Starting as a Non-Gestalt Machine Empire?

[Bearjuden]

Why can't I make a machine empire that's not a gestalt consciousness? Doesn't seem to make much sense to me, making a gestalt consciousness technologically seems like it would be really hard with all the connections and servers and whatnot, whereas making a single robot would be more doable...no?

I just wanted to make a machine race where they were created to handle finances and money, so that I could have a Machine Megacorp

 

[Mocarr]

Because robots for no gestaltconsciousness empire are robots, droid and syntetsyn. Nothing more nothing less. And you can't have empire only with robots or droids. For that you would need synthetic and starting with that tech is too too too OP. Adding more robots type is not good in case of balancing.

 

[Kendov]

In terms of I Robot, gestalt is V.I.K.I., but you want a nation of sonnys?

 

[WhapXI]

For that you would need synthetic and starting with that tech is too too too OP

Basically this. You're either asking to start synthetically ascended or with the synth tech. This is a huuuuge boost to all sorts of productions and habitability and you'd have immortal leaders.

Sort of like asking to start with Psychic pops, or with Erudite+Robust pops, or to start on a ringworld or ecumenopolis. The idea sounds cool and flavourful on paper but there's a reason gestalts play entirely differently from regular empires.

 

[Tekore]

It is a pretty big boost to start with synth technology, so what would we need to give up for this to work? This would definitely take at least one permanent civics slot, and I'd also give it some drawbacks till you catch up the tech tree to synths. Possibly have a starting synth trait that is somewhat worse than the normal synth trait, and requiring either research or ascension perks to 'fix'.

 

[Bearjuden]

Then maybe an adjustment to the ascension perks are in order. Perhaps cyborgs should be the pinnacle of their own branch, instead of just being synthetic ascension part 1. Pure synthetic ascension could still offer unique perks too: just to spitball, maybe your pops have the ability to colonize barren worlds, with complex space-code that ensures absolute loyalty (don't want any of those pops migrating away or being conquered, since then your foes could use them to conquer barren worlds too, so they never migrate away and if they ever get conquered they shut down or something. Maybe even the second part is only if you also have Enigmatic Engineering?).

I'm not sure what the answer is exactly but "balance" is a deeply dissatisfying answer to why something should be impossible in game.

Sort of like asking to start with Psychic pops, or with Erudite+Robust pops, or to start on a ringworld or ecumenopolis.

Or that could work too. We have government civics right now that cannot be removed, to represent powerful, fundamental aspects of your society. Why not have one that grants you a perk for free (you would pick in the government menu of course, not in the game, to ensure when the AI does it it is still the right one). It would also grant you the +1 perk tech for free to pay for it. In exchange, you can never remove that government perk. Or something like that.