Policies... What do they mean?

[TilFolkvang]

I was really caught by the policies on the empire screen in the latest dev diary and trying to figure out what their effects would be. Slavery and Non-Interference seem simple enough to figure out. But what might the others entail?

I'm assuming Inhibition Release will have something to do with substance use, but it could also refer to activities like pit fighting, or virtual reality immersion. It's a pretty big topic that I think will have interesting implications.

FTL Credit Trading is easy enough to figure out the meaning of in a lore sense, but I'm not sure what the advantages/disadvantages will be in a gameplay sense. I'm definitely not an economist, but it seems like FTL trading would create more integrated and productive markets, but also ones that are more vulnerable to galaxy-wide speculation and recessions. Don't even know how I'd model that in GSG terms.

Utopian Abundance... I have no idea. I guess maybe it's something like no poverty, universal standard of living, type of deal? So it probably costs a ton of resources but keeps Pops very happy and prevents them from dropping into the lowest socioeconomic bracket.

 

[aitaituo]

But how many monarch points do they cost?

 

[valergain]

Some of them are self explanatory Non-interface means you don't mess around with Primitives. Slavery means you have slavery.

Others need some guess work. FTL currency sharing in my view means something to facilitate trade. Utopian Abundance probably have something to resources or the availability there of.

No idea what inhibition release mean.

 

[Alectron]

Perhaps non-interference has something to do with Earth being indirect democracy?

 

[Tim_Ward]

"Inhibition release" and "Utopian abundance" seem pretty weird policies. One sounds like, uh, something quite personal and the other... why would you not do that? "Yeah, government policies is that our society should have less stuff"

Perhaps they're just Alpha stuff, not things that will be in the final game.

 

[ThatJamesguy01]

Shameless quoting based on what i think - from my post in the actual dev diary.

FTL Credit-Trading - This one I'm going to presume is some sort of free market policy, whether credits can be traded cross system via interstellar stock exchanges. It's presumably something that improves your ability to trade; furthering the economic growth of your empire as a whole. Treating each new system/planet added to the empire and it's citizens and businesses.
On - Your strongest planets probably gain a strong economic growth (Much like London in the UK) and your other planets areas gain some sort of trade bonii.
Off - Your empire as a whole grows more uniformly rather due to businesses not being able to trade large distances on the interplanetary stock exchange.

Inhibition release - I believe this is some sort of relaxant/drug that will improve your planetary happiness at the cost of some economic modifiers. Think about gasses dropped into nightclubs to improve the atmosphere things like that.
On - Higher approval ratings, more cost for the medical effects, maybe more crime?
Off - Lower approval ratings, maybe even more crime?

Utopian Abundance - I think this is something akin to the american dream in a sense. If there is an Utopian
Abundance then there is a lot of resources and material goods available for everyone - everyone enjoys a high quality of life. I'm presuming because it is illegal, it's the government which is styming the welfare state, when it is legal or turned on the government funds this high quality of life much more aggressively?
On - Higher approval ratings at the cost of economic growth? (High Tax, lower growth)
Off - Higher economic growth, and pop economic growth at the cost of pop's approval ratings (Low Tax, High growth)

Noninterference Directive - This is the prime directive from star trek, whereby if you discover a race that is pre-warp you should only observe rather than interfere.
On - Bars science vessals from interfering with non-ftl societies without some sort of penalty.
Off - Enables you to interfere without the penalty, perhaps with some diplomatic malus to empires that believe in non-interferance.

 

[Velorian]

Maybe inhibition release means drugging the water with aphrodisiacs to bring up pop growth.

 

[Jormungandur]

Perhaps they're just Alpha stuff, not things that will be in the final game.

Yeah, a lot of stuff like this may be subject to change before release and should not be taken as final content. Still interesting to hear thoughts and discussions though!

 

[Denkt]

Do your ethos and goverment affect which polices you can chose?

 

[GrafKeks]

Maybe inhibition release means drugging the water with aphrodisiacs to bring up pop growth.

The only real aphrodisiac, besides E1-4 and A1-3 ( sex hormones duhhh ) is a derivate of Melatonan II. Aphrodisiacs are science-fiction, but not the super-interesting kind.

I don't think drugs will be in the game at all, they will call juvenile protection to the game and people will complain.

If the drugs have no side-effects people will complain, because there should be a trade-off. If the drugs have side-effects then people will complain, that advanced pharma should be able to reduce it to nil. Although they'll always complain, so this might not be important.

I personally hope it's to allow violence. Purging festival and the like.

 

[Velorian]

Well it'd be a hypothetical designer drug, so yes, science fiction. Maybe it wouldn't strictly be an aphrodisiac but something that reduce social inhibitions. That alone may well lead to a lot more breeding.

Perhaps the side effect will be increased crime due to spontaneity.

 

[Rubidium]

If it's anything like Victoria's pops, each ethos will support certain policies and oppose others. So for instance, the spiritual pops might oppose inhibition release, while the materialists support it. We know Xenophiles oppose slavery (or at least get a penalty); presumably Xenophobes support it.

And if your policies make the pops militant enough, eventually Space Anarcho-Liberals rise up and have to be crushed.

 

[valergain]

Yeah, a lot of stuff like this may be subject to change before release and should not be taken as final content. Still interesting to hear thoughts and discussions though!

Oh you. But we seem to have consensus on what three of these policies mean, but the Inhibition release and Utopian Abundance are just weird. We'll see how this all works out.

 

[Redwallzyl]

maybe a war policy where you are allowed to genocide the enemy? like a really violent race who will stop at nothing to win. that's what first came to mind.

 

[pguyton]

Recreational spice use ? Really interesting thread!

 

[Demonsul]

Maybe the inhibition one is transhumanism-based?

 

[TheDoctor987]

Inhibition could be to do with robot POPs. Are they allowed free will or not?

Utopian Abundance could make your POPs happier but increase the chances of your country becoming a "fallen empire". Why explore the galaxy when you already have everything you want?

 

[ParagonExile]

Utopian Abundance seems straightforwards. The civilization uses technology/social policy to guarantee that everyone lives a lavish life of plenty. Think Star Trek with its replicators, or the Culture and its omnipresent automation.

Probably extremely expensive with large social benefits (Happiness? Loyalty? Better spread of your ethics?), perhaps alongside some penalties to production and belligerent actions. I imagine it would be ideal for peaceful races.

 

[Krajzen]

Recreational spice use ? Really interesting thread!

Spoiler

 

[Ex Mudder]

"Inhibition release" - Birth of Slaanesh late game distater confirmed!