Population Morale and Slavery

[sven]

As of r16701, the new morale and slavery mechanics are up on 'stable', and I believe they're working as intended. However, the in-game documentation nodes/tooltips are still a bit lacking, so just how these new pieces work may be unclear. Here's a short rundown:

Happy vs. Unhappy colonists: Colonists will become discontent if their morale drops below 0. However, while many in-game actions can instantly change a population's reported morale number, changes in happy/unhappy state are not instant. Instead, each unit of population has a chance per-turn to change state if the current morale rating of the planet suggests that there should be more or less unhappy colonists. This means is that if you do something that your people don't like, it will take a while before they start aggressively protesting because of it. And similarly, if you do something that makes them happier, that won't instantly solve any discontent population issues you've been having.

Revolts: Discontent population is a problem, because discontent colonists produce no resources. However, if you have more discontent population on a planet than content population, there may be a chance that the dissidents will attempt a revolt. Revolts work like normal ground combat, with the dissidents fighting against your loyal forces. Any tank battalions stationed on a planet will always remain loyal to you, so keeping a standing army on unruly planets is a good way to ensure they don't stage revolutions.

Slavery: Slaves behave like discontent population for the purposes of revolt odds, but, unlike dissidents, slaves will produce some wrenches and food each turn. If you have a sufficient loyal military presence on a planet (either in the form of loyal citizens of another race, or tanks) you can force most population types into slavery, provided that you have the "slave collar" technology. Gremak start with this tech, and any other factions can unlock it by buying slaves from a Marauder faction.

Sacrificing Slaves: Slaves normally produce only 1 wrench per turn. However, once per turn, per planet, you can sacrifice a unit of slave population to immediately add 100 wrenches to your current production project. Sacrificing slaves tends to create morale problems, however, it's worth knowing that Gremak colonists have a "no empathy" special trait that prevents them from taking morale penalties in this situation.

Slave Raids: Gremak Maruaders are now a special ground combat unit type, called "Marauder Raiders". Raiders can be built like tanks, though doing so requires knowledge of "Slave Collars". If you load raiders onto transports, you'll be given the option of performing a "raid" when in orbit of an enemy planet. Raids have a chance of capturing defending units of population as slaves. The Marauder NPC factions now prefer slave raiding to bombarding colonies, and you may find that marauder bases now contain enslaved populations from one or more nearby empires.

[bjg]

Sacrificing Slaves: Slaves normally produce only 1 wrench per turn. However, once per turn, per planet, you can sacrifice a unit of slave population to immediately add 100 wrenches to your current production project.

This is a very strange idea. How would you convert people into wrenches? A black magic seems to not fit the rest of the environment.

[SirDamnALot]

Sacrificing Slaves: Slaves normally produce only 1 wrench per turn. However, once per turn, per planet, you can sacrifice a unit of slave population to immediately add 100 wrenches to your current production project.

This is a very strange idea. How would you convert people into wrenches? A black magic seems to not fit the rest of the environment.

By working them to death. Certainly not a nice move, but seems in character for Gremak =)


Soo, what are events to raise/lower morale on a colony? I've seen yay/nay for liberation or invasion.
Do your regular colonists become unhappy? Like living on a planet on the lower edge of the habitable spectrum ("this place is a dump!")
Do negative/positive traits like the aforementioned liberation/invasion vanish over time? ("You invaded us" - "come on, that was 200 years ago!")

[sven]

This is a very strange idea. How would you convert people into wrenches? A black magic seems to not fit the rest of the environment.

It probably is a mistake to call this ability "sacrifice". That does make it sound like some sort of black magic. "Forced labor" is probably a better term.

[sven]

Soo, what are events to raise/lower morale on a colony? I've seen yay/nay for liberation or invasion.
Do your regular colonists become unhappy? Like living on a planet on the lower edge of the habitable spectrum ("this place is a dump!")

Right now, you'll get minuses for destroying planets, bombing population, or working people to death. Living on a planet with a species you don't like will also create a penalty. And if you're at war with a race's original empire, that will create a penalty. Some race types receive morale bonuses for being on a planet with improvements that they like: Orthin get morale bonuses from the research activity and labs, humans from City Planning. Gremak get a small morale bonus for destroying enemy planets. We'll be adding more or these sorts of perks and penalties as the system becomes further fleshed out.

Do negative/positive traits like the aforementioned liberation/invasion vanish over time? ("You invaded us" - "come on, that was 200 years ago!")

Morale bonuses / penalties associated with an event usually expire after 15 turns, though the time can vary by event type.

[bjg]

"Forced labor" is probably a better term.

A 100x production increase doesn't sound plausible. Maybe you make all slaves work hard, so certain percentage dies of overwork (or by executing the "worst" one) - but the math would be different (10x total number of affected slaves for example).

[SirDamnALot]

Soo, what are events to raise/lower morale on a colony? I've seen yay/nay for liberation or invasion.
Do your regular colonists become unhappy? Like living on a planet on the lower edge of the habitable spectrum ("this place is a dump!")

Right now, you'll get minuses for destroying planets, bombing population, or working people to death. Living on a planet with a species you don't like will also create a penalty. And if you're at war with a race's original empire, that will create a penalty. Some race types receive morale bonuses for being on a planet with improvements that they like: Orthin get morale bonuses from the research activity and labs, humans from City Planning. Gremak get a small morale bonus for destroying enemy planets. We'll be adding more or these sorts of perks and penalties as the system becomes further fleshed out.

Do negative/positive traits like the aforementioned liberation/invasion vanish over time? ("You invaded us" - "come on, that was 200 years ago!")

Morale bonuses / penalties associated with an event usually expire after 15 turns, though the time can vary by event type.

Looking forward to it, sounds all very good =)

"Forced labor" is probably a better term.

A 100x production increase doesn't sound plausible. Maybe you make all slaves work hard, so certain percentage dies of overwork (or by executing the "worst" one) - but the math would be different (10x total number of affected slaves for example).

I don't think it is meant as a factor, just a flat 100 unit bonus.

[bjg]

I don't think it is meant as a factor, just a flat 100 unit bonus.

Yes, a 100 (hundred) by killing someone who would otherwise produce 1 (one). If a black magic isn't involved it's a 100x productivity increase. How is it plausible?

[Arioch]

We will adjust the numbers as necessary. We want slaves to be useful for Gremak-style play without making them mandatory for everyone to use, and one way to do that is to require the slaver to "spend" them to get maximum use, and then need to acquire more.

As for the plausibility of the production boost, it doesn't seem to me to be any more implausible than the buyout feature, in which workers can suddenly become hundreds of times more productive just because you paid them more. Sometimes gameplay comes before plausibility.

[bjg]

... the buyout feature, in which workers can suddenly become hundreds of times more productive just because you paid them more.

I've never thought about the buyout this way. I thought you are rather hiring some high level consultants, that's why you usually can't buyout under blockade.

[Arioch]

If you can think of better ways to make slaves useful, I'm always glad to hear suggestions.

[bjg]

If you can think of better ways to make slaves useful, I'm always glad to hear suggestions.

I sort of did.

[Ashbery76]

If you can think of better ways to make slaves useful, I'm always glad to hear suggestions.

Have them for lunch to improve growth rates.Like the Harvester's in Moo3.

[SirDamnALot]

If you can think of better ways to make slaves useful, I'm always glad to hear suggestions.

Gremaks make the impression on me that they are quite happy with slaves. So a small bonus/penalty when they have/lack (their favorite ?) slaves on a colony. And taking slaves from factions/species is a certain way to not get invited to parties anymore.

Have the option (decided once before the engangement) to let slaves be the first on the frontline for ground combat,
e.g. if a ground unit loses in the internal card game, a slave pop takes the hit instead.
Of course, that makes the slave pop rebellious unhappy

As an alternative thought, more in line with bjg: "Sacrifice" would mean that the slave pop creates more wrenches per turn (and nothing else), but results in negative pop growth.So no instant boost but a deadly "crunch phase" until decreed otherwise or extinction.
Of course, that makes the slave pop rebellious unhappy

[bjg]

You can train and sell them, but it requires some new mechanics.