I'm working on an in-depth guide to help people understand specialities and nuances of the various faction's tech trees (and thus reduce the learning curve). I just finished the section on resource, populations and culture techs and any comments or corrections would be welcome, thnx.
Table of Contents
1 Resources Upgrades
1.1 Tech Descriptions
1.2 Summary
2 Population Upgrades
2.1 Tech Descriptions
2.2 Tax Analysis
2.3 Summary
3 Cultural Upgrades
3.1 General Culture Techs
3.2 Faction Specific Culture Techs
3.2.1 TEC
3.2.2 Advent
3.2.3 Vasari
3.3 Summary
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[1] Resource Upgrades
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[1.2] Tech Descriptions
+Tier 1+
TEC-Deep Core Metal Mining 7/13% increase [metal]
+Tier 2+
TEC-Rapid Hydrometallurgy 20/27% increase [metal]
TEC-Efficient Crystal Sorting 7/13% increase <crystal>
Advent-Rich Ore Scrying 7/13% increase [metal]
Vasari-Resource Sublimation 5/10% increase {metal and crystal}
+Tier 3+
TEC-Automated Mining Rigs 20/27% increase <crystal>
Advent-Telekinetic Extraction 20/27% increase [metal]
Advent-Selective Harvasting 7/13% increase <crystal>
Vasari-Entanglement Filtering 15/20% increase {metal and crystal}
+Tier 4+
TEC-Nuclear Smelting 33/40% increase [metal]
Advent-Enhanced Reclamation 33/40% increase [metal]
Advent-Crystal Enrichment 20/27% increase <crystal>
+Tier 5+
TEC-Shockwave Pulverization 33/40% increase <crystal>
Vasari-Catalyzed Atomic Sorting 25/30% {metal and crystal}
+Tier 6+
Advent-Telekinetic Separation 33/40% increase <crystal>
+Tier 7+
Vasari-Matter Decompilation 35/40% increase {metal and crystal}
[1.3] Summary
I've found the Tier 6 and especially Tier 7 upgrades are too expensive and tie up research
for entirely too long to be worth it (not to mention requiring a very large number of
research stations).
Vasari get an edge in terms of time/cost efficiency (assuming you would get both upgrades)
and TEC are best for building an economy early. Advent generally requires an uncomfortable
amount of research facilities to get the benefits the other two factions enjoy more easily.
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[2] Population upgrades
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[2.1] Tech Descriptions
+Tier 1+
TEC-High Density Zoning +8/15% population {Terran}
TEC-Improved Arid Conditioning +8/15% population (Desert)
Advent-Homeworld Prophecy +8/15% population (Desert)
Advent-Inspired Architecture +8/15% population {Terran} //This requires Homeworld phophecy
Vasari-Full Terran Lockdown +8/15% population {Terran}
+Tier 2+
Advent-Thriving Desert Cities +23/30% population (Desert)
+Tier 3+
TEC-Advanced Civic Design +23/30% population {Terran}
Vasari-Subzero Biology +8/15% population <Ice>
+Tier 4+
TEc-Advanced Artic Colonies +8/15% population <Ice>
Vasari-Extreme Heat Metabolism +8/15% population [Volcanic]
+Tier 5+
Vasari-Sulfurous Respiration +23/30% [Volcanic]
[2.2] Tax Analysis
Additional Population Info
The forumla for planet income is
Planet Income=Allegiance * Population /3000
For non-captial planets
I'm not sure what the exact forumla for captial planets is yet, I'm pretty sure it has
+Allegiance*population/3000, which would imply the credit increase from increased population
is similar.
Planet Type /
Available Infastructure Improvements /
Max Population (with full Infacstructure improvements) /
Population Increase per researched upgrade /
Tax Increase per upgrade (at 100% allegiance)
{Terran} / 4 / 280 / 21 / 0.7
(Desert) / 3 / 190 / 14.25 / 0.475
<Ice> / 3 / 160 / 12 / 0.4
[Volcanic] / 2 / 70 / 5.25 / 0.175
[2.3] Summary
Comments:
The terran upgrade benefits substantially from the fact on most maps players start with a
terran planet with at level 3 infacstructure and 100% allegiance. The effectiveness of the
other upgrades depends largely on the planets you can colonize.
Terrans are probably the best off, as they have the unique second set of terran upgrades that
net another 1.4 tax on your capital planet alone. Their access to Desert and Ice populations
benefits can also give their economy a boost in the mid-long game, depending on planet
distribution.
Advent is less well off, prereqs make it harder for them to get the first terran upgrade and
their early desert upgrades usefulness hinges on the their being nearby desert planets.
Vasari is interesting, while aside from the standard tier 1 terran upgrade their upgrades
work only on the least populated types planets, they get Ice at bit quicker than terran(tier
3 to tier 4). However, their volcanic population buffs are very weak would require a longish
game before they paid themselves off.
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[3] Culture Upgrades
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[3.1] General Culture Techs
The following chart shows at what tiers factions cultural benefits.
TEC | Advent | Vasari
Culture Structure Availble 3 | 2 | 3
Culture Spread +5/10% 4 | 2 | 4
Culture Spread +15/20% 6 | 4 | 6
Culture Spread +25%/30% N/A | 6 | N/A
Additional bonus for each 5% upgrade
TEC- Antimatter regeneration 0.375/sec or 37.5% faster (sources say different things, anyone
know for sure?)
Advent- Additional 1% damage ditigation
Vasari- Additional 3.8% damage
[3.2] Faction Specific Culture Techs
[3.2.1] TEC
Critical Mass (Tier 5, Requires 2/2 Addictive Consumerism)
*Culture rate loss going through a planet reduced by 25/50%
-Works best at vastly infiltrating unnopposed sections of galaxy, less useful when in direct
competition with another culture
Foriegn Sabotage (Tier 7, Requires 2/2 Cultural Monopolization)
*enemies in your culture take 50/100% more time to build things
-Another tech that works best when your enemy culture isn't opposing you, useful varies
depending on how close you are to an opponents production centers
Insurgency (Tier 8, Requires 2/2 Cultural Monopolization)
*sparks rebellion in planets where your culture is dominant (2 ranks)
-Kinda weak for a Tier 8 tech, even at rank 2 it's only a small amount of ships, they're not
allied with you, their just anti all players (like pirates)
[3.2.2] Advent
Wall of Faith(Tier 5, Requires 2/2 Unwavering Belief)
*Increases your cultures's resistance to enemy cultures by 20/40%
-Solidfy's Advent's win in a straight up a culture fight, get if you intend to engage in one
Deliverance Design(Tier 8, Requires 2/2 Total Assimilation)
*Allows the building of the Deliverance Engine, which spreads your culture remotely
-Remove all hostile culture from a planet and replaces it with 15-20% friendly culture, this
is the best used to give ensure your troops have homefield advantage (an additional 6% damage
mitigation, instead of whatever bonus your enemy would have) even when attacking. However, it
is surpassingly expensive and time consuming to research and build so for all the longest
games your better focusing your attention elsewhere.
False Belief Monitoring(Tier 4)
*Allows you to see the spread of enemy culture anywhere in the galaxy.
-Helps you get a sense of your enemies overall cultural network, of some use early if you
want determine nearby planets would be easiest to overwhlem.
Eyes of the Converted(Tier 6, requires 1/1 Flase Belief Monitoring)
*Grants you vision on any planet your culture reachs.
-Or you could use a scout. Granted scouts can die, and it's useful to have perpetual
information on nearby planets, but they also don't require a tier 6 tech.
[3.2.3] Vasari
Shock and Awe (Tier 5, Requires 2/2 Regimented Thought)
*Enemy culture supressed 20/40% in friendly systems where your capital ships are stationed.
-quoting Carighan:
By default, Capital Ships only suppress enemy culture on enemy plants when they are in their
gravity well. Meaning they only suppress it "offensively".
With this tech they can also suppress it defensively by stationing the caps at your planets
to prevent the enemy culture from reaching it.
[3.3] Summary
Advent pretty clearly is best suited to triumph in a culture conflict, TECs abilities seem to
be built on the idea of just getting a bit of culture on alot of opponent's planets to get
them to have to deal with slow built time and rebellions (maybe use strike forces to knock
out opponent's cultural structures). Vasari culture is less spectactular, with only the shock and
awe unique tech to speak of (though it does aid in not being culturally overun by the other
two factions). However, Vasari's +Damage cultural advantage is generally stronger than the
other factions benefits, albeit much harder to secure.
