Isn't hive mind kind of overpowered?

[SuboptimizedUtopia]

Wouldn't the extremely adaptive trait allow it to settle on every planet in the galaxy on day 1? The solitary and deviant trait would also have no effect since its happiness is always at 100%. Let me know your thoughts.

[Apeironic_Entelechy]

Possibly, hive minds certainly have strengths that normal polities/species lack so it looks like they'll be powerful and we'll have to see whether or not they're overpowered in three days.

[Jynn]

Who knows what cons they get though? It might off set it *shrug. I do look forward to trying them out though!

[Apeironic_Entelechy]

Originally posted by Jynn:

Who knows what cons they get though? It might off set it *shrug. I do look forward to trying them out though!

They don't have factions so that means less influence, and they automatically process pops they conquer so populating conquered planets would take some time. So cons clearly exist but we'll have to see how major they are.

[Evol_Prodigy]

I'm willing to bet more than half the active forum pop is going to dive right in to a hive game on patch day so we'll soon know.

It's obviously just speculation until then?

[Marauder]

Nooo, go away. I now only need them to bring in a robot starting race and I can finally play as a traffic Ai out to avenge it's creators who were killed through orbital bombardement and thus decided everyone has to go.

[Apeironic_Entelechy]

Originally posted by Aeryk:

I'm willing to bet more than half the active forum pop is going to dive right in to a hive game on patch day so we'll soon know.

It's obviously just speculation until then?

True enough.

Originally posted by Deleth:

Nooo, go away. I now only need them to bring in a robot starting race and I can finally play as a traffic Ai out to avenge it's creators who were killed through orbital bombardement and thus decided everyone has to go.

Wiz (the head designer) has mentioned that he's interested in adding the option to start as robots, not a promise but he's interested in it at-least.

[SkullKraken]

If I am understanding it correctly, they can only be hivemind, not hivemind xenophiles or hivemind materialists. That means instead of picking three 'points' worth of beliefs, they have just one. Though there is no ethics divergence to worry about, they also die if seperated and can't gain any of the benefits of other ethics. I also don't think they have the ability to switch out of hivemind, meaning they are locked in regardless of what comes.

[Apeironic_Entelechy]

Originally posted by Dash Harber:

If I am understanding it correctly, they can only be hivemind, not hivemind xenophiles or hivemind materialists. That means instead of picking three 'points' worth of beliefs, they have just one. Though there is no ethics divergence to worry about, they also die if seperated and can't gain any of the benefits of other ethics. I also don't think they have the ability to switch out of hivemind, meaning they are locked in regardless of what comes.

Yeah, being a Hive Mind for the most part (ignoring civics) looks like a kind of jack of all trades but master of none situation. Hive Minds are generally strong but they can't specialize like non-hive minds can, which seems like a fair trade off IMO.

[Twelvefield]

Hive minds rock the galaxy until Locutus shows up. Then it's game over, hive, game over.

[Sardaukar]

I want to play as Omnious, the AI in the DUNE prequels, the machine overlord that enslaved the Human race, and the Cymeks.

[Sardaukar]

Or the Borg.

[Pure Hostility]

Hiveminds won't be able to select solitary or deviant, any traits that are about happiness or ethic divergence will be locked for them.

And yes, Hiveminds are about wide empires, allowing you for early mass expansion.
They are a mix between fanatic purifiers and normal empires though, when it comes to diplomacy.

[Lady Crimson (RIP)]

No happiness (as in no boost from happiness), hard to conquer non-hiveminds (which is hopefully most of the species, balance wise), and no ethic traits.. or factions for bonus influence.. generally you are better not being hivemind.. less you're going slavery and don't care, I think.

It's like playing a race constantly at 50%, with no chance of going under, with some other difficulties.. so.. generally, worse.. except for certain play throughs like purging, slavery, wars, and similar things that harm happiness, are no longer an issue.

[Apeironic_Entelechy]

Originally posted by Lady Crimson:

No happiness (as in no boost from happiness), hard to conquer non-hiveminds (which is hopefully most of the species, balance wise), and no ethic traits.. or factions for bonus influence.. generally you are better not being hivemind.. less you're going slavery and don't care, I think.

It's like playing a race constantly at 50%, with no chance of going under, with some other difficulties.. so.. generally, worse.. except for certain play throughs like purging, slavery, wars, and similar things that harm happiness, are no longer an issue.

We'll see, I think it looks poweful but at this point we're just speculating.

[Nosferatu.666]

looks good , but i think it will be hard to expand fast by capturing other species worlds(they become food and will die off), you are kind of stuck with your main species for a long time(untill you can modifie geneticaly other species to hivemind).and it will be hard to colonise other type of planets untill you get teraforming.