Transhuman Ascension

[evilcat]

There is this thing, that Synthetic Evolution ascension tradition perks turns our specie into robots. But what if i want to play not as robots but cyborgs?
There is a thing that i carefully designed my specie perks. Collect several event race perks. And now i need to abandon it for some mechanical shell? Never!

I suggest new Ascession tradition perk which would require Flesh is Weak but will be separete from synthetic evolution. Focused on playing as bio synthetic cyborgs with love to construct things and having mechanical coworkers.
So, could there be like branching path for flesh is week, where one is keeping half way, and going with biological synthetic hybrid. More like evolution master, but with mechanical flavour.

Main Perks:

• You are still biological pops, and have biological traits.
  
• You have cyborg trait, or even better one version. Your poprs are just smarter and work harder.
  
• Same leaders.
  
• You can bioengineer your specie using both biological and synthetic traits. But you still have limit in points (maybe you get some bonus, but not as many as biological asc).
  
• More discount on robots, and bonus trait points for your robots. You are very good at building robots. Maybe your robots work harder. But the are separete spiecie. Maybe one day turn into rouge servitudes
  
• Always good idea to have some cyborg army.
  
• Specialized buildings with minimal crew (high automation) but great effect. Some synergy with less planets or habitats.
  
• Experimentl ship computers combining computers and brains feedback
• Unique strikecraft drone module. Fast and furious. Smart torpedoes.
  
• Not picky with habitabillity so great for coexistence with other spieces (instead nerve stamping them)
• Additional technology to construct everything space faster (Megastructures, starbases) Space Engineers vibe.
  
• Nanobot armour. Armour which regenarets itself over time.
  
• Cyborgs are not special in reproducing, (so different from Biological) but could coexist with other spiecies in peaceful manner, and can specialize harder using biological and robo traits. But you specialize in something, and are less generalist.

The main idea is that Flesh is Weak is interesting tradition, but Synthetic Evolution (turining whole specie into robots) is extreme, and what if I want to keep going as bio-synthetic hybrid just better. Flesh & Chrome. Some players already prefer to stay on Flesh is Weak from whatever reasons, so PDX could just go for it, and add tier 2 for such play.

There is a valid point that making Cyborg ascesion perk would be consuming precious dev time to make feature some will use and some not. So there will be less time to make other features which some will use and some not. But sometime in the future it could happen.

 

[mysticdueler]

Just don’t take the second perk in the “flesh is weak” ascension tree. You’ll have cyborgs for the rest of the game.

As for your other point, the three ascensions were designed to be mutually exclusive, though I know there are mods that let you take more than one. I’ve never used any, but I know they exist.

 

[evilcat]

I was more thinking about branching Flesh is Week ascession into two separete 2nd tier, one present full synthetic, the other improving cyborg nature. Like 3.5rd route.
Where you are still biological, but with more technological implants, and good with robots.
But this could be more RP thing.

 

[klopkr]

What would such an ascension do?

 

[sillyrobot]

What would such an ascension do?

Add a couple of trait points and one to max traits and allow options from both biological and a subset of robotic traits.

 

[Methone]

Where you are still biological, but with more technological implants, and good with robots.
But this could be more RP thing.

You just described the Cyborg ascension perk.

 

[Lady Lacroix]

There is this thing, that Synthetic Evolution ascension tradition perks turns our specie into robots. But what if i want to play not as robots but cyborgs?
There is a thing that i carefully designed my specie perks. Collect several event race perks. And now i need to abandon it for some mechanical shell? Never!

So, could there be like branching path for flesh is week, where one is keeping half way, and going with biological synthetic hybrid. More like evolution master, but with mechanical flavour.

Main Perks:

• You are still biological pops, and have biological traits.
  
• You have cyborg trait, or even better one version. Your poprs are just smarter and work harder.
  
• Same leaders.
  
• You can bioengineer your specie using both biological and synthetic traits. But you still have limit in points (maybe you get some bonus, but not as many as biological asc).
  
• More discount on robots, and bonus trait points for your robots. You are very good at building robots. Maybe your robots work harder. But the are separete spiecie. Maybe one day turn into rouge servitudes
  
• Always good idea to have some cyborg army.
  
• Specialized buildings with minimal crew (high automation) but great effect.
  
• Experimentl ship computers combining computers and brains feedback
• Unique strikecraft drone module. Fast and furious.

The main idea is that Flesh is Weak is interesting tradition, but Synthetic Evolution (turining whole specie into robots) is extreme, and what if I want to keep going as bio-synthetic hybrid just better. Flesh & Chrome.

No!

No more features that are horribly balanced against what already exists but doesn't do enough differently from what is already available to justify its inclusion!

 

[Riftwalker]

There is this thing, that Synthetic Evolution ascension tradition perks turns our specie into robots. But what if i want to play not as robots but cyborgs?
There is a thing that i carefully designed my specie perks. Collect several event race perks. And now i need to abandon it for some mechanical shell? Never!

So, could there be like branching path for flesh is week, where one is keeping half way, and going with biological synthetic hybrid. More like evolution master, but with mechanical flavour.

Main Perks:

• You are still biological pops, and have biological traits.
  
• You have cyborg trait, or even better one version. Your poprs are just smarter and work harder.
  
• Same leaders.
  
• You can bioengineer your specie using both biological and synthetic traits. But you still have limit in points (maybe you get some bonus, but not as many as biological asc).
  
• More discount on robots, and bonus trait points for your robots. You are very good at building robots. Maybe your robots work harder. But the are separete spiecie. Maybe one day turn into rouge servitudes
  
• Always good idea to have some cyborg army.
  
• Specialized buildings with minimal crew (high automation) but great effect.
  
• Experimentl ship computers combining computers and brains feedback
• Unique strikecraft drone module. Fast and furious.

The main idea is that Flesh is Weak is interesting tradition, but Synthetic Evolution (turining whole specie into robots) is extreme, and what if I want to keep going as bio-synthetic hybrid just better. Flesh & Chrome.

get the extra ascension perks mod, it lets you spend an ascension slot to unlock the other 2 base routes but block off the end ones.

mixed with extra traditions it isn't that hard to get a ton of ascension slots.

so you'd go Gene -> x-pack -> cyborg in this case giving you 2 base ones for the cost of 3.(if you get all 3 you can spend another point to then unlock higher tiers, but at this point you just spent 8 points to get all of them so it's fairly balanced)

 

[Dementor4]

I've argued before that the introductory perks shouldn't be exclusive, that you should be able to get all three and "dabble". I gave the example of the Imperium of Man from Warhammer 40k as an example of a dabbling empire in fiction, one that uses cybernetics, advanced gene modding and psionics at what one could reasonably equate to the introductory perks in each ascension chain, but doesn't go all the way with any of them.

 

[Derp]

full ascensions are supposed to be drastic

I've argued before that the introductory perks shouldn't be exclusive, that you should be able to get all three and "dabble". I gave the example of the Imperium of Man from Warhammer 40k as an example of a dabbling empire in fiction, one that uses cybernetics, advanced gene modding and psionics at what one could reasonably equate to the introductory perks in each ascension chain, but doesn't go all the way with any of them.

i like this idea. balance wise, you'd be spending three perks instead of two, and since you're missing out on the big features of the paths, it's really just three moderately powerful buffs

there would probably have to be a rebalance to some of the relevant leader traits though

 

[Foefaller]

As others have noted, you could just stay as Cyborgs. I've done that myself a couple of times, and it didn't feel like I was holding myself back.

In fact, I feel like it's the only Ascension path where it is ok to stop at the first step, being kinda psionic or just better than most at genetics isn't nearly as RPable.

I can *kinda* see having the option of doing two 1st tier path traits, but I'm with @Lady Lacroix that it isn't really unique enough to put it in just because.

Na, an alternate to full synthetic would have to be very different. Maybe discard the individual bodies thing altogether, and become an empire of "ghosts" having downloaded their conciousness into a vast interstellar network. Or take a page from Homeworld, pull a Karen S'jet and go Unbound.

 

[evilcat]

The idea is that if players sometimes stay on flesh is weak since that suits them better from whatever reason, the logical step for PDX is just go for it.
You want Cyborg Empire, we give you Cyborgs tier 2, i hope you are happy now (also buy DLC).

 

[metalosse]

What would make this ascension more than "genetic ascension but with different flavor"?

 

[RoverStorm]

I'd like to point out the Materialist Fallen Empire are Cyborgs, which means they apparently decided to take the Cyborg trait and NEVER pick the Synthetic Ascension for THOUSANDS of years.

Anyways: what are you losing?

Well in terms of leaders:
+5% Robot Output (read: everyone. This is a little painful)
+5% Energy from Governors (but it's also used for upkeep, and you still get +5% Minerals)
+15% Anomaly Research on Scientists (you still get the same +5% Research Speed)
+10% Weapons Range on Admirals (you still get +5% Fire Rate)
+5% Army damage on Generals (who don't matter)

Also:
+1 Robot Mod Point (Annoying, but apparently this is not always used)
-50% Robot Modification Cost (This should not be used: you can choose which robot to build on a planet unless you are trying to please Egalitarians/maybe Xenophiles)
+10% Robot Output (Ok this one does hurt)
All your pops becoming robots, which obviously is what you'd prefer to avoid so I assume you know what's wrong with that.
A whole bunch of empires dislike you (-20 from nearly everyone, way worse for Spiritualists AND you piss off the Spiritualist Fallen Empire)


All in all, just not picking Synthetic Evolution is a valid option, in my opinion. The biggest losses, in my opinion, are +15% Robot Output and +1 Robot mod point.