Hive mind, Devouring swarm, Ring world start.

[Todalio]

Has anyone else tried that ?

I'm at 150 years in-game and this is BY FAR the most op game I've ever had. PLUS, I started next to a Driven assimilators, which means, I had the opportunity to eat alloy AND food in the first couple decades.

Right now;
Around 2200 pops, eating about 150.
57 world colonized and|or conquered.(I instant-terraform conquered world, so I grow WHILE eating.)
Terraforming 4-6 worlds at a time.
+600-700 alloys a month depending on fleets deployment
Building my 5th ring section from getting the Cybrex precursors.
Minerals and foods like I don't even know what to do with it.
Naval capacity 1100 and I'm not even pushing it.
Full Gene-Evo, my specie has +15% credits, minerals, food. +10% research, +10% pop growth.
Add the growth with Hive mind bonus, my best planets have about 8-8.5% pop growth.

Seriously, I've heard people say Machine is the META. But I never had such good result.
(I know I started with some very good RNG though.)(Playing on large galaxy, commodore difficulty)

[Vovarush]

Try GA difficulty and you will see yourself crushed over and over. Machines are meta because they have much less dependence on rng (ec/min buildings boost district count) and their science costs ec which is totally allowed to go negative while you are not at war. These two factors combined with ring start allow for a very early eco and science boom simultaneously giving you a very tangible advantage.

[Todalio]

Well, since I tried commodore for a lil more challenge and got to the point of being bored with nothing less than to "Eat the xenos" to do.
I will probably move difficulty by one notch, but GA would ruin the fun for me.
I want a nice experience, not a stressing challenge.

I do strongly believe though my first Assimilators neightbors and Cybrex events played for a lot.
Thanks for the advice though !

[Todalio]

I still believe Hive mind (Not necessarily Devouring swarm) is a good way for a new player to learn the basics.

And to add to the debate between Hive mind and Machine.

What COULD be the strongest, We would be talking "one pop" of each. As I know robots have the benefits of building specific pops. But I still wonder how 3-4 kind of robots would get pops distribution on a planets with many different jobs to be "perfect", where as my organic hive mind pops are not perfect, but WELL suited for any jobs.

1; Max gene-evo bio-pop Hive mind
2: Max engineered-evo robots

Which of the two, without extensive micro, is better?

[Oblivion]

Both devouring swarm and ringworld are both very strong on their own, so not surprised youre doing well.

[Vovarush]

Machine templates are currently produced in rotation (1 of each then repeat) but you can micro to build specific pops with no speed penalty(which is most powerful). I usually just go general jack of all trades template for machines tho. As for introductory empire for new players I would probably go for fan mat/xenophile mechanist as a nice and relatively easy type of empire with a lot of potential power. Also total war civics are hardcore to start with on ga/a.

[Todalio]

I do agree Mechanists is a nice start. Materialists meaning new players don't lose just cause of techs, also.
Xenophile is THE ethic I've tried least. But I guess better neighbors and less threat can help.

I also haven't got to a ME(since new jobs system from , I think, Megacorps) where I could really modify the frame.

If you are not actually managing the pops, will the frame, better fit for minerals will automatically moves ? Will the new, synapse drone move up the chain ?

[Vovarush]

Newly produced pops try to take jobs according to their traits but I think I had to reshuffle every once in a while(restrict/unrestrict all jobs) when I tried to make more than one universal template

[Vovarush]

Clearing your starter blockers gives you 100 of each and arcane generator supplies first of each district type

[Oblivion]

Mechanicst is honestly a waste. Robots can be the 2nd technology that comes up if you do the exoskeleton as your first. Prosperous Unification is a lot better with the permanent planetary modifier.

[Oblivion]

Originally posted by Todalio:

To close it up;
About Ring World start, i'd just like to say that it is super strong, but you will need to find fast some Moses,Gas or Crystals. This can work against you.

There are 3 special tile blockers on the ringworld, so you can get 100 gas, motes and crystals from clearing them.

[Todalio]

I know off the 3 tile blockers.
They are a one-time ressource.

Still need to find renewable ressource if you want more than 1-2 ring districts.

[Vovarush]

Originally posted by OblivionKnights:

Mechanicst is honestly a waste. Robots can be the 2nd technology that comes up if you do the exoskeleton as your first. Prosperous Unification is a lot better with the permanent planetary modifier.

And if you have mechanist you can have droids in 2-3 techs if you are lucky. Plus you getting additional pop growth from having robots doesn't depend on rng in mechanist start. Robots you are starting with ease consumer goods and food situation allowing you to go for nutritional plentitude and lab at the very start a lot easier.

[Garatgh Deloi]

Originally posted by OblivionKnights:

Mechanicst is honestly a waste. Robots can be the 2nd technology that comes up if you do the exoskeleton as your first. Prosperous Unification is a lot better with the permanent planetary modifier.

In my humble opinion its the other way around.

Sure prosperous unification gives you a good head start (extra pops + districts) and a nice bonus on your original world. But nothing more.

While Mechanist gives you a even better head start (growing robots as well as pops right away), not to mention the tech advantage down a ascension path and a bonus to robot upkeep that will effect all your worlds not just one.

Also, sure you can get robots early (Lithoids on the void dweller origin can even get it right away since they start with exoskeletons). You might also get unlucky and not get them for several decades.

[Oblivion]

Originally posted by Vovarush:

Originally posted by OblivionKnights:

Mechanicst is honestly a waste. Robots can be the 2nd technology that comes up if you do the exoskeleton as your first. Prosperous Unification is a lot better with the permanent planetary modifier.

And if you have mechanist you can have droids in 2-3 techs if you are lucky. Plus you getting additional pop growth from having robots doesn't depend on rng in mechanist start. Robots you are starting with ease consumer goods and food situation allowing you to go for nutritional plentitude and lab at the very start a lot easier.

Originally posted by Garatgh Deloi:

Originally posted by OblivionKnights:

Mechanicst is honestly a waste. Robots can be the 2nd technology that comes up if you do the exoskeleton as your first. Prosperous Unification is a lot better with the permanent planetary modifier.

In my humble opinion its the other way around.

Sure prosperous unification gives you a good head start (extra pops + districts) and a nice bonus on your original world. But nothing more.

While Mechanist gives you a even better head start (growing robots as well as pops right away), not to mention the tech advantage down a ascension path and a bonus to robot upkeep that will effect all your worlds not just one.

Also, sure you can get robots early (Lithoids on the void dweller origin can even get it right away since they start with exoskeletons). You might also get unlucky and not get them for several decades.

If you do want what could be a couple year head start on the robots sure, im just saying its very easy to get them and get started without the origin.

And besides the extra pops and districts from prosperous, you get an AMAZING modifier on your capital that lasts forever.

+15 happiness, +25% amenaties and +10% job resource production

[corisai]

Originally posted by Garatgh Deloi:

While Mechanist gives you a even better head start (growing robots as well as pops right away), not to mention the tech advantage down a ascension path and a bonus to robot upkeep that will effect all your worlds not just one.

Robots now cost alloys... So they aren't so amazing as before.