Improve Population Infrastructure

Feedback
1

Hey everyone and specifically @Counterpoint

After running Fo-705C and FO-452B for some time now and dealing with POPI I would like to provide some feedback specifically on the available infrastructure.

With the recent surge of new players more and more are asking what POPI is and why they should care.
Granted we have a developed and old universe that they don’t really need to worry about it so they never get in touch with this mechanic.

I would like to make some suggestions that might deepen this mechanic as well as create more demand for the new materials specifically introduced for it.

Let me start with the current state.
Life Support fulfillment either depends on the planet or the amount of CM + Habitations in each base.
The remaining needs depend on planetary projects.
To me this seems strange. One need depends on a building in each player’s base, while the other needs depend on a public building.
But I like it and actually propose that this split should be done further.
Move Infirmary and Safety Station into the CM - it already provides some Safety and Health after all - and allow each player to upgrade and supply it. With this each CM can contribute more than the fixed Safety and Health.

On the other side, add a public Infrastructure that increases life support and actually gives the unemployed some housing. Like a Boarding House.
The required building and upkeep materials should be in the middle class and fitting.
My idea:
Construction: L-Fabs and R-Fabs (maybe) with a Prefab Unit from the UPF as well as TRU and DEC, maybe SP.
Upkeep: 10 days: DEC, Prefab Unit from UPF, POW or SP - 3 days: OVE, RAT, DW

for the skimmers
tl;dr version: Move Infirmary and Safety Station into CM and allow each player to upgrade it, this raises the Health and Safety Value each base contributes to population need.
Add new infrastructure “Boarding House” that raises Life Support

2

I guess to me (and the devs might be able to give a better view) the idea with populous was to make a planet more cohesive. POPI forces a planet (well, tries to) to work together to make a planet tick. Moving the stuff back to a base kills that group initiative

3

If you create resources that must be stolen from each other you create tension in a game.

4

This is about the infrastructure and not the workforce mechanic behind it. please don’t derail the topic.
Thank you.

5

Then why do the Habitation units of each single base contribute to the Life Support Fullfillment?

It is already a mixed system. I propose to mix it further at the “low tiers” and to give a planet the chance to raise life support once it reaches a certain point. without having to fill your base with unneeded habitation buildings.

6

Population Infrastructure - Idea to involve more players

I’d like to pull this back up, now that we have a new universe.

I thought on my idea bit more and would like to present it again.

Who is doing most of the gameplay loop for POPI? 99% of the player base or 1 few select ones?
Mostly a few select ones.

My idea:

Population Infrastructure should only consist of Big projects.

Security Drone Post
Hospital
Wildlife Park (as a big Comfort booster)
Art Gallery (as a big Culture booster)
University

These give the planetary government the power to nudge the global need fulfillment.

What about the small infrastructures?
They become Workforce Infrastructure and part of everyones base.
Each Player now has the option to build, upgrade and upkeep these themselves.
Let’s call them Workforce Infrastructures.

Safety Station
Infirmary
R&R Area (small comfort) (pick a fancy name)
Art Café (small culture)
Library (education)

How would it work?
The workforce of each base has its own workforce need.
Players can opt to fill it, or not.
Filling it with the above workforce infrastructure (which is part of the CM and does not take up any base area) will make the workforce happy.
Effect: less workforce goes back to the global worforce pool.
If the player does not fill the needs, more workforce goes back to the global pool.
The player might get all his workforce back if there is a general surplus, if not, he maybe gets back less.

What about the global needs?
Once a base has filled, or not filled the needs of its workforce, the difference left over of that need, is added to the global need. This way, players overfilling their workforce need, contribute to the filling of the global needs, while “lazy” players do not and actually drag everyone down.
This is were the big infrastructure projects, maintained by the government come in.

Whats the goal of this?
To get the POPI material market on the same level as the consumable market. Everyone “needs” it.

whats everyones thought on this?

1 Like
7

I like this for a few reasons beyond the surface of just giving more control the players for managing POPI.

  • It’s optional. Taken as outlined, players could participate to grow more workforce for themselves when settling a new planet and after a while stop over-filling as they no longer need to grow POPI. OR players on major planets could chose their participation and suffer (or propsper) for their choices.

  • Choices are meaningful. As mentioned in the previous point, it provides players direct and reasonable control of POPI growth. If you no longer desire it, opt out.

I think there could be an addition of a reward at some point of this process beyond the worker retention. Ultimately you are ‘destroying’ products and some players might not value the workforce aspect as high as others. A growing and healthy workforce benefits everyone - how can we ‘trick’ a player who doesn’t care into helping their neighbor too? Maybe we don’t… but I do think a trivial award, badge, something would go a long way for this to feel beneficial for every player.

8

My only concern is that this is one more thing to overload a new player with. Right now, new players starting on a starting planet don’t have to worry about POPI at all. This would add another button for a new player to get lost in

9

Valid Point. On a Starting planet new players would have no big drawback of not doing it.
So a tutorial could inform the player accordingly?

10

There is so little things to do early game tho it could add an interesting “complex” mechanic to bother doing early on