New Frontiers DLC Discussion

[Rooks]

Happy DLC launch day!

I figure I'd start a thread to see what people thought of the DLC so far. I just finished my very first game! Perhaps it was unwise, but I went for the hardest difficulty ... and I did it! I even beat it at turn 65, earning me the platinum trophy. Okay, enough bragging. :)

I really dig the new mechanics so far! Basically, you're encouraged to spend some space slots and trade resources, in order to develop other planets/moons, and in return, you get a variety of things: resources, terraforming goals (ocean levels, heat), new projects, and more. There are also new space projects that help you level up your outposts as well.

IMHO, this is done much better than the "develop Mars moons" projects that you get in the base game. I almost never take those, because sending 30 food and 10 water as a space project, just takes waaaaay too long, and you're much better off just founding a city somewhere else on Mars.

I picked up two of the new leaders that have some space outpost benefits. One of them gives you a free trade route for every outpost (level 1) you develop. This is very useful! As a result, I found that I had to build fewer spaceports than usual. The other one lets you level up outposts to 4 instead of 3, which was useful for the victory condition that I had (perform 20 space outpost upgrades). I don't think I would pick her, though, if I had a different victory condition.

Anyway, I'm digging the DLC so far. It helps that it's pretty cheap too (around $6 USD), so I wasn't expecting a huge new experience or anything. As I play more games, it'll be interesting to see if I regularly develop space outposts, or only when I have to. I feel like there's enough "there", that I'll probably go that route most of the time.

[chic.aeon]

I just started a test game and I think I will like it too. Not trying to win anything; just trying to figure things out. Got one leader but couldn't use all his abilities as it was the first round. But it is asking us to think differently and that is a good thing. New synapses being formed (really). Will play some more tomorrow.

I also noted that I got a lot of early space pads and space ports and lots of robots. When I played earlier today I got the flying taxis and the mole hole both. Haven't seen those in many months so some shifts in offerings it seems. Both of these were on a fairly early level as I won at 63. Anyway all good so far for me.

[albavar]

I did my first game and beat it at turn 67. I noticed a lot of rebalances in costs. Most of them seemed to make more sense. Some rumpled my feathers, so those things were probably underpriced before. How do you send the trade goods to upgrade the settlements? I tried setting it up as an export without a matching import and of course it wouldn't let me end turn with an imbalance. I looked for something I could click on the celestial bodies, but came up empty, so I had to do it with the module projects.

[Geaxle]

Glad you are liking it so far!

Originally posted by albavar:

How do you send the trade goods to upgrade the settlements?

You just export that resource and import another one. The game tracks the balance of how much you have exported the resource of the shortage you are trying to fill vs how much you import. The idea is that by exporting it you are making it more available on the interplanetary trade market for the location to buy it and cover it's shortage. But if you are importing it then it's less available and they struggle more. You don't have to target the location specifically for the trade.

For example, if a location has a shortage of 80 water. If you export 20 water and are importing 20 food, then the shortage will be at 60 water. But if suddenly you decide to import 10 water and export Tritium instead, then the shortage will go back up at 70. To complete the shortage you have to make it reach 0.

I hope that helps!

[Rooks]

Yeah, the importing/exporting was not very intuitive. It wasn't clear to me how to send trade goods either, until I experimented a bit.

I will say the mechanic seems a bit "too good to be true". I'm normally exporting resources that I have a lot of, and them importing something I need. Previously, this was considered "trade with Earth". But now, this mechanic ALSO counts as "exporting to a colony" ... which seems strange. But I'll take it! It does make me think a bit more about what resource to export, because now it ALSO has the additional benefit of potentially leveling up an outpost.

Also, I just encountered the leader who has an active power than multiplies this trade bonus by FIVE. This is huge! This means if you're exporting 5 titanium, that counts as 25 titanium in terms of the "space colony supply". In the meantime, you can ALSO use that 5 titanium to get 5 water, or whatever you are short of. This is a very efficient use of resources!

I'm finding that this new mechanic is already making a big difference in my play style, much more so than moons, Mars events, and even the ocean tiles. Neat!

[cmvbrielman]

I want to say that the colonization of the rest of the solar system is a fantastic addition, because, while still taking work, it removes a significant chunk of the RNG in the early to mid game. Your typical start will have 2 mines nearby. Establishing a colony on another body effectively gives you a 3rd mine that you can upgrade. I really like it.

[Rennavar]

Only critique of dlc is that increasing cost of goods need to be traded for colony to level up. At one point it was over 100 food, ether you try to get it early or completely ignore it, because newly colonized planets won't have this cost.

[Rooks]

Originally posted by Rennavar:

Only critique of dlc is that increasing cost of goods need to be traded for colony to level up. At one point it was over 100 food, ether you try to get it early or completely ignore it, because newly colonized planets won't have this cost.

Fortunately, there are a few ways around this. I agree, 100 food is just too much. What I normally do is look for the space projects that upgrade an outpost, and the cost is MUCH more modest. Some even have bonuses, like it'll upgrade an outpost TWICE if it's closer or farther away than the Sun than Mars is. Furthermore, there's also a new leader who has an action that multiplies the trade bonus by 5. So for 100 food, you'd only need to export 20, which is much more manageable. And seeing how you're probably trading that 20 food to get something else you probably need, that's not that big a deal.

And yeah, I love how space colonies do reduce the RNG somewhat, since now you have multiple sources for resources and terraforming goals. I lost a game last night, but it was my fault for NOT colonizing Venus when I had a chance. I was waaay behind on heat generation, due to bad luck getting the meth bacterium. But colonizing Venus gets you heat, and I stupidly chose a different planet/moon because I wasn't thinking ahead.

[Zabex]

My first impressions (after playing 2 games of the new scenario):
1. I agree with the overall good impression of the DLC, it adds additional options to your playthrough without feeling too complicated.
2. The new scenario seems too easy. My second run on the hardest difficulty finished at Turn 51? Just build a few of the new Observatories and spam the Development Space Projects.
3. The new leaders seem fair, except for the Early Game guy who gives you a free Robot City; he seems way too good for an Early Leader.
4. Leveling up the Colonies through Exports is almost useless (unless you have the new leader which gives 5 times the value), by the time I could reasonably export more than 50 of a single resource I could have just done a project for 10-20 resources.
5. Is there a way to "colonize" Earth (just joking...unless?)
6. I would love a timer on screen for the next Space Mission (without zooming out into Space View), same thing for the Technology Timer by the way (without going into the other menu)

Overall: Good DLC, adds more of the same (which is good, because the game is great), fair value for 7€. If it was priced higher I would have expected something more unique.
As it stands though I am glad you made this.

[cmvbrielman]

Am I the only one who is almost entirely relying on the space projects that enable you to upgrade the other colonies? In almost every case, it seems much quicker. Yes, the ability to rely on trade in order to upgrade the other colonies is nice because you're effectively getting 2-for-1 (you aren't actually 'spending' the resource because you're trading it anyway), but at the same time, in most cases, you're going to spend far less than half as many resources for the upgrade. And if you get any of those prefab colonies with heating/cooling (as appropriate), its even better.

[chic.aeon]

Well if it turns out that there will be a weekly or daily challenge game with leader board all you guys that want it harder can compete for the fastest time on the top level. You can always make a regular game harder on your OWN simply by deciding to say NOT use any robots or NOT use any water deposits for ocean etc. I do that sometimes in OTHER games -- not this one :D.

[Rennavar]

Originally posted by Rooks:

Originally posted by Rennavar:

Only critique of dlc is that increasing cost of goods need to be traded for colony to level up. At one point it was over 100 food, ether you try to get it early or completely ignore it, because newly colonized planets won't have this cost.

Fortunately, there are a few ways around this. I agree, 100 food is just too much. What I normally do is look for the space projects that upgrade an outpost, and the cost is MUCH more modest. Some even have bonuses, like it'll upgrade an outpost TWICE if it's closer or farther away than the Sun than Mars is. Furthermore, there's also a new leader who has an action that multiplies the trade bonus by 5. So for 100 food, you'd only need to export 20, which is much more manageable. And seeing how you're probably trading that 20 food to get something else you probably need, that's not that big a deal.

And yeah, I love how space colonies do reduce the RNG somewhat, since now you have multiple sources for resources and terraforming goals. I lost a game last night, but it was my fault for NOT colonizing Venus when I had a chance. I was waaay behind on heat generation, due to bad luck getting the meth bacterium. But colonizing Venus gets you heat, and I stupidly chose a different planet/moon because I wasn't thinking ahead.

It just looks like a very strange balance for old colonies as it removes option for upgrading colony this way and is not like that way you can upgrade multiple times colony by trading goods.

[Rooks]

Yeah, I did find it strange that I could only upgrade a colony ONCE via the "trade goods" method. Also, the first time I initiated the space exploration, I got a bunch of "10 energy" space projects to level a colony to the first level. But in subsequent space explorations, I didn't get that option, and had to wait for them to show up in my card draw. I felt that was a bit weird too.

[Altropos]

Oops, missed this release, and not because I was shooting a grenade launcher from the back of a giant green panda, I swear. I'm looking forward to checking it out once I get some rest.

[gussmed]

Originally posted by Geaxle:

You just export that resource and import another one. The game tracks the balance of how much you have exported the resource of the shortage you are trying to fill vs how much you import.

I totally thought you had to export a resource without importing anything. Like the colonies were off-screen Space Projects.

[gussmed]

Originally posted by Rooks:

Also, the first time I initiated the space exploration, I got a bunch of "10 energy" space projects to level a colony to the first level. But in subsequent space explorations, I didn't get that option, and had to wait for them to show up in my card draw.

This is the Robot City leader's power. If you use his power, you explore a planet AND you get the "Found Outpost for 10 energy" project for free. If you explore a planet "normally" through a timed event, you don't get an Outpost space project with it.