How does assimilation *actually* work?

[nakoda]

Google is useless, as every search imaginable only brings up results regarding the Darlok racial trait, and no actual discussion about the mechanic of assimilation.

Is there a pre-requisite technology? The Alien Management Facility only increases assimilation speed (suggesting that assimilation is available prior) and no earlier tech mentons assimilation at all. Am I missing some small detail in another tech that has eluded me?

Is there a specific number of colonists that need to be alive from the conquered race? I've reloaded a save and bombed that planet in every combo I can imagine (no troops, some buildings and colonists; no buildings, some troops and colonists; no toops or buildings, just colonists) and nothing seems to work.

I have put almost 50 hours in to this game so far and not once have I been presented with the option to assimilate a planet; all I get to do is steamroll a planet and build from stratch.

The lack of a proper game manual (one that is available as a pdf and in the game as a referential index) is one of my biggest contentions with this game. Yes, I *HAVE* downloaded the one that WG put on Google drive, but it is just a carbon copy of the same datamine that GameFAQs and Gamepedia have posted, with no mention at all of assmiliation except as a racial trait. Why the hell did game devs stop making detailed manuals? Are people so allergic to reading/writing? Manuals are one of the most important items in any piece of software; ESPECIALLY in such information contingent programs like 4X games?

I want a ♥♥♥♥ing manual. RTFM ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

[mangopurple]

there is a manual.

it's the first pinned post in this Discussions forum.

[nakoda]

Originally posted by mangopurple:

there is a manual.

it's the first pinned post in this Discussions forum.

Perhaps I wasn't clear enough when I said that the manual that WG posted (WHICH I CLEARLY INDICATED THAT I HAVE DOWNLOADED AND READ) is the same information that is available on GameFAQs and Gamepedia, which makes NO REFERENCE to assimilation other than as a racial trail.

Your response, frankly, is EXACTLY DAFUQ I'm talking about when I say it's as if people are allergic to reading, because you clearly didn't read my post.

(No) Thanks for (not) actually answering my question about assimilation, though, I'm glad you got to stroke your dependent need for self validation.

[Birdie_Sparrow]

When you take over a planet via planetary assault any opponent population on the planet is subjugated. As might be imagined they are not very happy - so an enemy pop might be sitting in a 5 production cell but due to the morale hit of beging subjugated they will be a 1+.

Assimilation is the act of that enemy population eventually - and slowly- coming around to work for you. SOme buildings and techs increase the speed of this. Darloks due to shapeshifting get a bonus as they could become a Mrrshan, go around the Mrr pop, and basically say "You know- those Darloks are not so bad!"

If you bring in your own race via civ transports they will immediately go into the best producing cell and shift the disgruntled pop to the right. You can also transport your captured pop to other planets.

Assimilation is for those players who do not want to bomb a planet into the stone age but would rather invade with troops and take over a fairly intact planet with a robust pop. I, personally, prefer to lightly bomb then heavily invade. It is much faster to assimilate a planet with 14 enemy pop with 12 structures on it then it would be to start from scratch and attain the same with my race.

There is no option that pops up. Assimilation begins as soon as you capture the planet via ground assault and enemy population remains. It automatically begins. Over time you will see your cell production numbers begin to tick up.

[Birdie_Sparrow]

And the manual is not the same as the other areas. I did request in the manual thread suggestions to improve the manual. You made one and it has been noted.

[nakoda]

Originally posted by Birdie_Sparrow:

When you take over a planet via planetary assault any opponent population on the planet is subjugated. As might be imagined they are not very happy - so an enemy pop might be sitting in a 5 production cell but due to the morale hit of beging subjugated they will be a 1+.

Assimilation is the act of that enemy population eventually - and slowly- coming around to work for you. SOme buildings and techs increase the speed of this. Darloks due to shapeshifting get a bonus as they could become a Mrrshan, go around the Mrr pop, and basically say "You know- those Darloks are not so bad!"

If you bring in your own race via civ transports they will immediately go into the best producing cell and shift the disgruntled pop to the right. You can also transport your captured pop to other planets.

Assimilation is for those players who do not want to bomb a planet into the stone age but would rather invade with troops and take over a fairly intact planet with a robust pop. I, personally, prefer to lightly bomb then heavily invade. It is much faster to assimilate a planet with 14 enemy pop with 12 structures on it then it would be to start from scratch and attain the same with my race.

There is no option that pops up. Assimilation begins as soon as you capture the planet via ground assault and enemy population remains. It automatically begins.

Okay, that's a very good explanation of what assimilation IS (which isn't what I asked, but I do appreciate your thorough explanation which I am sure others can benefit from).

As I clearly mentioned, in the 50 hours that I have played, the game has not once allowed me to assimilate a population, it only allows me to steamroll a planet and build from scratch.

I am looking for an explanation of HOW assimilation FUNCTIONS as an actual ACTION in the GAME.

It doesn't matter if I bring Colony ships or not, or if I leave structures up or not, I have not yet been presented with a scenario that allows assimilation of planets, I am only presented with the option to continue boming the planet until it is defeated, upon which I can start over (with none of teh alien population remaining).

[nakoda]

And yes, the PDF in the sticky thread is verbatim the exact same information on GameFAQs and Gamepedia, because they DATAMINED THEIR WIKIS FROM THAT PDF. All they did was omit the ICARUS information and head straight to the table of contents.

I have read all of them.

[Birdie_Sparrow]

I stated that in my reply.

Assimilarion is an automatic function that begins once you have taken a planet via ground assault. You will not get a pop up to begin.

It functions over time. I do not know the exact formula but techs that boost morale and the alien assim facility all speed up that process. The process itself is slow taking sometimes multiple tens of turns to reach that captured pop at 100% capacity.

I guess the best way to say it is that it is a passive action whose "on" switch is the capture of population by ground assault. Bombarding the pop to death will not cause assimilation to kick in.

[Birdie_Sparrow]

Originally posted by nakoda:

And yes, the PDF in the sticky thread is verbatim the exact same information on GameFAQs and Gamepedia, because they DATAMINED THEIR WIKIS FROM THAT PDF. All they did was omit the ICARUS information and head straight to the table of contents.

I have read all of them.

Glad to know they copied me! :)

[mangopurple]

Originally posted by nakoda:

Originally posted by mangopurple:

there is a manual.

it's the first pinned post in this Discussions forum.

Perhaps I wasn't clear enough when I said that the manual that WG posted (WHICH I CLEARLY INDICATED THAT I HAVE DOWNLOADED AND READ) is the same information that is available on GameFAQs and Gamepedia, which makes NO REFERENCE to assimilation other than as a racial trail.

Your response, frankly, is EXACTLY DAFUQ I'm talking about when I say it's as if people are allergic to reading, because you clearly didn't read my post.

(No) Thanks for (not) actually answering my question about assimilation, though, I'm glad you got to stroke your dependent need for self validation.

sorry you're post was long and ranty. tldr. your last line is misleading

[nakoda]

So then why am I never presented with an assimilated planet?

As I explained, I have reproduced a save wherein I am bombing a planet to remove it's forces, both with and without a colony ship in my fleet, and in all combinations of leaving colonists alive (some troops/no troops, some structures/no structures).

Is assimilation only available via Troop Transport?

The game has not once allowed me to assimilate a planet, and I would like to know why.

Originally posted by mangopurple:

Originally posted by nakoda:

Perhaps I wasn't clear enough when I said that the manual that WG posted (WHICH I CLEARLY INDICATED THAT I HAVE DOWNLOADED AND READ) is the same information that is available on GameFAQs and Gamepedia, which makes NO REFERENCE to assimilation other than as a racial trail.

Your response, frankly, is EXACTLY DAFUQ I'm talking about when I say it's as if people are allergic to reading, because you clearly didn't read my post.

(No) Thanks for (not) actually answering my question about assimilation, though, I'm glad you got to stroke your dependent need for self validation.

sorry you're post was long and ranty. tldr. your last line is misleading

RTFM, kid; there is no TL/DR.

Originally posted by Birdie_Sparrow:

Originally posted by nakoda:

And yes, the PDF in the sticky thread is verbatim the exact same information on GameFAQs and Gamepedia, because they DATAMINED THEIR WIKIS FROM THAT PDF. All they did was omit the ICARUS information and head straight to the table of contents.

I have read all of them.

Glad to know they copied me! :)

It is, for what it's worth, the best thing we have, and I do appreciate the time it would have taken to compile, but it is still on the devs to stop squirreling away game-relevant information is if they were trade secrets.

It's like they're afraid to give out manuals. It's been this way since MMO went mainstream back in the laste 90s and devs started to rely on players to do all the work for them.

[Birdie_Sparrow]

I am not sure what else I can say.

You MUST CAPTURE the planet by planetary assault and still have pop left. Bombing it until all pop is dead wont work- you cannot assimilate dead pop. Assimilation is NOT capturing the planet as it is an after effect - it is turning a disgruntled enemy population back to you.

You will not get a pop-up screen. The captured pop will over time assim. If you hover over the captured pop you will see "Assimilation Effect" which is how much you are losing per cell. Over time that drops to zero which means the enemy pop is for all intents and purposes your pop.

Example: A klackon on a 3 food cell would generate 4.5 food per turn normally (they have a racial bonus for food prod). That planet gets captured by marines. The Klackon will now have a -2.25 Assimilation Effect as they are kind of mad at the whole invasion thing (hover over a pop to see the Effect number). That means food per cell is now 2.25 and not 4.5. X turns down the road the captured pop decided you are not so bad and the effect drops to 1.50 - now they are producing 3 per cell.

So - capture the planet. assimilate faster by building tech and morale structures. Be patient. Enemy pop assimilates into your empire. reap rewards.

[nakoda]

That much I understand, but at WHAT POINT does the assimilation occur? Is it dependent upon having Troop Transport? I, hopefully obviously, am aware - since I've said so far all I've been able to do is streamroll a planet, having tried all combinations of trying to leave colonists alive - that a dead population isn't going to be assimilated (because I have to start fresh).

The game simply does not let me assimilate a population: Colony Ships have the Colonize command greyed out with the message "This ability is not available at this time" ... my question is: why?

I also am fully aware that you just don't know, I am not trying to suggest you magically frabricate the answer. My frustration with getting the mechanic to work is directly tied to my criticism of game developers apparent incapabiity of producing quality manuals for their games like they used to.

[makromate]

Is it so hard to understand? Assimilation occurs automaticly and passive when you invade an enemy planet with your GROUND forces and enemy pops are still present...to assimilate.
When you bomb the planet till the end then there is nothing left to assimilate.

[WadeStar]

I'm curious about this also. But I'm uncertain we're all describing the same process of conquest. I understand that taking over a population via ground forces begins the process of assimilation. There's no popup. You click next turn and the game starts gradually converting angry aliens into happy ones.

But then, it seems the OP isn't getting this to happen. And the colony ship thing is also unclear. You took your colony ship to a planet that's devoid of inhabitants and it won't let you settle??? I assume there aren't still aliens on the planet? Perhaps detail the process step-by-step what you're doing when you say "steamroll"? I don't think anyone here is dense, but there's some detail missing that's causing confusion.

Originally posted by mangopurple:

there is a manual.

it's the first pinned post in this Discussions forum.

Classic.

[SquishNoob]

Yes, troop transport ships(they carry 4 marines I think), are the only way to assimilate an alien planet... You need like 20 of them in your attack fleet depending on how many aliens you leave alive during bombardment phase