Syncretic evolution

[Omnium]

I was wondering how you guys play with the syncretic evolution civic.

I started a new game and I was wondering what was the better plan in your opinion.

Since you have to select one your two species to colonize a new plan would you rather:
1) Resettle the other one by force on your new world to get the benefice of dual pop growth and to better use the ''intellectual'' ressources (energy and science) or the ''manual'' ones (food and minerals).
2) Just get over it and specialize your empire between ''free'' planets with your main species (energy and science) and slave planets (food and minerals).

The problem I see with this situation is that usually you want a new species in order to colonize planets wich arent of your climate preference but in this case you sort of just get boosted slaves with little flexibility.

 

[Lothmar]

Once you have at least one dedicated free species planet and one dedicated slave planet, you can use those as your 'Resettle' pops and mix bag any new planets after. *chuckle*

Or just resettle at least one of the other species pop early on so they also breed onto all your planets as well so you dont have to rely entirely on migration.

 

[romothecus]

syncretic is "weird" and creates a lot of interesting counterintuitive choices.

i've got a game with syncretic charismatic/weak/intelligent authoritarian/spiritual/xenophiles... works pretty well overall. authoritarian lets you use caste system on your syncretic species, so they're auto-enslaved. charismatic/xenophile keeps everyone a little happier, and spiritual keeps your factions manageable.

the real advantage is that you fill up your capital twice as fast because you're growing two pops at once. and you get Strong pops where you need it (miners) but still get intelligent or whatever elsewhere.

sure, it effectively raises colonization costs by requiring resettlement if you want both on a new world, but that's not so bad.

 

[Sheriff Godwin Law]

I've noticed that my capital population is now much more likely to want to immigrate to frontier worlds.

So I would think load the colony with enslaved proles and see if you can get lucky and have one of your free citizens move on their own.

 

[Brucesim2003]

the real advantage is that you fill up your capital twice as fast

No you don't. Growth is split between the two pops, so it actually takes twice as long to grow a pop, but when they do, you get two at approximately the same time. For pop growing early in the game syncretic is actually very bad.

 

[romothecus]

No you don't. Growth is split between the two pops, so it actually takes twice as long to grow a pop, but when they do, you get two at approximately the same time. For pop growing early in the game syncretic is actually very bad.

Syncretic isn't that bad because you grow both pops at the "existing pops: 8" penalty as opposed to growing the first pop at 8 and the second pop at a worse penalty (ie existing pops: 9).

I hadn't realized the growth was split, though.