Better Idyllic Bloom
Idyllic Bloom is a cool concept, but it’s not quite good enough.
This simple mod improves Idyllic Bloom by making it add +2 building slots and +10% resource production to gaia worlds.
Why:
- Idyllic Bloom is slightly inferior to the World Shaper ascension, but you get 8 ascension perks and only 3 civics.
- Idyllic Bloom is a locked trait, so it needs to be good.
- Idyllic Bloom requires plant or fungal species, so it should be more special.
- Gaia worlds themselves are inferior to ecumenopolis (although these are costlier) and hive worlds (barely).
How:
I’ve decided the best way to improve this civic is to have Idyllic Bloom slightly improve gaia worlds. Interestingly, this helps Idyllic Bloom in a way that makes it synergize with other methods of getting gaia worlds, rather than competing.
There is now a modifier on all capital buildings that’s triggered by having Idyllic Bloom and the planet being a gaia world. The modifier adds 2 building slots and 10% resource production. With Gaia’s existing bonus of 10%, that matches the 20% resource bonus an ecumenopolis gives. Adding 2 building slots isn’t the full 12 of ecumenopolis or hive, but it helps. Additionally, Idyllic Bloom will give you Exotic Gas Extraction as a guaranteed research option at the start of the game. This just saves a possible headache because you need exotic gases badly.
While making this, I considered a lot of options, especially redesigning the gaia seeder buildings. Ultimately I’ve chosen not to change those. They’re very costly to run, but terraforming is supposed to be expensive however you go about it.
