Underwhelming branch offices

[Typee]

I think most here agree that branch offices bonuses are pretty underwhelming and not the central feature to Megacorp play that we expected. Sure, part of it comes from the fact that the AI sucks at having developed worlds to open offices on, but even then the unique buildings are not all that hot.
You're likely not going to feed your armada with the measly +2 alloys from military industries per branch office, even with 25 branch offices opened around the galaxy. It's pretty clear now that the dream of having a corp of ecumenopoli fed by resources coming from offices isn't viable.

I think the issue stems from the fact that there is no upper limit on how many offices you can have, and if they were too good the snowball of a Megacorp would be out of control.
I think a solution similar to CK2's republics would work just fine: having a limited number of branch offices. That number could be based on your total population, or maybe just your upper-class population, or your admin cap, or maybe megacorps could have special jobs like "office manager" that would be created by a special building that let you build more offices.

In turn, that would allow branch offices to have a much more drastic effect on your game, since the risk of a one-world runaway corp plonking offices everywhere would disappear.
Megacorps don't feel different enough from regular empires as is.

 

[Annihilat0r]

I don't think that branch offices are underwhelming - they actually generate a ton of money. But I agree with your point for another reason. A limited number of branchoffices would solve (or at least minimize) the problem that you get, when there are multiple Megacorps in the galaxy - you don't have enough planets for all of them, since they cannot open branch offices inside each others empires.

 

[Serenity84]

One issue is that they only come into play later. Yes, they can make you lots of money. But only on a well developed planet that already has quite a bit of trade value. And you need big planets to get more than one or two buildings

 

[Slynx]

Criminal offices are a bit moot too.
especially buildings. cuz crime is so easy to reduce (tech and free enforcers from main building). so you usually have to build at least -40-50crime buildings. leaving -25 or less buildings unusable.

 

[Paradoxon]

Yeah, branch offices might be a bit on the weak end at first, but they get more and more useful as time goes on. In my current game, I have 45 and I'm earning more than 1200 energy/month and nearly 300 minerals/month solely through them, and they provide around a 100 of my naval capacity, to the point where I'm worried about the current War in Heaven because I'm heavily relying on them for my economy and the bombings are slowly destroying all my buildings over the galaxy.

The military industries building is a terrible example to use, as it is indeed a very weak building, and even in the beta where metallurgists now produce 3 alloys instead of 2, the building is still stuck at 2 (hopefully, an oversight that'll get fixed). Buildings like the Mercenary Office that gives +10 naval capacity, the Mining Consortium with its +10 minerals, the Executive Retreat that gives an empire-wide +10% amenities and can be build several times (but not on the same planet) are all very much worth their cost, especially since most of them also end up producing money for you.

The thing is, branch offices aren't there to replace a healthy internal economy, it's something you should use to enhance it. Even with buffs, relying entirely on them for your economy is just very unsafe, as you'll always be at risk of your commercial partners changing their minds and succeeding in closing your companies (or, even more often, your partners being bombed during a war you're not involved in and you losing corporate buildings as a result).

 

[Knaughts]

I agree with part of this. Branch Offices are strong late and weak early, as I think is intended. But I dislike that there's a lot of anti-synergy with other MegaCorps in the galaxy. If your galaxy has a large number of MegaCorps (which is likely if, as a MegaCorp player, you Subjugate other empires which creates new MegaCorps), they will rabidly compete for those scant non-MegaCorp planets.

I think this can be partially solved by allowing MegaCorps to build Branch Offices in other MegaCorps.

 

[Gyrvendal]

Subjugate other empires which creates new MegaCorps

That's by far the most annoying thing about this. It's super annoying that I can't even release some of my territory as a subsidiary without it instantly becoming another megacorps. Maybe we should just allow megacorps to have branch offices in each other's territory. I really don't see how that would be a problem.

 

[Riftwalker]

Criminal offices are a bit moot too.
especially buildings. cuz crime is so easy to reduce (tech and free enforcers from main building). so you usually have to build at least -40-50crime buildings. leaving -25 or less buildings unusable.

crime offices like branch offices, aren't really that good until late game, it's just less obvious with crime offices since they get shutdown instead of just giving you only like 6 credits.

 

[Slynx]

crime offices like branch offices, aren't really that good until late game, it's just less obvious with crime offices since they get shutdown instead of just giving you only like 6 credits.

my experience tells that best time for an office is 25-50 pops. cuz you'll get around 20-50 trade from it (with -50 and -40 buildings) which will allow you to get the cost of the office back and start getting profit.

never had luck with 75+ pops offices. or even 100+. cuz usually there are a lot of -crime there

 

[Thinkamancer]

My approach is to make a lot of trade deals, and in early game build the science building, which is great early on, on capitals. As the game goes on, I replace as needed or practical, but early game, it puts me in the tech lead for a few minerals.

 

[Riftwalker]

my experience tells that best time for an office is 25-50 pops. cuz you'll get around 20-50 trade from it (with -50 and -40 buildings) which will allow you to get the cost of the office back and start getting profit.

never had luck with 75+ pops offices. or even 100+. cuz usually there are a lot of -crime there

they nerfed the AIs need to kill crime in the beta patch.

like, crime isn't that bad compared to stability, so even players should be okay with high crime so long as they still have happy productive and loyal citizens.

 

[Etrutian]

I think most here agree that branch offices bonuses are pretty underwhelming and not the central feature to Megacorp play that we expected. Sure, part of it comes from the fact that the AI sucks at having developed worlds to open offices on, but even then the unique buildings are not all that hot.
You're likely not going to feed your armada with the measly +2 alloys from military industries per branch office, even with 25 branch offices opened around the galaxy. It's pretty clear now that the dream of having a corp of ecumenopoli fed by resources coming from offices isn't viable.

I think the issue stems from the fact that there is no upper limit on how many offices you can have, and if they were too good the snowball of a Megacorp would be out of control.
I think a solution similar to CK2's republics would work just fine: having a limited number of branch offices. That number could be based on your total population, or maybe just your upper-class population, or your admin cap, or maybe megacorps could have special jobs like "office manager" that would be created by a special building that let you build more offices.

In turn, that would allow branch offices to have a much more drastic effect on your game, since the risk of a one-world runaway corp plonking offices everywhere would disappear.
Megacorps don't feel different enough from regular empires as is.

I completely disagree. I think they are an effective early game growth mechanism while you establish population. The utility of outfitting branch offices to meet sudden supply gaps is also extremely useful. I have also never used the alloy building, given how low that particular bonus is.

As they are, the bonuses are small, but the ability to tailor essentially a second economy on the fly is very powerful.

 

[Chillfox]

The key really is to just open a lot of branch offices. And the way to do that with other megacorps in the galaxy is to just get in there early. In mid game, you really should just be opening branch offices everywhere, even on brand new colonies as they will be big enough for a building soon enough.
I just played a game where I had 60 branch offices and it was incredible.
My branch offices provided:
2/3 of energy.
1/3 of food.
1/4 or minerals.
80% amenities.
Xeno outreach for 10+ pop growth on my planets.
Almost my entire naval cap.

The amenities meant that everyone was happy and 0% crime even with most of my planets being overcrowded.

I will agree that some of the branch office buildings are pretty crap and not worth making though (like the alloy one).

 

[Xaos]

Another thing you can do, is make your neighbor a subsidiary. Now for this I mean take then over completely so they dont change into a megacorp.

Now you have not only a fourth of their energy credits rolling in, but you have exclusive rights to put your business in there.