Where is this virtual ascencion or upgrade path?

[Lamarga]

Hi, since virtual was the only really new type of machine, I wanted to totally try that one. However, it seems to be missing, I can only chose synths or borgs... What do I have to do to use virtual?

[Pizza_0786]

... a machine species. In species selection, pick any machine portrait and your species gets to be a machine, which then can be a machine inteligence or the new individualistic machines. From there you will need an ascension perk to unlock the virtual, modular and nanite ascensions. These are not available for biological empires, though synthetic ascension can give their leaders the virtual trait depending on your starting authority and your choices during synthetisation (events can make choices that go either physical or virtual, what you make more in the chain decides), as it can be upgraded to a synthetic specific authority that allows your leaders to remote control the pops. This is NOT a full virtual ascension, only makes your leaders immortal and (afaik) unkillable, but does not grant the other bonuses (and penalties!) from full virtual ascension for machines, including the cool bit machines get.

[Lamarga]

Ok, I wanted to actually ascend to virtuality. Gonna start a new game. Thanks mate!

[Pizza_0786]

Originally posted by Lamarga:

Ok, I wanted to actually ascend to virtuality. Gonna start a new game. Thanks mate!

Sure thing! Also, if you like it, feel free to give nanites a chance. They seem to scale slow, but I'm having quite a lot of fun with it (though it's mutually exclusive with virtuality).

[Lamarga]

I have been waiting for this addon, I'm ok to try several options.

[syphonhail]

Yeah I made this mistake thinking I could choose a Human and do the Synthetic Ascension then do the Virtual. NOPE. Those new 3 Ascensions are only for Machine Pops.

[Pizza_0786]

Originally posted by syphonhail:

Yeah I made this mistake thinking I could choose a Human and do the Synthetic Ascension then do the Virtual. NOPE. Those new 3 Ascensions are only for Machine Pops.

Synthetic and cybernetic ascension have gotten a little buff involving two new authority types each, which might also be worth checking out... or just witnessing on an AI empire. However, they don't go as "all-in" as machines.

[Garatgh Deloi]

Originally posted by Pizza_0786:

Synthetic and cybernetic ascension have gotten a little buff involving two new authority types each, which might also be worth checking out... or just witnessing on an AI empire. However, they don't go as "all-in" as machines.

(And a lot of stuff in the "situation" leading up to the transformation, at least for Cybernetic, haven't tried Synthetic yet).

[Pizza_0786]

Originally posted by Garatgh Deloi:

Originally posted by Pizza_0786:

Synthetic and cybernetic ascension have gotten a little buff involving two new authority types each, which might also be worth checking out... or just witnessing on an AI empire. However, they don't go as "all-in" as machines.

(And a lot of stuff in the "situation" leading up to the transformation, at least for Cybernetic, haven't tried Synthetic yet).

Yeah, that stuff too. Just if you get the virtual trait, you're getting it in its baseline form without any of the bonuses added by the virtual ascension for machines.

Basically, you're getting virtual like machines get at the start of virtuality ascension, not the end.

[Malkuth]

Whatever you do build tall. Virtual is meant to be a tall empire because of the huge negatives it gives for empire size for planets, population not a big deal since you can almost make that a negative. Try keep your empire size around 100.

[syphonhail]

When it doesn't matter what you pick because the Spiritualist Fallen Empire awakens and destroys everybody.

[Carog the Fat]

Originally posted by syphonhail:

When it doesn't matter what you pick because the Spiritualist Fallen Empire awakens and destroys everybody.

Hmm those spiritualist I fed to my synaptic lathe, Going - Ring world, virtual, Cosmogenesis is so OP and fun.