Machine empires really need revisiting.

[The Bunny In the Bush]

Currently they're old and often unaccounted for, they feel like the games moved on without them in a way that corpo's and hive minds havent been, Hell i'd even take just the ability to have a invidualist machine empire rather then a gestalt empire as a way of fixing some of the problems like almost every origin being unavalable too them.

[Forblaze]

is driven assimilator not still the best empire type? It's been a few patches since I've played them.

[Xaphnir]

Originally posted by Forblaze:

is driven assimilator not still the best empire type? It's been a few patches since I've played them.

I don't think OP's talking about machine empires being weak, but more that they're just not considered when new mechanics are added to the game. For example, hive minds recently got Cordyceptic Drones and megacorporations have gotten plenty, and both can use a lot of the new origins. Machine Empires haven't really gotten anything new in quite a long time, on the other hand, and can't use most new origins.

[Soul in Shadow]

I recall mention in one of the dev diaries that ME's have a reanimator civic in the works.
On the whole I do agree that Machines are treated like the red-haired stepchild of the game

[Mechron]

I agree More "Data" From Star Trek and Less "Borg". Just because its a machine empire doesnt mean it has to be a Gestalt Consciousness. at least that will open up some of the fun origins to people who like to play machine empires.

[Wraith_Magus]

Originally posted by Mechron:

I agree More "Data" From Star Trek and Less "Borg". Just because its a machine empire doesnt mean it has to be a Gestalt Consciousness. at least that will open up some of the fun origins to people who like to play machine empires.

Data is a synth produced in a humanoid empire. (The "positronic brain" tech required for synths is even DIRECTLY taken from Star Trek: TNG...) The better analogy would be Transformers, since Cybertron apparently just evolved robotic lifeforms which are all individuals...

In general, I find gestalt consciousnesses really limiting from many of the important and interesting aspects of the game, though. You don't get to have factions, you don't get to have happiness, you don't have ethics, etc. You get powerful bonuses, but they're also flat and uninteresting bonuses. It's like gestalt consciousness, in spite of having a big warning that it turns the tutorial off, is the tutorial mode where they shut off some of the more complex parts of the game, and the game feels much more flat without all those elements.

[Mechron]

i find the faction and pop migration refugee nonsense exhausting and infuriating lol most of the reason why i play machine intelligence or hive mind

Originally posted by Wraith_Magus:

In general, I find gestalt consciousnesses really limiting from many of the important and interesting aspects of the game, though. You don't get to have factions, you don't get to have happiness, you don't have ethics, etc.

i find the faction and pop migration refugee nonsense exhausting and infuriating lol most of the reason why i play machine intelligence or hive mind

[Soul in Shadow]

Gestalt also disables a lot events without any replacements or equivalents. the Horizon signal being the most notable example

[ScreamCon]

They have the least options. the least civic picks, the least ethic picks, the least empire types, the least origins. They do need revisiting if the devs want part of their playerbase to be a healthy machine empire playerbase.

[cswiger]

Originally posted by Soul in Shadow:

Gestalt also disables a lot events without any replacements or equivalents. the Horizon signal being the most notable example

Wait, what? Was that why I have a Black Hole with a Fleet Hologram?

The Worm-in-Waiting doesn't want to play with the Tree of Life...?

[alangriffith]

Originally posted by Wraith_Magus:

Originally posted by Mechron:

I agree More "Data" From Star Trek and Less "Borg". Just because its a machine empire doesnt mean it has to be a Gestalt Consciousness. at least that will open up some of the fun origins to people who like to play machine empires.

Data is a synth produced in a humanoid empire. (The "positronic brain" tech required for synths is even DIRECTLY taken from Star Trek: TNG...)

Oh I can't let that slide.

Positronic Brain was from Asimov in 1939, the guy who also wrote the 3 laws of robotics and basically started the trope of robots who *don't* turn on their creators (which is why the 'I robot' film is such an utter travesty of his work).

Star Trek knowingly used it as a reference, of course. But to say Stellaris took it from Star Trek....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positronic_brain