[Bug/Balance?] {2020-03-15 17:11:41 Build} Non-adult beetles can be used for breeding

[HofNerd]

Because there is no need for beetles to grow up before they can be used for reproduction, I can very rapidly breed better beetles. Is this intended?

 

[FranzIocane]

That was intended, but because they are normally not fully happy when they are still children when you do that, they take a big hit on happiness when you breed so it slows down that need and uses more resources and time to get back to full happiness. Doing missions with a beetle that isn't fully happy decreases success rates too and costs more Goop per clone you send out.

 

[HofNerd]

they take a big hit on happiness when you breed so it slows down that need and uses more resources and time to get back to full happiness.

But juiced beetles don't need to be happy anymore, do they?
By the way, I think the starting goop is a little bit high? For a new player that might cause them to have very few limitations at the very early start and cause them to get a little overwhelmed by all the breeding they can do? (At least that's what happened for me on the first time playing XD)
Maybe the player could get a little more goop from foraging instead? (To have them progress more gradually at the start)

 

[Liam]

But juiced beetles don't need to be happy anymore, do they?
By the way, I think the starting goop is a little bit high? For a new player that might cause them to have very few limitations at the very early start and cause them to get a little overwhelmed by all the breeding they can do? (At least that's what happened for me on the first time playing XD)
Maybe the player could get a little more goop from foraging instead? (To have them progress more gradually at the start)

I agree that when I started playing, the amount of goop I had made it feel near infinite and I didn't really care about happiness when breeding. Later on in the game I ran out and started to appreciate it more. Once I ran out, the balance between having to collect goop and spend goop felt OK to me. If you wanted to adjust this at the start, you could give some non-random bonus goop on the first 50 or so foraging missions equal to the reduction in starting amount. In this way you wouldn't change the balance of things later on.

 

[The vegetarian ant]

I agree that when I started playing, the amount of goop I had made it feel near infinite and I didn't really care about happiness when breeding. Later on in the game I ran out and started to appreciate it more. Once I ran out, the balance between having to collect goop and spend goop felt OK to me. If you wanted to adjust this at the start, you could give some non-random bonus goop on the first 50 or so foraging missions equal to the reduction in starting amount. In this way you wouldn't change the balance of things later on.

Well in my case I had realized I had to get more goop by foraging so I spent insane amounts of it and once it was done I didn't have enough goop to continue and when I sent my beetles to get more, the amount they were getting back was barely enough to replace those who died while foraging (then I went in sandbox and created a beetle that had 100 in each characteristics to get revenge)

 

[Liam]

I was finding a relatively reliable way to harvest goop later on was to do low level missions and then juice the reward beetles. Maybe this is not intended though, to be fair that did start to feel a bit grindy

 

[HofNerd]

I was finding a relatively reliable way to harvest goop later on was to do low level missions and then juice the reward beetles. Maybe this is not intended though, to be fair that did start to feel a bit grindy

I think increasing the goop reward for foraging farther away might help prevent that situation?

 

[FranzIocane]

I was finding a relatively reliable way to harvest goop later on was to do low level missions and then juice the reward beetles. Maybe this is not intended though, to be fair that did start to feel a bit grindy

That is definitely a thing. The whole dance on deciding to allow the eggs to be reacquired was an important choice and not as easy as it seems. The game is a bit grindy, though. I found myself enjoying the Sandbox mode quite a bit as just mucking about and crushing the irritating levels with impunity... that's fun. We so wanted to make a King-of-the-Hill level. /sigh

In reality it is possible to not have to do the egg juice thing. However, the parameters on the campaign are pretty tight and they are bit like spinning plate games, you just don't realize it's pushing you that way... until you're there. I find the most efficient non-gimpy way to make progress is to never let a Happy/full green beetle to ever sit in your base... they're pigs! They consume everything eventually. The find-new-beds-dance is also harsh, probably the most spinning plate action that happens. We didn't start this way, but there is some Diner Dash in this.