written by Alfray_Stryke

WARNING: This is a long dev diary, grab a coffee and enjoy!

Hello, its Alfray Stryke again! Some folks might recall that back in DD#257 that we went over some of our plans for summer experiments. In particular, I planned to look at what could be done with tradition trees and gating them behind various requirements.


Traditions
With the flexibility in how empires can choose traditions that we introduced in 3.1 "Lem", Alfray Stryke is planning some experiments looking at introducing new tradition trees.


These are looking at how gating tradition trees behind various triggers might influence the game. There have been some ideas suggested about introducing tradition trees that are locked behind ascension perks or origins, and we're interested to see where these may lead.

Now what wasnt mentioned is that Ive been wanting to rework how the Ascension Paths from Utopia have worked for quite some time, with the original design framework written during Summer 2021, and this seemed like a good opportunity.

For those of you who attended PDXCON, Eladrin and I gave a presentation previewing our summer experiments which some members of our community were kind enough to share.

It turned out that these experiments proved successful internally and well be moving to test them in the 3.6 Orion Open Beta. As a note, due to the length of this dev diary, Ill be splitting sections into spoiler tags to make it slightly easier to read. Note that the numbers and effects of these changes may still change depending on testing results.

Ill start by summarizing the current state of the Ascension Paths in 3.5:


Ascension Paths Summary (Live)
[expand type=details]
Psionics

• Only available to regular empires.
  
• Requires Utopia
  
• Two routes:
  
• Mind over Matter AP followed by the Transcendence AP.
  
• Teachers of the Shroud origin followed by the Transcendence AP.
  

• Available to regular empires and hive-minds.
  
• Requires Utopia
  
• Engineered Evolution AP and Evolutionary Mastery AP.
  

• Only available to regular empires.
  
• Requires Utopia
  
• Flesh is Weak AP and Synthetic Evolution AP.
  

• Only available to machine intelligences.
  
• Requires Synthetic Dawn
  

• This isnt really an ascension path, but Im including it for completions sake.
  

• Only available to regular empires.
  
• Requires Utopia
  
• Mind over Matter AP OR Teachers of the Shroud origin.
  
• Psionic Traditions.
  

• Available to regular empires and hive-minds.
  
• Requires Utopia
  
• Engineered Evolution AP
  
• Genetic Traditions
  

• Available to regular empires, hive-minds and driven assimilators.
  
• Requires Utopia
  
• The Flesh is Weak AP (regular empires) OR Organo-Machine Interfacing AP (hive-minds) OR assimilate 30 pops (driven assimilators).
  
• Cybernetic Traditions
  

• Available to regular empires and machine intelligences.
  
• Requires Utopia for regular empires
  
• Requires Synthetic Dawn for machine intelligences
  
• Synthetic Evolution AP OR Synthetic Age AP.
  
• Synthetic Traditions
  

• Mind over Matter still grants Telepathy as a Research Option, requires Psionic Theory and cant be taken as your first Ascension Perk.
  
• For Teachers of the Shroud empires, the path is still partially unlocked at the start of the game and to progress requires the Psionic Theory technology.
  

• Mind over Matter has had the bulk of its boons either moved to the opener (the Latent Psionic trait) or the Psi-Corps tradition.
  
• Transcendence has had its boons shared between the three remaining traditions.
  
• The +5%/+10% Energy from jobs provided by the Latent Psionic and Psionic traits have been replaced with +5%/+10% Unity from jobs as this was more in-line with the desired focus for Psionic and particularly Spiritualist empires.
  
• Telepaths previously provided a planet-wide +5% Resources from Pops modifier, this has been replaced with a +5% Resources from Psionic Pops so that non-Psionic pops in your empire no longer have their performance improved by the presence of Telepaths. However, this modifier increases to +10% when the Breach the Shroud tradition is taken, meaning that the two Telepath jobs from a Psi-Corp building will provide +20% to the resource output of the planet if all pops working are Psionic. So although a Psionic empire may have fewer pops than the other Ascension Paths, those pops should be more efficient.
  

• Thought Enforcement is now a guaranteed research option, with the Psi-Corp tradition.
  
• The Mind Readers tradition grants a new empire edict, Sight Beyond Sight. This provides some rather nice bonuses as your navys navigators are supplied with an abundance of Zro.:
  
• +1 Sensor range
  
• -15% Hyper Drive Charge Time
  
• -15% Hyper Drive Cooldown
  
• -15% Jump Drive Cooldown
  
• +15% Quantum Catapult Accuracy.
  
• The finisher for the tradition tree grants 50 edict fund and more importantly a Special Project that when completed will allow you to form a Covenant with a random Shroud Entity.
  

• Efficient Cloning doubles the output of Clone Vats without increasing their upkeep, which should make them somewhat more competitive with empires that favour a more metallic path.
  
• Enhanced Expression allows you to add another trait pick on your modified species, meaning you can cram more traits onto a species.
  
• Completing Genetic traditions allows you to research special Transgenesis technologies. These technologies allow you to add Lithoid traits to non-Lithoids, Plantoid traits to non-Plantoids/Fungoids, and if youve harvested the DNA from certain Leviathans, you can splice some rather special traits into your species genetic code. The Leviathan traits available are:
  
• Drake-Scaled (Ether Drake, Shard, Sky Dragon)
  
• This trait requires that the player has harvested the genetic material from a space dragon (Ether Drake, Shard, or Sky Dragon). This is presented as an event option when the leviathan is slain.
  
• Cost: 3
  
• Each pop produces 0.025 monthly Alloys.
  
• +50% Army Health
  
• Mutually exclusive with other resource generating traits.
  
• Voidling (Voidspawn)
  
• Cost: 3
  
• This trait requires that the player has harvested the genetic material from the Voidspawn. This is presented as an event option when the leviathan is slain.
  
• Replaces all Food or Mineral upkeep with Energy Upkeep.
  
• Habitability Floor on all planets of 50%.
  
• Mutually exclusive with Phototrophic, Radiotrophic traits.
  
• Polymelic (Tiyanki Matriarch)
  
• Cost: 3
  
• This trait requires that the player has harvested the genetic material from the Tiyanki Matriarch. This is presented as an event option when the leviathan is slain.
  
• As budding but 0.05 assembly per pop.
  
• Weve also added a few new Advanced traits that are unlocked by Genetic Creation to cover some missing bases.
  
• Vat-Grown
  
• Cost: 3
  
• -25% Pop Growth Speed
  
• +25% Pop Assembly Speed
  
• -10% Housing Usage
  
• Felsic
  
• Requires Lithoid
  
• Cost: 2
  
• Minerals from Livestock and Processing: +2
  
• Natural Machinist
  
• Cost: 2
  
• +10% Alloys from Jobs
  
• +10% Consumer Goods from Jobs
  
• 
  

• Regular Empires and Hive-Minds:
  
• Requires Integrated Cybernetics Technology
  
• Driven Assimilators:
  
• Requires: Have assimilated 30 pops.
  
• Regular Empires and Hive-Minds:
  
• Gain Neuro-Quantum Links research option
  
• Driven Assimilators:
  
• Gain Adaptive Cybernetics research option
  
• Allows taking Cybernetic Traditions.
  

• Tradition 1: Transubstantiation Synthesis
  
• Requires that The Flesh is Weak Special Project has been completed.
  
• Can assimilate organic species to Cyborgs (Including into/out of Hive-Minds).
  
• Tradition 1: Organ Harvesting (Swap for Fanatic Purifiers)
  
• Requires that The Flesh is Weak Special Project has been completed.
  
• Planets with ongoing purges gain +10% pop growth speed.
  
• Tradition 2: Metabolic Reprocessing
  
• -10% Cyborg Upkeep
  
• Tradition 3: Integrated Anatomy
  
• Allows add/remove cyborg traits (based off of robot traits) to cyborgs
  
• Tradition 4: Assembly Standards
  
• Unlocks Assembly Standards policy, allowing roboticists to assemble cyborgs instead of robots.
  
• Tradition 5: Modular Cybernetics
  
• -50% Modify Species special project cost
  
• +1 Biological Trait Picks
  
• 
  

• Tradition 1: Transubstantiation Synthesis
  
• Requires that The Flesh is Weak Special Project has been completed.
  
• Can assimilate organic species to Cyborgs (Including into/out of Hive-Minds).
  
• Tradition 1: Organ Harvesting (Swap for Devouring Swarms/Terravores)
  
• Requires that The Flesh is Weak Special Project has been completed.
  
• Planets with ongoing purges gain +10% pop growth speed.
  
• Tradition 2: Metabolic Reprocessing
  
• -10% Cyborg Upkeep
  
• -10% Empire Size from Cyborgs
  
• Tradition 3: Integrated Anatomy
  
• Allows add/remove cyborg traits (based off of robot traits) to cyborgs
  
• Tradition 4: Synaptic Sub-Processing
  
• -50% empire size from districts.
  
• Tradition 5: Modular Cybernetics
  
• -50% Modify Species special project cost
  
• +1 Biological Trait Picks
  

• Tradition 1: Inevitable Assimilation
  
• Can now assimilate Hive-Minded pops.
  
• +1 Pop assimilated (per planet, per year).
  
• Tradition 2: Metabolic Reprocessing
  
• -10% Cyborg Upkeep
  
• -10% Empire Size from Cyborgs
  
• Tradition 3: Integrated Anatomy
  
• Allows add/remove cyborg traits (based off of robot traits) to cyborgs
  
• Tradition 4: Crucible Worlds
  
• Gain access to the special Crucible World planetary designation.
  
• Crucible Worlds have greatly increased pop growth, provided by Crucible Drones, but have penalties to pop upkeep and output and have restrictions on certain buildings.
  
• Tradition 5: Modular Cybernetics
  
• -50% Modify Species special project cost
  
• +1 Biological Trait Picks
  

• Power Drills, Cost 1, +15% minerals from jobs
  
• Harvesters, Cost 1, +15% food from jobs
  
• Superconductive, Cost 1, +15% energy from jobs
  
• Efficient Processors, Cost 2, +5% resources from jobs
  
• Logic Engines, Cost 1, +10% research from jobs
  
• Loyalty Circuits, Cost 1, +10% happiness
  
• Double-Jointed, Cost 1, -10% pop housing usage, +15% pop growth from immigration, -25% resettlement cost
  
• Enhanced Memory, Cost 1, +2 leader level cap,
  
• Durable, Cost 1, pop amenities usage -0.5
  
• Learning Algorithms, Cost 1, +25% leader experience, +1 leader level cap
  
• Streamlined Protocols, Cost 1, -10% empire size from pops
  
• Trading Algorithms, Cost 1, +25% trade value from jobs.
  

• Bulky, Cost -2, +10% pop housing usage, -15% pop growth from immigration, +25% resettlement cost
  
• High Maintenance, Cost -2, pop amenities usage +0.5
  
• Power Intensive, Cost -1, increases pop upkeep by 1 energy/month.
  
• Neural Limiters, Cost -2, -25% leader experience, -1 leader level cap
  
• High Bandwidth, Cost -2, +10% empire size from pops
  

• Requires: Droids Technology
  
• Gain Synthetics as a research option
  
• Allows taking Synthetic Traditions.
  

• Requires: Machine Template System Technology
  
• Gain Binary Motivators as a research option
  
• Allows taking Synthetic Traditions.
  

• Tradition 1: Maintenance Protocols
  
• 10% Robot Amenities Usage
  
• Tradition 2: Optimization Algorithms
  
• +10% Robot Output
  
• Tradition 3: Synthetic Age
  
• Requires the Synthetics technology to be researched
  
• For Non-Purifiers:
  
• Grants the Synthetic Evolution Special Project
  
• Can assimilate organic, robotic and machine species to Synths (after completing the special project).
  
• For Fanatic Purifiers:
  
• +10% Robot Assembly Speed
  
• Tradition 4: Prefabricated Components
  
• -50% Modify Species special project cost
  
• Tradition 5: Solid-State Actuators
  
• +2 Robot Modification Points
  

• Tradition 1: Maintenance Protocols
  
• 10% Machine Amenities Usage
  
• Tradition 2: Optimization Algorithms
  
• +10% Machine Output
  
• Tradition 3: Efficient Power Systems
  
• +1 Trait pick for Machines
  
• Tradition 4: Prefabricated Components
  
• -50% Modify Species special project cost
  
• Tradition 5: Solid-State Actuators
  
• +2 Machine Modification Points