in such a "random trait" origin. If it works, they can invest the work for the UI.

I guess there are two very different cases for this Origins for this case:
Minor Climate Crisis, where you "only" have the Planet class change within the the group. Continental to Ocean or Tropical, for example.
And Major Climate Crisis, where you actually get the preference of a different class altogether. Continental to Desert or Arctic, for example.

Bonuses for the Origin or a Event Chain:
The "Galactic Doorstep" Origin gives the empire very early access to Gateway reactivation technology and a early reacrivated Gateway. So some advanced tech should be in the cards for this! But wich precisely could be left to the player:

Actually playing around a lot with Gaia world Start, I have been exploring all the "logical" ways for a species to deal with being stuck on a Gaia World, given the games constraints. In a way, a Gaia World is similar to a Climate Crisis just less severe. In this case your home planet is the one with poor habitability, rather then just about every other planet in the Galaxy.
Here are the Ideas I thought up:
- go Synthethic Ascension. That way habitability stops being a concern altogether.
- figure out how to terraform all other planets into Gaia Worlds
- make a socities that uses aliens or Robots for any job below Ruler (Residency or Indentured Servitude Slavery for Aliens, Droids for Robots), but have your primary species as exclusive rulers
- use genetic modifications to overcome the flaw (I am not sure that is actually allowed for Gaia World Hab, however)

Each of those could lead to a path for solving the Climate Crisis:
- getting Terraforming and Environmental Adaptation tech. Given the unique knowledge the species has of the planets original Ecosystem, the fixing of the Homeworld might even turn the Homeworld all the way into a Gaia world. But they would still need the normal requires to do that to other worlds
- A massive leg up on Robot building. Robot and Droid techs I would say. If the player goes the Robot Slavery or Robot Ascension route is left open to them
- using genetic engineering to change the species to the new planets habitability. Should get you to Genetic Engineering and Habitability Modificaation techs
- Creating or Uplifting a subspecies of the planet to become a worker or slave caste similar to droids. Basically you could spawn a syncretic Species later in the game, one that is actually adapted to the home planets current climate

For maximum usefullness, I would say the "Guaranteed Habitables" should have a habitability equal to the homeworld after the Crisis happened. Otherwise those bonuses could be of limited use.

 

[Lorenerd11]

We're talking about the possibility or reducing it to 20%, aren't we?

Homeworlds have a +30% bonus to habitability by default, so no, the homeworld would always have at least 50% habitability.

I think there would need to be two variations for the civic, as starting with 50% habitability is MUCH more punishing than 90%.

My current idea is that while they're both the same Origin, the 50% habitability start has stronger bonuses than 90% habitability.

For instance, my idea of the bonus habitability to all planets would give them +10% and +5% habitability bonus respectively, making them actually start with 60% and 95% habitability.

Additionally, if they were to get planetary modifiers, the 50% habitability starter could get stronger ones, like +15% Resources from jobs, while 90% habitability starter would only get +10% or +5%.

 

[Numkelis]

I would already love it if it would add a free trait named Forced Adaption or something similar in addition, which gives a flat 20-30% habitability (would need balancing) towards the new, origin climate only, not the whole climate group.

 

[matgopack]

I like the idea - but it does need to offer some gameplay element/bonus to it to make it interesting, I think.

Perhaps an event chain of sorts, similar to how the "On the shoulders of giants" origin works - just using projects instead of archeological sites? It could give options for how your species deals with the disaster - by becoming more adaptive, or making domed environments, or the like. It doesn't have to be massive, but just *something* to add to it besides just starting on a different planet type.

 

[Lorenerd11]

Or to, you know, Lost Colony.

This reminds me, I think Lost Colony should also get the option to pick a different climate type from their clime preference, with similarly incremental bonuses.

I would already love it if it would add a free trait named Forced Adaption or something similar in addition, which gives a flat 20-30% habitability (would need balancing) towards the new, origin climate only, not the whole climate group.

Yeah, now that you mention it, this would work well. A Continental preference empire starting on an Arid world would then get an Arid Adaptation trait.

 

[The Founder]

Yeah, now that you mention it, this would work well. A Continental preference empire starting on an Arid world would then get an Arid Adaptation trait.

It does remind me of how the Tombworld start is currently implmeneted:
- planet class overridden
- selected habitability stays
- trait to make living on tombworlds more doable