So habitability doesn't matters for hive mind?

[meiam]

I like the concept of an hive mind race, but it just seems like it remove a bunch of mechanic from the game and just make it simpler...

[Apeironic_Entelechy]

Why would it? Habitability impacts happiness and since Hive Minds don't care about happiness they don't care about habitability. And of course it removes concepts, Hive Minds wouldn't play the same as regular polities.

[conco]

While it's true it doesn't play the same, the problem is it removes without adding mechanics of similar complexity, meaning many, many things in the game are simply useless/locked out for them, while they gain nothing to replace them (have fun with harmony traditions, or diplomacy when everyone hates you for eating, or +hab/happiness tech when it doesnt matter). The only thing hive-minds get are some civics that function very similarly to ones availible already and fall into the area of boring stat-sticks. Give us different hive types, and evolution tree for evolving our hive, unique issues revolving giving autonomous drones too much/too little power (too stressful for you vs they fragment), etc. Hive Minds just seem tossed in to appease people asking for them without adding anything to make them interesting, it just becomes blob, blob, blob because you don't really have much else to do.

[Crimson Phantom]

I agree ^ they really need to be fleshed out further. I have heard rumour that the devs wanted to do that but ran out of time for 1.5. So hopefully we'll se it expanded upon in the future. One thing you can count on paradox to do is expand on their content.

[Kitten Food]

Hive Minds dont have the bonuses for happiness and factions, but they do have some gamey options. Example is what you metnioned about habitability. You can gene alter 3 strains of your populace to thrive in the 3 different habitat types. This doesn't require a gene perk, so you can do it for free (with research). Its a bit OP on that end since you can just colonize any planet with no penalties after that.

[Apeironic_Entelechy]

Originally posted by Crimson Phantom:

I agree ^ they really need to be fleshed out further. I have heard rumour that the devs wanted to do that but ran out of time for 1.5. So hopefully we'll se it expanded upon in the future. One thing you can count on paradox to do is expand on their content.

It's not a rumour, Wiz (the game director) has explicity said that. But yeah, they most likely will expand it at some point.

[IndirectHero]

Originally posted by meiam:

I like the concept of an hive mind race, but it just seems like it remove a bunch of mechanic from the game and just make it simpler...

Hadn't tried the Hive Minds yet but it says they are imortal, so do the leaders live forever? Like the Admirals and Scientists? Or do they still die like within the 100 years?

[Kitten Food]

Originally posted by Indirect_Hero:

Originally posted by meiam:

I like the concept of an hive mind race, but it just seems like it remove a bunch of mechanic from the game and just make it simpler...

Hadn't tried the Hive Minds yet but it says they are imortal, so do the leaders live forever? Like the Admirals and Scientists? Or do they still die like within the 100 years?

Only the leader is immortal. So in a way its a malus since you wont have different perks every so often.

[IndirectHero]

Originally posted by Kitten Food:

Originally posted by Indirect_Hero:

Hadn't tried the Hive Minds yet but it says they are imortal, so do the leaders live forever? Like the Admirals and Scientists? Or do they still die like within the 100 years?

Only the leader is immortal. So in a way its a malus since you wont have different perks every so often.

Ah okay thanks. Might give the Hive a try, maybe reroll the game till I find a decent starting perks with the leader.

[Maina]

Originally posted by Kitten Food:

Hive Minds dont have the bonuses for happiness and factions, but they do have some gamey options. Example is what you metnioned about habitability. You can gene alter 3 strains of your populace to thrive in the 3 different habitat types. This doesn't require a gene perk, so you can do it for free (with research). Its a bit OP on that end since you can just colonize any planet with no penalties after that.

Why waste your time with managing three seperate species? Pick the very adaptable trait. Then there's a civic or tradition you can take (forget which) that adds another 10% or so. Combine the two and your original, unaltered race can colonize everything just from habitability buffs.

[tempest.of.emptiness]

I'm not sure how habitability doesn't matter for a hive mind. It still influences which planets you can colonize. Excess habitability is pointless, sure, but getting to the 40% mark is still significant.

I suppose you could go the terraforming route and ignore habitability altogether, but then that is a function of your strategy rather than Hive Mind itself - ie you can do that with any empire, not just a hive mind. Also, there's a cost to be paid with that route, in terms of time and energy spent terraforming. Even if you are terraforming fast and cheap, that is still an added period of time in front of your colony development that is increasing how long it takes for you to go from empty planet to productive one.

So, it seems to me that habitabilty is still just as important to a Hive Mind as it is to anyone else, but with the small note that the Hive Mind won't be able to leverage excess habitability into increased productivity through happiness.

[RodHull]

Originally posted by Crimson Phantom:

I agree ^ they really need to be fleshed out further. I have heard rumour that the devs wanted to do that but ran out of time for 1.5. So hopefully we'll se it expanded upon in the future. One thing you can count on paradox to do is expand on their content.

Agreed they are lacklustre atm, awesome concept need more specific content added for them

[niddhoger]

I thoguht they still suffered growth penalties due to low habititbility? As in you have only 40%, so you grow drastically slower than a planet with 60/80%.

[conco]

Originally posted by niddhoger:

I thoguht they still suffered growth penalties due to low habititbility? As in you have only 40%, so you grow drastically slower than a planet with 60/80%.

This is often counteracted by just conquering and eating people, the excess food does alot.

Furthermore, you dont need tons of civics or w/e. Get extremely adaptable, pick two to counteract the -2 points. Done. even if your growth is slow, being able to colonize any world you see is a HUGe bonus, especially if you get the expansion tradition tree for instant gratification.