While I agree the old mechanic, where species' growth speeds were directly related to the proportion of species currently on the planet, was frustrating, taking the extreme opposite, the current mechanic where under-represented pops are prioritized, is equally frustrating. I'm playing with Syncretic Evolution, and my ability to specialize worlds is slowed by the planet's wrong choice of pop. I've dumped way too much energy ferrying my main species off my rural worlds and my subservient species off my urban worlds. This weighting system and the specialized worlds feature are not compatible.
Instead, I suggest the new species should be weighted based on the employment status of the species currently on the planet. If pops now "sort" themselves into jobs they are most efficient at, the optimal jobs for one species will be filled up by that species, bumping less-efficient species into other jobs (if they exist) or unemployment. When the game chooses a species for a new pop to grow or immigrate in, it can look at the ratio of species working their optimal jobs, as well as the empty jobs left to fill. This would help a specialized world maintain the right workforce, because the species will eventually sort themselves into a ratio matching the ratio of jobs. (When many jobs are open, some weight must be given to new species so they can get a foot in the door.)
For example, in a world with 3/4 artisan jobs filled by humans and 12/14 mining jobs filled by Gethenians, the new pop is about four times more likely to be a Gethenian than a human. If too many Getheniens are born, and begin to fill up the artisan jobs, the first human to be born will (eventually) bump the extra Gethenian to unemployment, significantly reducing the likelihood of the next pop being Gethenian.
Instead, I suggest the new species should be weighted based on the employment status of the species currently on the planet. If pops now "sort" themselves into jobs they are most efficient at, the optimal jobs for one species will be filled up by that species, bumping less-efficient species into other jobs (if they exist) or unemployment. When the game chooses a species for a new pop to grow or immigrate in, it can look at the ratio of species working their optimal jobs, as well as the empty jobs left to fill. This would help a specialized world maintain the right workforce, because the species will eventually sort themselves into a ratio matching the ratio of jobs. (When many jobs are open, some weight must be given to new species so they can get a foot in the door.)
For example, in a world with 3/4 artisan jobs filled by humans and 12/14 mining jobs filled by Gethenians, the new pop is about four times more likely to be a Gethenian than a human. If too many Getheniens are born, and begin to fill up the artisan jobs, the first human to be born will (eventually) bump the extra Gethenian to unemployment, significantly reducing the likelihood of the next pop being Gethenian.
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