Space fauna is completely uncompetitive.

[Tje Ejor]

Its construction cost is 3-4 times higher than that of regular ships. While for alloy production we have essentially two stages of buffing (one for boosting base resource production and one for enhancing alloy output), there is no such system for basic resources, which greatly impacts production efficiency. As a result, 99% of empires simply can’t afford a fleet of space fauna that would even remotely compare to alloy-built ships.

Maintenance is ten times more expensive! Even establishing fauna on a habitat barely addresses the issue.

The need to find a specific fauna type to breed, and then later hunt down the optimal variant, is another major barrier. Growth time is absurdly long; by the time fauna matures to an adult state, you could have researched tech all the way to building titans.

The main weapon and component designs are terribly lacking, and while you can add more slots, these are hard to unlock and often still force you to use an unreasonable number of shield slots just to avoid being instantly wiped out. Many components are also far too weak compared to their alloy-based counterparts. For instance, assault craft are half as strong as their alloy equivalents, meaning that an amoeba cruiser with six assault craft loses to a cruiser with only three. Additionally, shield values are severely reduced.

The AI for space fauna is broken and bugged; it struggles massively with maneuvering and can't even turn effectively. This results in it circling enemies without firing back, taking hits without retaliation.

I genuinely love space fauna, but in its current state, it’s a completely useless mechanic with no chance of holding up against alloy fleets. Many players feel the same way, and I really hope at least some of these issues get addressed.

 

[Abdulijubjub]

You can go modularity with holy covenant and add 3000% worker output on your planet.

Yes the average specialist is better than the average worker, but the best worker is far better than the best specialist.

Let's say you have 100 priests on your worker planet. Somehow. That's +200% worker output, adding +20 energy to each worker.

Modularity gives +50% to generic output and another +40% to alloys in particular. And metallurgists make 0.1 living metal (bumping them up to 28 base, but call it 27 because it doesn't get alloy buffs).

Compared to the previous, your worker is making 10*(1+2.5+0.5+2.0)=60. Your metallurgist is making 27*(1+1+0.9)=78.3, with an upkeep of 12, net 66.

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Yes, there is exactly one build (holy covenant Modularity individualist machines) that can do one cheese strategy (Ecclesiastical Arcology livestock stacking with Catalytic) for arbitrarily high worker output before repeatables.

I wouldn't think it needs to be said that this is the exception rather than the rule.

 

[Abdulijubjub]

It's also worth noting the number of jobs being used though. Your calculation doesn't consider the number of miner jobs needed to supply the minerals. Depending on the game date, that mettalurgist needs anywhere between 2 miners and 1/2 a miner. Possibly 1/3 of a miner if you made an investment into mineral production modifiers beyond normal techs. This means 1 metallurgist job actually represents ~ 1.5 - 3 total jobs. Meanwhile the raw resource jobs don't have that problem, which tips the efficiency of your math in the favor of fauna ships

The calculation includes the energy equivalent of the upkeep.

Assume miners make 30 each.

A metallurgist makes 52, and burns 12. That needs 0.4 miners to cover.

52/(1+0.4)=37.1.

Assume miners make 40. 52/1.3=40.

It is accounted for. 40 is decent a approximation of their net output, and it's the exact crossover point.