Feedback on POPI in this universe

[Prdgi]

@rain9441

The fact that PIOs consume Culture and Comfort is a problem - planets with high pioneer counts require more technician related POPI to sustain a decent technician happiness level. This deters players from building POPI on very populated planets which to me feels like a very negative side effect.

I feel that PIOs consuming Culture and Comfort is actually a good thing. However, it also feels incomplete.

How do you feel about governor capabilities to restrict access (absolutely, or % reduction) to certain “happiness things” like Culture and Comfort based on population type? Perhaps if implemented such an effect could increase crime or reduce happiness in the affected population. Its a little dystopian, but could have some engaging roleplay aspects too.

@rain9441

The fact that Education effects take effect even if you do not feed the POPI building its consumables causes everyone to invest in Education buildings but not pay the consumables - this deters the use of 80% of the POPI buildings (like Art Galleries).

I agree with this concern. How do you feel about adding more “education” buildings that, when supplied, will control the rate of education? For example, we could have a “Trades Apprenticeship Program” that would educate into settlers, a “TAFE” for educating into technicians, a “University” for educating into Engineers etc…

Do you feel that having the governor (or a delegated MP) control the education foci and allowing any population tier be educated into a higher tier would be something we could put to the devs? I imagine that educating a pop would cost substantially more when skipping an intermediary pop. Eg, PIO → SET could cost x, SET → TEC could cost y, but PIO → TEC could cost xy.

@rain9441

The fact that a POPI building that is fed only 3 of its 5 consumables provides 60% of its effects will incentivize us to build more building levels than required but only feed it the cheapest consumables.

100% this. POPI fulfilment should be more like workforce consumables fulfilment where supplying n+ items has a much larger impact than supplying n items.

---

Building on these thoughts and the other points that you have expressed I have a rudimentary feature idea.

How do you feel about fertile worlds (or even just faction capitals) sustaining an “uneducated” population that grows by natural causes. From this “uneducated” population, PIO can be educated. Migration would therefore no longer create populations out of nothing. Rather, at some point every population would have arisen from “uneducated” stock on a fertile (or faction capital) world.

“Happiness” then becomes a completely relative measure. Populations would always seek employment first, then happiness. Populations migrate between worlds via placing adverts for transit on some “migration scheduler” thing like an LM. Employed populations would seek migration based on the difference in happiness between two planets and the distance. Perhaps faction allegiance could also play a factor.