The relevance of Species classes

[Gaussia]

So one of the first things we got to know was that species were divided into 6 different classes (mammalian etc), all modeled after some type of familiar organism type on earth.

Do we have any info on in what way these actually have an effect on the game? I guess navigation of the various species portraits at species creation becomes easier (not to be underestimate).

Also the ship models seem to differ, but is this really important. Could one not just have one list of ship models and each auto generated empire randomly get assigned one? Wouldn't this also simply the addition of new models (something I think many are interested in), instead of having to make one for every class (or make the mammalians twice as varied) one could just add 2-3 ship models to the one list when they are done.

Ditching the classes would also make the addition of new portraits simpler, since they would not have to be categorized into a class, just add whatever cool stuff the art department can come up with.

If its nothing more than a sake of convenience then its OK (but I still hope for unbound model use for AI empires) but I might also be missing something?

 

[VirtualCube]

From what I understood, races from a phenotype will better tolerate other races from the same phenotype, I think I've heard it in one of the gameplays.

It was also said that AI civilizations will use ship and city models matching their phenotype, but that player could choose which model to use.

 

[Asdfreak]

If I correctly remember it from the videos and the stream, there is difference in the insults etc. in dipolomacy and the likelieness of the ai to pick a certain planet type as optimal home planet type. So fungoids will mostly stick close to tropical worlds and you will only rarely see them have a trundra world as their optimum.

 

[ashbery76]

It would be sort of strange having humans as repulsive trait when randomly generated.I think maybe some traits should be species specific.

 

[Krajzen]

It would be sort of strange having humans as repulsive trait when randomly generated.

I have no idea why. I find it perfectly believable some radically different species would view us, meat slimy worms with fluids dropping of us all the time, as very repulsive.

 

[Gaussia]

Thanks VirtualCube and AsdFreak, very helpfull. Mulluscoid avoiding Desert worlds would add immersion, very clever.

@ashbery76, I already now see the thread "Funny AI human trait/ethos combination" being a forum hit...

 

[VirtualCube]

I have no idea why. I find it perfectly believable some radically different species would view us, meat slimy worms with fluids dropping of us all the time, as very repulsive.

Surely Blorg see themselves as handsome beings

 

[SgtSmuckers]

Surely Blorg see themselves as handsome beings

Nope, even they consider each other repugnant. That is why having more friends means holding more power in the government. I mean, the leader has like 6 friends. That's saying something

 

[der_butschi]

For me it's quite ok not to have the same stereotypes all over again (kind of inherited from MoO2, much as I love the game). I mean, Humans, fairly balanced, good diplomats; Reptilians, fast breeding and aggressive; some cat-like beings, proud warriors... Though I have to agree that seeing aquatic lifeforms (<- but did anyone see those??) coming from a desert homeworld would mean quite a stretch of imagination.

Still, I would like to see a few non-standard aliens. Like not having two arms and one head. As if legs would do any good on a very low gravity world - or a very high-g one for that matter.

 

[Exemplar Voss]

For me it's quite ok not to have the same stereotypes all over again (kind of inherited from MoO2, much as I love the game). I mean, Humans, fairly balanced, good diplomats; Reptilians, fast breeding and aggressive; some cat-like beings, proud warriors... Though I have to agree that seeing aquatic lifeforms (<- but did anyone see those??) coming from a desert homeworld would mean quite a stretch of imagination.

Still, I would like to see a few non-standard aliens. Like not having two arms and one head. As if legs would do any good on a very low gravity world - or a very high-g one for that matter.

There are at least 18 non humanoids among the species portraits, several very definitely without legs. No multiple heads though.

As for aquatic species- yes, depending on what you mean. There are definitely things that look similar to crabs and turtles, and of course a whole category of molluscs. But not if you specifically mean sharks, dolphins, whales, and assorted fishy things, no not really.

 

[Krajzen]

For me it's quite ok not to have the same stereotypes all over again (kind of inherited from MoO2, much as I love the game). I mean, Humans, fairly balanced, good diplomats; Reptilians, fast breeding and aggressive; some cat-like beings, proud warriors... Though I have to agree that seeing aquatic lifeforms (<- but did anyone see those??) coming from a desert homeworld would mean quite a stretch of imagination.

Still, I would like to see a few non-standard aliens. Like not having two arms and one head. As if legs would do any good on a very low gravity world - or a very high-g one for that matter.

The first custom race I'll create in this game will be fanatic individualist spiritualist race of insectoids, just to show the middle finger to the cliche of "insect telephathic hive mind" which I greatly despise for various reasons.

 

[Asdfreak]

For me it's quite ok not to have the same stereotypes all over again (kind of inherited from MoO2, much as I love the game). I mean, Humans, fairly balanced, good diplomats; Reptilians, fast breeding and aggressive; some cat-like beings, proud warriors... Though I have to agree that seeing aquatic lifeforms (<- but did anyone see those??) coming from a desert homeworld would mean quite a stretch of imagination.

Thats exactly why the species tend to a certain type of homeplanet. Most molluscoids will come from ocean worlds, a few from the adjencent types continental and arctic, but the very rare special snowflake from a desert planet where the drying of the oceans forced them to evolve to fit a desert home planet will be possible. I imagine it will be a simple bell curve centered at the logical home world type "wraping around" the planet circle we say in the latest video, so to say

 

[The_Meme_Man]

The first custom race I'll create in this game will be fanatic individualist spiritualist race of insectoids, just to show the middle finger to the cliche of "insect telephathic hive mind" which I greatly despise for various reasons.

What is funny is that the more intelligent arachnids on Earth would fit a stereotype more tailored to individualism than collectivism. Some spider species are very intelligent, but most spider species (and most of THEM as well), are highly independent and territorial. If they were sapient, I would imagine a spider choosing forms of government that are similar to libertarianism, if not out-right anarchy.

However, there are some "stereotypes" involving city structure and ship structure that would just utilitarianly make sense. For example, the Avian cities I saw made sense assuming the Avian race could fly (though at the same time, there are such things and cannot be forgotten of flightless Avians). City structures revolving around citizens flying around and perching makes sense for a race that can fly. Humans still exhibit our ape-characteristics of being able to climb and scale irregular surfaces, which is why we have tall buildings (we can climb stairs and ladders), and our vehicles have girth because we can climb around the compartments of any vessel, tank, or whatever. Since it is safe to assume almost ALL of the species in-game are modeled off what we know on Earth, some stereotypes will be inevitable. Insects might not be hive mind, but they are damn going to be able to climb everywhere like Humans and primates can, and will have tall buildings and bulky vehicles. Birds and flying insects will have even girthy vehicles because crew should be able to move around the vehicle without damaging their wings. Most mollusks need to be kept moist, and their architecture and vehicles will exhibit the need to create moist or even submerged environments (VERY girthy and fish-tank). Reptiles will more greatly value thermodynamics in their constructions, since they are cold blooded (unlike how mammals like humans solve most of those problems with clothing because the heat released by the mammalian flesh is insulated by the clothing).

As a TL;DR, I guess most of the stereotypes involving different phenotypes should involve characteristics that are rather irrelevant to intelligence, BASED on what we know on Earth (because humans are still pretty unintelligent and primitive). Regardless of government or ideology, an Insectoid is still probably going to have a chitin exterior, be able to climb around, and require a lot of oxygen exponentially proportional to body volume to breath, and their architecture, technology, and culture will reflect.

 

[ProfPain77]

The first custom race I'll create in this game will be fanatic individualist spiritualist race of insectoids, just to show the middle finger to the cliche of "insect telephathic hive mind" which I greatly despise for various reasons.

Damn, man. You beat me to it. I had already worked out a backstory for any MP games I play for the individualist Arthropods #11, who had embraced a free-spirited mercantile culture after the "War of a Million Regicides," where the workers rose up and killed most of the queens, lobotomized the rest for breeding purposes, and created a plutocratic oligarchy driven by the hoarding of honey currency.

 

[Grivies97]

The first custom race I'll create in this game will be fanatic individualist spiritualist race of insectoids, just to show the middle finger to the cliche of "insect telephathic hive mind" which I greatly despise for various reasons.

The first thing that came to my mind after hearing this:

 

[vfmikey]

There are at least 18 non humanoids among the species portraits, several very definitely without legs. No multiple heads though.

As for aquatic species- yes, depending on what you mean. There are definitely things that look similar to crabs and turtles, and of course a whole category of molluscs. But not if you specifically mean sharks, dolphins, whales, and assorted fishy things, no not really.

Well, there was a platypus...

 

[vyshan]

Reptiles will more greatly value thermodynamics in their constructions, since they are cold blooded (unlike how mammals like humans solve most of those problems with clothing because the heat released by the mammalian flesh is insulated by the clothing).

Yup. One of the things I been having fun with is coming up with stuff for my Raksasa(a reptilian species). As I am trying to imagine what things would be like for them and how they are different from humans because they are reptiles. While some things I am still working on, ie building architecture, it is still fun to just be creative

 

[Olliganak]

The first custom race I'll create in this game will be fanatic individualist spiritualist race of insectoids, just to show the middle finger to the cliche of "insect telephathic hive mind" which I greatly despise for various reasons.

Yes, I always found it weird that for some reason almost all space insect races in Science Fiction are ant-like in societal structure (and also psychic), when in fact the vast majority of insects (species, not individual members) are predominantly solitary. This is why I am quite glad that species traits aren't arbitrarily bound to phenotype, so we can create species that go against the Science Fiction norms.

 

[The_Meme_Man]

Yes, I always found it weird that for some reason almost all space insect races in Science Fiction are ant-like in societal structure (and also psychic), when in fact the vast majority of insects (species, not individual members) are predominantly solitary. This is why I am quite glad that species traits aren't arbitrarily bound to phenotype, so we can create species that go against the Science Fiction norms.

Meanwhile all the stereotypes associated with space reptiles.