Psionics as materialist still possible?

[Mr D Grim]

Basically the title. is it still possible to get psionics research as a materialist?
i see so much conflicting info on the internet...

[Meewec]

yes but you need a scientist with psionics expertise to get it to show up, and even then it's pretty rare

[Danny]

Originally posted by Meewec:

yes but you need a scientist with psionics expertise to get it to show up, and even then it's pretty rare

Don't curator and manical scientists get a chance as well?

[Malecord]

Originally posted by Meewec:

yes but you need a scientist with psionics expertise to get it to show up, and even then it's pretty rare

Nah, once you get the scientist you're done. Put him in green social research and choose the fastest option available so you get a new science card faster. It usually appears in 3-4 tries. The pain is if your scientist develops psi when he's so old that he dies before the tech is unlocked. But it never happened to me. The difficult part is getting the psi dude.

[Malecord]

Originally posted by Danny:

Originally posted by Meewec:

yes but you need a scientist with psionics expertise to get it to show up, and even then it's pretty rare

Don't curator and manical scientists get a chance as well?

They get bigger chance to get psi tech cards. The problem though is that materialist have the first tech locked out and the only way to get it is to have a psi scientist on the job. Psi scientist that they cannot hire from the scientist pool until they research said tech. The only way to break this deadlock is to have a scientist develop the trait by leveling up. Which is not impossible but also not a common thing to happen.

[Xgpmcnp]

It's possible but would most likely mess up your factions, and factions happinesses.

[Danny]

Originally posted by Malecord:

Originally posted by Danny:

Don't curator and manical scientists get a chance as well?

They get bigger chance to get psi tech cards. The problem though is that materialist have the first tech locked out and the only way to get it is to have a psi scientist on the job. Psi scientist that they cannot hire from the scientist pool until they research said tech. The only way to break this deadlock is to have a scientist develop the trait by leveling up. Which is not impossible but also not a common thing to happen.

That's just stupid.
Not sure why they make it so hard for materialists to get Psionics. :\

[bri]

As long as you aren't a gestalt consciousness you can get it but, as previously noted, if you are any sort of materialist it requires a psi-specialty researcher in the society research position.

Not sure why they make it so hard for materialists to get Psionics. :\

The same reason the make it harder for spiritualists to get robots... "lore"

[Xgpmcnp]

Originally posted by Danny:

Originally posted by Malecord:

They get bigger chance to get psi tech cards. The problem though is that materialist have the first tech locked out and the only way to get it is to have a psi scientist on the job. Psi scientist that they cannot hire from the scientist pool until they research said tech. The only way to break this deadlock is to have a scientist develop the trait by leveling up. Which is not impossible but also not a common thing to happen.

That's just stupid.
Not sure why they make it so hard for materialists to get Psionics. :\

Mostly because materialists don't believe in psionics. Just like xenophobes don't like aliens, materialists aren't ones to believe in such thing as telepathy with mind powers. Which is why it's harder to live peacefully as xenophobes with other species in your empire, and to have psionics as materialists.

[Mr D Grim]

Originally posted by Xgpmcnp:

Originally posted by Danny:

That's just stupid.
Not sure why they make it so hard for materialists to get Psionics. :\

Mostly because materialists don't believe in psionics. Just like xenophobes don't like aliens, materialists aren't ones to believe in such thing as telepathy with mind powers. Which is why it's harder to live peacefully as xenophobes with other species in your empire, and to have psionics as materialists.

I disagree. especially in a game like this.
Materialists do indeed believe in psionics. but they care more about physical good and worth then things that are spiritualistic and mental/knowledge.
i suck at explaining at 2 am

but i am glad they atleast give them a chance to get psionics even if it's a really low one.

[Ape-tier Buffoonery]

Originally posted by Mr Grim:

Originally posted by Xgpmcnp:

Mostly because materialists don't believe in psionics. Just like xenophobes don't like aliens, materialists aren't ones to believe in such thing as telepathy with mind powers. Which is why it's harder to live peacefully as xenophobes with other species in your empire, and to have psionics as materialists.

I disagree. especially in a game like this.
Materialists do indeed believe in psionics. but they care more about physical good and worth then things that are spiritualistic and mental/knowledge.
i suck at explaining at 2 am

but i am glad they atleast give them a chance to get psionics even if it's a really low one.

Yeah but in order to do initially get into psionic stuff you have to abandon that material stuff and get into some esoteric and quite frankly very weird/eccentric stuff which in a materialist society would be made fun of and ostracized for doing stuff so unscientific with no real tangible results.

It's only until after many years of you looking really hard at a marble with two fingers on your temples are you able to slightly move it with mind powers (if you're even able to do it in a single lifetime). And then and only then would materialists be on board with your research.

So no in a materialist society you wouldn't spawn psi scientists and would be locked out of the first psi research until you hired a scientist or one randomly gained the ability to coexist with his regular research.

[Xgpmcnp]

Originally posted by Mr Grim:

Originally posted by Xgpmcnp:

Mostly because materialists don't believe in psionics. Just like xenophobes don't like aliens, materialists aren't ones to believe in such thing as telepathy with mind powers. Which is why it's harder to live peacefully as xenophobes with other species in your empire, and to have psionics as materialists.

I disagree. especially in a game like this.
Materialists do indeed believe in psionics. but they care more about physical good and worth then things that are spiritualistic and mental/knowledge.
i suck at explaining at 2 am

but i am glad they atleast give them a chance to get psionics even if it's a really low one.

I mean, it's not about agreeing or disagreeing. Materialists actually don't believe in psionics and despise it. It's heavily implied by the in-game text when another empire gains Psionics traits, the fact they're the counter-ethic to spiritualists, their close-to-none chances of getting psionics scientists, and just general logic.

[Snugglequine]

There is a mod: Mass Effect Civilisations - Asari
In this mod you can pic a trait when making your species called "Amaranthine" it costs 4 points, but you start the game with psionic theory already researched. You could see if you can get anywhere with that.

[Danny]

Originally posted by Mr Grim:

Originally posted by Xgpmcnp:

Mostly because materialists don't believe in psionics. Just like xenophobes don't like aliens, materialists aren't ones to believe in such thing as telepathy with mind powers. Which is why it's harder to live peacefully as xenophobes with other species in your empire, and to have psionics as materialists.

I disagree. especially in a game like this.
Materialists do indeed believe in psionics. but they care more about physical good and worth then things that are spiritualistic and mental/knowledge.
i suck at explaining at 2 am

but i am glad they atleast give them a chance to get psionics even if it's a really low one.

Well considdering the shroud is very real as you can get actual shields and better jumpdrives out of it.
I don't see why a materialist would shy away from that.
The more knowledge the better right?

Also find it stupid you can only pick one ascention path.
No reason why you couldn't go both psionic and then also decide to improve you physical body with biological improvement or machine parts.
If you say for "game balance", note that everyone would be able to do so and you can potencially mis out on other ascention perks which might have been better to help you win the game.

Why hiveminds can get psionics, which would make more sense as a means of keeping a ONE MIND spread over many drones.

And machine empires could decide they want make biological bodies for themselves, as they feel nature did a good job, but just needs a bit of refinement. ^^

[cooltv27]

Originally posted by Danny:

Also find it stupid you can only pick one ascention path.
No reason why you couldn't go both psionic and then also decide to improve you physical body with biological improvement or machine parts.
If you say for "game balance", note that everyone would be able to do so and you can potencially mis out on other ascention perks which might have been better to help you win the game.

choice through limitation. the ascenion paths are the most powerful of the ascention perks. if you could take all 3 then thats 6/8 perks that you basically have no choice over every single game. leaving you with only 2 perks that you really have the freedom to chose from

except even then you dont, as there are probably 2 perks which are super important to your playstyle anyways


as for "just dont pick them every game then" the game should be balanced so that people are free to pick whatever perks they want without being overly concerned about how powerful their empire actually is. leaving over powered choices in just because "you dont have to pick them" is not good game design

[Cpl.Facehugger]

Originally posted by Malecord:

Originally posted by Danny:

Don't curator and manical scientists get a chance as well?

They get bigger chance to get psi tech cards. The problem though is that materialist have the first tech locked out and the only way to get it is to have a psi scientist on the job. Psi scientist that they cannot hire from the scientist pool until they research said tech. The only way to break this deadlock is to have a scientist develop the trait by leveling up. Which is not impossible but also not a common thing to happen.

Certain anomaly events will sometimes give scientists with psi expertise or just apply the psi expertise trait to an existing scientist as well, IIRC.

But yeah, getting psi theory as a materialist empire is super difficult.