Supremacy OP?

[Jinavajra]

I've been wondering what the most effective way is to rank up science and culture quickly and the answer is....

Supremacy!

With Purity, I had 18 affinity at turn 350, with Supremacy I had it by 250. My science count was triple of my purity game. I had about 7-12 policies in all 4 trees. In my purity game, I was 7 affinities ahead. In supremacy, I was 13 ahead. (low difficulty, I'm still learning the game).

It might be that I was playing better, but I'm sure I wasn't playing THAT better. It seems that almost every culture or science building is Supremacy related, to me anyways.

Eh, anyone agree disagree maybe?

 

[MechMedic130]

Different resources maybe? Different quest decisions? A lot of things can effect what you have more of between games.

 

[Jinavajra]

So you don't think Supremacy has a lot higher science yield potential than others?

 

[MechMedic130]

I'm not sure, I haven't really played Supremacy yet, mainly Purity and Harmony so I can't speak for sure but I know there are some things that can cause some BIG differences from game to game. External trade routes is another big one. I used internal mainly one game and external another and my tech gap was fairly large.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

The Neurolab is a pretty big boost, but so is the Xenonursery. In that respect Putity is somewhat lacking in the science department, but it has Gene Gardens and Bionic Labs for health and the strongest early affinity unit. I would say that the affinities feel overall balanced.

 

[s0nny80y]

3 science per firaxite resource coupled with building modifiers for a whopping 5 science plus 10% (building modifier I forget whatsitcalled) helps.

 

[Prophet Skeram]

I think, overall, the factions are pretty balanced.

Supremacy has the best potential science and culture (combined) yield through its lategame buildings and it also has the best 3 Affinity bonus (no maintenance for roads and magrails), but it has the hardest/most tedious victory condition, the other Affinity boni aren't great and it's not a very focused Affinity, which can delude your game plan a bit. I also hate that the Angel unit has equal melee and range strength but only has a range of 1 and can't take cities (wtf ?). Supremacy is still my favorite Affinity overall because the flavor (primarily found in the wiki) is so awesome.

Harmony has both the easiest/least stressful victory condition and the best potential culture yield, but its Affinity boni are not that great and the science and health boni through buildings are also not especially great. It's still a great Affinity for a peaceful victory with a somewhat smaller empire and healing in miasma is really powerful, especially if you spread it around.

Purity has the best 1 Affinity bonus by far, the best early special unit and the biggest boni towards health through buildings and improvements, but it's lacking in the culture and science department. This Affinity seems best for an aggressive, expansionistic approach while also providing a rather easy victory condition. I could really live without the constant emo speeches whenever I reach a new Purity level, though - I think I got it after the second or third one that Purity fans Really miss Earth.

 

[stealth_nsk]

Overall even on highest difficulty level you end up with 8 in both side affinities, which opens all buildings, I believe. Surely, order of getting buildings differs depending on affinity, but not critical.

However, the difference in units makes affinities really unique. I found Supremacy to be really strong here with their 4-range artillery. Purity is good with their Battlesuits which don't require affinity resources, and LEV tanks are really cool, but not THAT cool. I was unable to taste Harmony in combat yet.

 

[Loucypher]

Harmony in combat is probably their weakest point. Xeno Swarm is kinda meh, but Xeno Cavalry makes for a fun and fast unit with a powerful punch. The Rocktopus is too slow to be great - except once you upgrade it, it then becomes pretty damn powerful, but it's still mostly a defensive unit. The Xeno Titan, however, hoo lordy. That thing eats cities like nobody's business.
The trick with fighting with Harmony units however is to do so in Miasma. You get some huge advantages there.

 

[Ryoga]

I didn't find any significant technological advantage for supremacy in my games, I tend to finish the planetary wonder more or less at the same turn with any affinity.

Supremacy has however the fastest victory condition after that. I managed to do it in 10 turns without much effort.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

Do you define an affinity's strength by affinity bonuses and buildings/units unlocked by affinity levels, or do you also look at the technolgies you need to research to get points in that affinity ? If we take techs into account Purity is definitely not lacking in the culture department thanks to +1 cclture from Biowells and the awesome Holomatrix.

 

[Aldahen]

Supermacy does have the best bonuses to science.
If you stick all the buildings unlocked by supermacy techs and all the buildings requiring supermacy to a city you'll get: +11 points and +40% into science. Especially the +40% combined with international trade routes is very strong.

The same bonus for purity is +10 and +10% and for harmony +9 and +10%.

(If a building gets additional bonus per a resources worked by the city it is assumed there is one resource)

 

[Rellin]

Supremacy is the strongest for sure. Harmony seems easier/more common.

 

[Soffacet]

Supremacy has the most bonuses to science, that's just a matter of fact. Firaxite can be a pretty huge bottleneck, though. Neurolabs need a source in the city, Hypercores need 4 each, and Furnace is a desirable building that needs 2 each as well. The Brutal Efficiency policy is borderline required. Borrowing from AIs helps as well.

The other affinities have bonuses that make them better at other things, though.

 

[Jinavajra]

I do not doubt the other affinities have their own benefits, but how can those bonuses compete for the massive science Supremacy can pump out? Harmony might have an easier victory condition, but I will get my 13 affinity way before them, and Purity might have a very strong 4 affinity unit, but I will always be a step ahead them, if they wait too long, that will become two steps. Or five.

 

[Soffacet]

I do not doubt the other affinities have their own benefits, but how can those bonuses compete for the massive science Supremacy can pump out? Harmony might have an easier victory condition, but I will get my 13 affinity way before them.

As 10% from cities with Firaxite starting at (4) can hardly be considered decisive, the science advantage you're talking about doesn't really kick in until Organ Printer (8) and Hypercore (10). I.e. not until the game is almost over anyways. Even then, Organ Printer comes at the same level as Molecular Forge, which has a 10% quest. So Supremacy won't decisively pull away until Hypercore, and even then at four firaxite per, there is a legitimate question as to how many of those can be built. So while in an infinitely long game there is no doubt that Supremacy would finish the tech tree first, I highly doubt that there is enough time between 10 affinity and 13, to create the massive discrepancy you are talking about at that stage.