Moving this discussion here so it can be more specific.
The model I propose is to calculate growth rate on a per species per planet basis. I haven't modelled the math fully but that's playing with numbers.
THE CURRENT MODEL
R = Pop growth rate. Base in current Stellaris is 3.
P = Growth units required to make up a pop. Base in current Stellaris is 100.
M = time to generate a pop (months). Base in current Stellaris P/R, or 100/3 which is 33 months for a new pop.
Then add in modifiers for species, environment, policies, decisions.
The problem is it does not matter whether you start with 1 pop or 100, it takes 33 months to generate a pop on average. This makes it hard to simulate the population pressures of a large well developed planet or the problems of developing a new colony on a low hab planet dependent only on birth rates. And you have funnies like 10 planets with 10 pops each, generating 1 pop each (10 total), in the same time it takes 1 planet with 100 pops to generate a single pop. Making "wide" super-powerful.
SIMPLISTIC PROPOSAL
The result would be three phases of growth (giving you an S-Surve, that starts out slow, gains momentum, then flattens out as the planet fills up.):
Phase 1: Slow growth. Planets with less than 30(?) pops would generally have very low growth (less than 3). If the hb is less than 80, the growth will be further limited. At 50 or 60 hab or worse, you would have negative growth. However, open jobs, excess housing, will ensure growth stays in low positive values (range 1-5 / 100). Poorly managed planets, or planets with low hab, may even have flat or declining populations.
Phase 2: Rapid growth. As you pass 30 pops, the base growth rate would be about 3 (30 pops / 10), and easily boosted to 5-10 or more with available jobs, housing, amenities.
Phase 3: Declining growth. As you pass 100 pops, the base growth rate from pops might be over 10, but the negative pressures of unemployment, lack of housing, limited amenities, would mean you would rapidly hit a ceiling where the population stabilises. Hab maxes out at +4 growth at 100 hab. Housing and Amenities are self-limiting (the more you focus on them, the fewer total jobs your planet has). Unemployment will be the major limit to growth. The moment your planet passes the max number of jobs you can provide, the growth rate will start to flatten.
@DrFranknfurter small colonies on low hab planets would be very inclined to have negative growth. You would have to be careful about managing jobs, housing, amenities to keep the colony growing. I know this is bound to encourage resettlement for small colonies (its meant to). Covered in a seperate thread.
Some Examples.
Well Developed Planet: Planet with 120 pops and 100 hab would have a base growth rate of 12, plus 4 from hab. To achieve +20 growth you would still need open jobs while maintaining housing and amenities. On the other hand, having 5 or more unemployed, plus say -30 housing and balanced amenities would bring your growth rate down very quickly. The biggest factors here would be population and employment. It would take a large concentrated population to grow fast, but unemployment would stop growth in its tracks.
New colonies: A 60 hab planet with 10 pops would have -1 growth to start with. Having 3 open jobs and 5 open housing would yield a net growth of 3/100 on this planet. Back where we started. Thus Hab, Jobs, Housing are the maindrivers to keep small colonies growing, even a little bit.
Brand New colony: Say 60 hab, 2 pops. Base growth rate would be about -1.8 (decline). But new colonies also generally have open housing and open jobs. And some amenities. Two open jobs would be enough to give it +1 growth. A 50 hab planet. No chance.
The relative weighting of the factors could easily be adjusted if you are wary of the degree of fluctuation involved. Its possible to build 'breeder' planets (focus entirely on housing and amenities, but you ill run out of jobs). if you focus on jobs, you will run out of housing and amenities.
We can discuss migration models separately.
I am also not a fan of how the game manages HAB on planets. Might start a thread on that.
For me, growth rate would make sense as ....
R = pops/x * e ^ ((availability of housing, hab, jobs, amenities) + (policies, decisions)).
This would necessarily be calculated on a per planet and species basis, with each species growing independently.
Migration/resettlement has to be an entirely separate system. Whether its movement of pops (my preference) or an additive factor.
The model I propose is to calculate growth rate on a per species per planet basis. I haven't modelled the math fully but that's playing with numbers.
THE CURRENT MODEL
R = Pop growth rate. Base in current Stellaris is 3.
P = Growth units required to make up a pop. Base in current Stellaris is 100.
M = time to generate a pop (months). Base in current Stellaris P/R, or 100/3 which is 33 months for a new pop.
Then add in modifiers for species, environment, policies, decisions.
The problem is it does not matter whether you start with 1 pop or 100, it takes 33 months to generate a pop on average. This makes it hard to simulate the population pressures of a large well developed planet or the problems of developing a new colony on a low hab planet dependent only on birth rates. And you have funnies like 10 planets with 10 pops each, generating 1 pop each (10 total), in the same time it takes 1 planet with 100 pops to generate a single pop. Making "wide" super-powerful.
SIMPLISTIC PROPOSAL
Variable | Pops | Hab - 80 | Housing | Open Jobs | Amenities |
Weight | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1 | 0.2 |
Example Planet | 100 | 70 | -10 | -2 | 15 |
Contribution | 100 * 0.1 = 10 | (70-80) * 0.2 = -2 | (-10 * 0.2) = -2 | -2 | (15 * 0.2) = 3 |
Final Growth | +7 / 100 |
The result would be three phases of growth (giving you an S-Surve, that starts out slow, gains momentum, then flattens out as the planet fills up.):
Phase 1: Slow growth. Planets with less than 30(?) pops would generally have very low growth (less than 3). If the hb is less than 80, the growth will be further limited. At 50 or 60 hab or worse, you would have negative growth. However, open jobs, excess housing, will ensure growth stays in low positive values (range 1-5 / 100). Poorly managed planets, or planets with low hab, may even have flat or declining populations.
Phase 2: Rapid growth. As you pass 30 pops, the base growth rate would be about 3 (30 pops / 10), and easily boosted to 5-10 or more with available jobs, housing, amenities.
Phase 3: Declining growth. As you pass 100 pops, the base growth rate from pops might be over 10, but the negative pressures of unemployment, lack of housing, limited amenities, would mean you would rapidly hit a ceiling where the population stabilises. Hab maxes out at +4 growth at 100 hab. Housing and Amenities are self-limiting (the more you focus on them, the fewer total jobs your planet has). Unemployment will be the major limit to growth. The moment your planet passes the max number of jobs you can provide, the growth rate will start to flatten.
@DrFranknfurter small colonies on low hab planets would be very inclined to have negative growth. You would have to be careful about managing jobs, housing, amenities to keep the colony growing. I know this is bound to encourage resettlement for small colonies (its meant to). Covered in a seperate thread.
Some Examples.
Well Developed Planet: Planet with 120 pops and 100 hab would have a base growth rate of 12, plus 4 from hab. To achieve +20 growth you would still need open jobs while maintaining housing and amenities. On the other hand, having 5 or more unemployed, plus say -30 housing and balanced amenities would bring your growth rate down very quickly. The biggest factors here would be population and employment. It would take a large concentrated population to grow fast, but unemployment would stop growth in its tracks.
New colonies: A 60 hab planet with 10 pops would have -1 growth to start with. Having 3 open jobs and 5 open housing would yield a net growth of 3/100 on this planet. Back where we started. Thus Hab, Jobs, Housing are the maindrivers to keep small colonies growing, even a little bit.
Brand New colony: Say 60 hab, 2 pops. Base growth rate would be about -1.8 (decline). But new colonies also generally have open housing and open jobs. And some amenities. Two open jobs would be enough to give it +1 growth. A 50 hab planet. No chance.
The relative weighting of the factors could easily be adjusted if you are wary of the degree of fluctuation involved. Its possible to build 'breeder' planets (focus entirely on housing and amenities, but you ill run out of jobs). if you focus on jobs, you will run out of housing and amenities.
We can discuss migration models separately.
I am also not a fan of how the game manages HAB on planets. Might start a thread on that.
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