Some anomalies are outdated and require fine-tuning to make sense with current game systems.
1. The Psychic Horses anomaly as it is nicknamed in the files or "The Rulers of the Water Plains" as it is seen in-game. Spawn code CON_BIOLOGY_CAT. An old anomaly about psychic animals that can feel the intentions psionically and try to run away, you can force them to labor as cattle or try a more benevolent approach. It was written well before any real psionics were in the game as a system and thus has no interaction with it at all. The game text speaks about psionics like it is something beyond your comprehension even if your own empire is Ascended and made deals with literal warp gods!
Suggested addition: make it possible for this anomaly to recognize player psionics by adding special quest resolutions that auto-succeed your efforts by using psionic powers to either bond or mentally subjugate the animals (mind control). You either enthrall them with mind-crushing domination or can choose the option to truly have a mental link with the creatures Avatar style. In gameplay terms just give 0.5 more powerful rewards or maybe something new and unique. Perhaps some new jobs to the planet as Psychic Handlers or something similar.
Also, the in-game text implies that the player can learn something by studying them but it leads to nowhere so it makes sense to add an option to allow the player to learn psionic theory by studying them if their empire is not psionic yet.
Lastly, in the game, the opening anomaly screen changes based on leader traits, if your scientist has an "Expertise: Biology" trait he actually notices their psi abilities. In a similar vein any leader with a psionic trait should also be updated and notice this but with different means (his mind) - this requires a minor flavor alteration of the text.
2. "Warrior from the Sand" anomaly. Spawn code Des_Buried_CAT (shares a spawn with other anomalies). It gives you a machine admiral similar to warform but it was created before we got machine empires so this leader does not conform to machine leader standards that ALL other machine leaders follow (including event spawned leaders). It does not have the immortal machine or synthetic traits, it uses biological admiral traits. In addition, the robot leader is weirdly coded. Its age is set to 0 at creation and bafflingly the game gives it a "lifespan" of your own species, so he usually just dies off. Pretty lame and makes little sense.
Suggested addition: add machine trait to a said leader to make it immortal (but not immune to death from malfunction) and make it choose from machine traits pool or even better give it a unique character trait.
3. The Cthulhu anomaly or the "Drops in the Ocean". A rare and elaborate anomaly with multiple outcomes. Very similar to the "Sea of Consciousness" unique world added in DS but it is distinct and much older. The code is WAT_Planet_CAT. It is about a super-organism that spans through the entire planet and lies at the sea. Naturally, it is psionic and naturally, it was made before in-game psionics. There is a semi-secret resolution of this anomaly that allows direct mental contact with the entity if your scientist has the paranoid trait. After barely surviving it is revealed later that your scientist manifests psionic powers! That's where it needs to be updated - because there were no psionic traits back when it was written, the scientist only gets psionic expertise as a reward. Outdated silliness will only be exaggerated if your scientist is an actual psionic or the chosen one. Text will still mention his "new" psionic powers completely blind to current content.
Suggested addition: if your scientist is not a synthetic give him the psionic trait along with psi-expertise even if your empire decided to follow a different ascension path.
Also, consider expanding anomaly resolution based on 3 tiers of psionic ascension. For example, you could complete this anomaly by attempting direct mental contact with the entity if your empire is psionically attuned (even without attuned scanners your people can sense it) with 3 different resolutions:
-If your empire is only started its psionic ascension and scientist leader in question is only a latent psionic (no psionic leader trait, but empire species are Latent Psionics) the contact backfires horrifically (turning the world into Shroud World? Can be anything really, including default bad resolution of the anomaly).
-If the scientist is a proper psionic (has the leader trait) the contact succeeds and the event follows the same resolution path as a paranoid trait scientist (the same reward but with different flavor text (the ordeal was not as taxing on already gifted psionic scientist).
-And finally, if your scientist is a glorious Chosen One in an awesome display of power he dominates (alternatively psy consumes, melds with) immense creature and reaps unique planetary benefits as a result.
1. The Psychic Horses anomaly as it is nicknamed in the files or "The Rulers of the Water Plains" as it is seen in-game. Spawn code CON_BIOLOGY_CAT. An old anomaly about psychic animals that can feel the intentions psionically and try to run away, you can force them to labor as cattle or try a more benevolent approach. It was written well before any real psionics were in the game as a system and thus has no interaction with it at all. The game text speaks about psionics like it is something beyond your comprehension even if your own empire is Ascended and made deals with literal warp gods!
Suggested addition: make it possible for this anomaly to recognize player psionics by adding special quest resolutions that auto-succeed your efforts by using psionic powers to either bond or mentally subjugate the animals (mind control). You either enthrall them with mind-crushing domination or can choose the option to truly have a mental link with the creatures Avatar style. In gameplay terms just give 0.5 more powerful rewards or maybe something new and unique. Perhaps some new jobs to the planet as Psychic Handlers or something similar.
Also, the in-game text implies that the player can learn something by studying them but it leads to nowhere so it makes sense to add an option to allow the player to learn psionic theory by studying them if their empire is not psionic yet.
Lastly, in the game, the opening anomaly screen changes based on leader traits, if your scientist has an "Expertise: Biology" trait he actually notices their psi abilities. In a similar vein any leader with a psionic trait should also be updated and notice this but with different means (his mind) - this requires a minor flavor alteration of the text.
2. "Warrior from the Sand" anomaly. Spawn code Des_Buried_CAT (shares a spawn with other anomalies). It gives you a machine admiral similar to warform but it was created before we got machine empires so this leader does not conform to machine leader standards that ALL other machine leaders follow (including event spawned leaders). It does not have the immortal machine or synthetic traits, it uses biological admiral traits. In addition, the robot leader is weirdly coded. Its age is set to 0 at creation and bafflingly the game gives it a "lifespan" of your own species, so he usually just dies off. Pretty lame and makes little sense.
Suggested addition: add machine trait to a said leader to make it immortal (but not immune to death from malfunction) and make it choose from machine traits pool or even better give it a unique character trait.
3. The Cthulhu anomaly or the "Drops in the Ocean". A rare and elaborate anomaly with multiple outcomes. Very similar to the "Sea of Consciousness" unique world added in DS but it is distinct and much older. The code is WAT_Planet_CAT. It is about a super-organism that spans through the entire planet and lies at the sea. Naturally, it is psionic and naturally, it was made before in-game psionics. There is a semi-secret resolution of this anomaly that allows direct mental contact with the entity if your scientist has the paranoid trait. After barely surviving it is revealed later that your scientist manifests psionic powers! That's where it needs to be updated - because there were no psionic traits back when it was written, the scientist only gets psionic expertise as a reward. Outdated silliness will only be exaggerated if your scientist is an actual psionic or the chosen one. Text will still mention his "new" psionic powers completely blind to current content.
Suggested addition: if your scientist is not a synthetic give him the psionic trait along with psi-expertise even if your empire decided to follow a different ascension path.
Also, consider expanding anomaly resolution based on 3 tiers of psionic ascension. For example, you could complete this anomaly by attempting direct mental contact with the entity if your empire is psionically attuned (even without attuned scanners your people can sense it) with 3 different resolutions:
-If your empire is only started its psionic ascension and scientist leader in question is only a latent psionic (no psionic leader trait, but empire species are Latent Psionics) the contact backfires horrifically (turning the world into Shroud World? Can be anything really, including default bad resolution of the anomaly).
-If the scientist is a proper psionic (has the leader trait) the contact succeeds and the event follows the same resolution path as a paranoid trait scientist (the same reward but with different flavor text (the ordeal was not as taxing on already gifted psionic scientist).
-And finally, if your scientist is a glorious Chosen One in an awesome display of power he dominates (alternatively psy consumes, melds with) immense creature and reaps unique planetary benefits as a result.
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