The "take direct influence" vs "quest completion reward" balance should be looked at

[Jaxck]

Even with mods that make Influence waaay more valuable (such as increasing Edict cap or adding new Gigastructures), 80 influence is not worth it compared to really any kind of science boost. +15% Society research in particular is an absolutely amazing bonus. One thing to note is how easy that is to use compared to an Engineering or Physics boost, since Society is also generated by buildings you'll likely find on every planet such as Temples.

 

[sillyrobot]

No, in a century, you'll have 101 colonies a few months before I have 101 colonies.

At every point in time I will have 1 colony more than you. It is an extra colony -- not an advance on a colony.

 

[sillyrobot]

Even with mods that make Influence waaay more valuable (such as increasing Edict cap or adding new Gigastructures), 80 influence is not worth it compared to really any kind of science boost. +15% Society research in particular is an absolutely amazing bonus. One thing to note is how easy that is to use compared to an Engineering or Physics boost, since Society is also generated by buildings you'll likely find on every planet such as Temples.

Um, it on a single colony. That's -- at most -- +30ish research points and likely much less. So little it gets lost in rounding. If it were empire-wide there would actually be a calculation to be made.

 

[Jaxck]

Um, it on a single colony. That's -- at most -- +30ish research points and likely much less. So little it gets lost in rounding. If it were empire-wide there would actually be a calculation to be made.

What can you spend 80 Influence on? A single Star System? On average that's only going to give you a trickle of minerals & energy.

 

[Ryika]

At every point in time I will have 1 colony more than you. It is an extra colony -- not an advance on a colony.

No, you will not.

You will have an extra colony for a few months, and during those months you'll make those ~500 Energy from the extra pop (and the extra growth), then I will have caught up in colonies until you settle your next colony, which means you'll be a colony ahead again until I catch up again. You get an extra colony earlier. Not "an extra colony".

Or another way of phrasing it would be that you get a partial extra colony on average. If we were both spamming habitats, you'd, on average, have half a habitat more than me.

For this not to be the case, each colony would need to cost 80 or less influence - in which case you'd indeed be one planet ahead ahead in colony count.