[3.8] Optimal Genomes – Better Genetic Ascension
Version 3.8.*
Genetic Ascension lets you tailor your species to meet any need, serve any niche. The UI… does not. You need to a massive stable of templates you have to constantly re-apply, and still end up with pops with the wrong traits.
This mod should make Genetic Ascension slightly less painful – all the benefits, with less of the busywork.
Advanced gene-modding unlocks the new 2-point trait Optimised Genome, that adds:
- +15% Energy, Food & Minerals production (replacing Ingenious, Agrarian & Industrious)
- +10% Alloy & Consumer Goods production (replacing Natural Machinist)
- +25% Trade Value from jobs (replacing Thrifty)
- 0.5 Society Research upkeep (replacing the cost of running multiple Modify Species projects)
Since there’s (almost) no jobs the original traits overlap for, there’s no problem with just combining them into one! You can easily reduce the upkeep cost, too:
- Retroviral Manipulation, the Genetics talent that reduces the cost to modify species by 50%, also reduces Society upkeep by 50%.
- Gene Clinics and Cyto-Revitalization Centers reduce Society upkeep by 15% and 30%.
- Harsh Trush, an archeology reward that reduces the cost to modify species by 20%, also reduces Society upkeep by 20%.
Advanced gene-modding also unlocks Optimised Habitability, a flat 80% habitability across all basic planet types. This prevents you from needing an extra template for each planet type.
Once you finish the Genetic Ascension tree, you unlock Genetic Optimisation Policy, which can be left as special projects only or as:
- Remediate Habitability: Replaces basic habitabilities with Optimised Habitibility, once per month.
- Upgrade Traits: Replaces obsoleted production traits with Optimised Genome, as well as replacing Extremely Adaptive with Robust (as they cost the same), once per month. Applies a 5 Society Research upkeep to pops who will have their traits replaced.
Why doesn’t Optimised Genomes also include Traditional (+Unity), Charismatic (+Amenities), Intelligent (+Research) or Natural Physicists/Engineers/Sociologists (+Research)?
- Charismatic has extra effects related to diplomacy and Xenophile appeal. You’d still need to take it for those.
- Intelligent conflicts with the advanced trait Erudite. Folding it in would effectively allow you to take both.
- Natural Physicists/Engineers/Sociologists overlap too much – researchers would benefit from all of them.
- Traditional only costs 1. I’m not quite sure about this one, if the admin benefits of including it outweigh the costs of effectively doubling its price.
Can you make Optimised Habitability compatible with other mods that add extra planet types?
No, sorry. Don’t use any mods like that, and I don’t have time to make stuff I won’t use.
Can you make it intelligently add extra traits to species?
No, there’s no way to get the current number of unused trait points. Genemod Micromanagement does that, but on a much lower cadence (decades) than this mod, due to the performance cost of manually checking every trait. I tried it, but made my own as I didn’t really like the number of new species it made.
This mod overrides the following:
If you like this, you might also like:
- Claims Decay – Dynamic Diplomacy: Friendly empires will renounce their claims on each other over time. Diplomatic Grants makes neutral empires do it too.
- Loyal Subjects Have Nothing to Fear (from the Colossus): Loyal vassals and tributaries no longer suffer opinion penalties when you crack a planet.
- Shared Burden Balance – People Power: Adds a flat bonus to political power to the Shared Burden living standard to remove its effective faction influence penalty.
- Mass Driver Rebuilt – Fear the Dark: Adds an extra bonus to the end of the Fear of the Dark origin quest chain.
Revisions:
Old revisions of this mod are available below. Click the link to download.
