Updating underutilized Bio Traits

[DarkHelmet110985]

With the 4.0 overhaul, many traits got updated to yield Job Efficiency or a stronger version of resources from jobs as it’s a separate multiplier that expands the Workforce. Yet some traits seemingly got left in the cold so I figure I’d give them a much needed update.

Talented: 2 points(up from 1)
+1 Leader Trait picks
-1 Maximum Negative Leader Traits
-20% Leader upkeep

Talented is currently a must pick for Leader builds but that’s only because it yields a must have Negative Leader Trait perk. Yet I find it needs more so opted to give Talented Leaders an additional Trait pick to go with a stronger upkeep reduction but increasing the Trait cost to 2.

Quick Learners: 2 points(up from 1)
+5 Base XP gain
+1 Starting Traits
Starting Leader Age: -5 Years

I never pick this trait, even for Leader builds, because +10% XP roughly translates to 0.5 XP per month on a passive basis. Getting a +5 Base XP gain would do a lot for Leader XP gain since that would bump the base XP from 5 to 10 or a 100% increase. From that all Leader XP sources would amplify the new Base XP mark(hence are twice as effective). I also feel Leaders that are Quick Learners would have more capabilities when recruited, hence the +1 Starting Leader Traits. I then tied everything in a bow by reducing their starting age by 5 years(hence a modest Lifespan increase). All for an increased Trait cost of 2.

Conservationist: 2 points
-10% Pop Upkeep
-10% Job Upkeep

When it comes to species that try to conserve or recycle the limited resources at their disposal that it would apply to Food as well as Consumer Goods with respect to Pop upkeep. Additionally, they should be mindful of being efficient at their job p, hence have a native 10% Job upkeep for all jobs. Keep in mind this is incompatible with Seasonal Dormancy so you can’t stack this in a Civilian build.

Communal: 2 points
-15% Housing usage
-15% Amenity usage
+15% Civilian Job Efficiency

Took a bit of inspiration from the Nucleotide traits but unlike them, this costs 2 points and can be used from the start of the game and in particular for Civilian builds where the extra Housing and Job Efficiency can come in real handy.

 

[GhostDanny]

The increase in point cost, I feel is overdoing it.
Makes it harder to just get a decent one point cost.

 

[DarkHelmet110985]

The increase in point cost, I feel is overdoing it.
Makes it harder to just get a decent one point cost.

The increased cost is to justify the increased power of the trait. In other words, making the trait better without making it stupidly OP like Exotic Metabolism(which ought to cost at least 2 points, if not 3). Each Leader trait offers three distinct and powerful perks that together rival or surpass Erudite while Conservationist and Communal have been drastically devalued with the addition of Phenotype + Nucleotide traits, hence the buff. I just didn’t want to buff them and not balance it with an increased cost. The only one that may have a case for 1-point is Communal but I figured with Job Efficiency for Civilians that it warranted going to 2 points. Job upkeep on Conservationists warrants 2 points on its own and definitely with Pop Upkeep too.

I’ve been meaning to come up with something for Inorganic Breath but I haven’t derived something that I like.

 

[GhostDanny]

The thing is we need decent 1 point cost traits, something to add when we only have one point and slot over.

 

[DarkHelmet110985]

Personally feel vocational traits(aka Charismatic, Ingenious, etc.) should all cost 1 point each. Only reason I upped Communal to 2 points is due to the Civilian Efficiency and the fact it yields 3 solid bonuses but could be persuaded to drop it to 1. Yet the vocational traits all apply an Efficiency boost to their respective field and that's it. While strong, I don't feel it quite justifies 2 Trait points given all the sources of Job Efficiency. This includes Intelligent which ought to be brought down to the same Trait cost as Traditional. Also feel Venerable, Extremely Adaptive and Adaptive should all have their cost reduced by 1 as well with Venerable and Extremely Adaptive gaining a secondary perk to justify the higher cost. For Venerable, I was thinking -1 Negative Leader Trait while for Extremely Adaptive, I was thinking -10% Pop Upkeep.

Granted these are secondary to the 4 I highlighted in the OP since I feel those above all others deserve a fresh coat of paint. Inorganic Breath being the one I've yet to derive an update for. Thinking of making it 1 point, +25% Pop Upkeep and generating 0.025 Exotic Gas per 100 Pops. Basically, three times cheaper in cost, halve the Pop Upkeep malus and producing 25% more Exotic Gas(2.5 times as much as Gaseous Byproducts).

 

[Abdulijubjub]

Quick Learners: 2 points(up from 1)
+5 Base XP gain
+1 Starting Traits
Starting Leader Age: -5 Years

This is too powerful. It's +5 lifespan and effectively +100% XP gain rolled into one, with the starting trait adding a ton to your empire (just the effect for you councilors would be huge).

I would pay 2 points for a trait that gave +5 base XP gain, though. And I think flat base XP is a better model for this sort of trait than the (roughly equivalent) +100% XP, since the former works best for a build with a lot of leaders (most of whom will not be on the council), whereas the latter will just amplified the existing imbalance between councilor XP (including Statecraft), surveying scientists, and everyone else's XP gain.

Conservationist: 2 points
-10% Pop Upkeep
-10% Job Upkeep

Traits can't reduce job upkeep: pops and jobs are decoupled, so any interaction with jobs has to go through efficiency.

But 1 point for -10% pop upkeep (including food) would be a better trait than what we have now.

Communal: 2 points
-15% Housing usage
-15% Amenity usage
+15% Civilian Job Efficiency

In the current build, I think civilians are too good for a Civilian job trait like this to exist. But once that gets fixed (assuming it does), I would pay 2 points for a -15% housing, +15% civilian job efficiency trait.

But the amenities have got to go: that by itself is just a stronger version of Charismatic. -15% amenity usage is better than +20% efficiency for entertainer jobs, even if/when Luxury Housing gets reined in so that empires will want holotheaters again.

1/0.85=1.17, which is nearly up to Charismatic even if 100% of amenities came from entertainers and you had no other modifiers. But you'll get amenities from politicians, civilians, the capital building itself, etc. and your entertainers (if you have them) will have other efficiency increases so that +20% efficiency isn't even a full 1.2x increase in amenity output.

 

[GhostDanny]

Talented: Just the -1 negative trait and 1 trait choice for one point cost.
You're still not guaranteed to get the traits you want, but at least you might get a better option.

Quick Learners: revert it back to the old 25%, the machine version is still 25% too! Keep at one point

Communal: -15% housing usage and -15% civilian upkeep for 2 points.
Or just -10% housing usage for one point