Proposal to change "Brackene flow" research tree place to an earlier spot (or some seaquine buffs idk)

[cheeees]

While starting a new colony in Manrinea minor I got to the realization that you can't properly use seaquines until getting orbital research data with spaced out enabled.

Originally I was going to propose changing just the aquatic critter fountain to be accessed earlier but after some thought. Shouldn't brackene flow be moved earlier in the research tree?

Putting the buildings in the "food repourposing"  research could change the game in a benefitial way, first it would allow seaquines to be used early game, because again I have to say it
REQUIRING orbital research data to use a critter that spawns in the biome next to the starting biome is,  c o n f u s i n g dessicion making.

Moving the buildings to that research or to just  needing material research wouldn't really break the game because the regular milking station can only be used with Moos anyways, and there really isn't any access to moos until very late in the game.

With this change it would also make critter fountains a lot more appealing to use since it will be unlocked earlier in the game and give the plant pulverizer a new way to shine.
If this happens it would make it so in early or mid game, players could use the critter fountian with the cost of the materials for the plant pulverizer and the duplicant labor needed.
(maybe some rebalancing to the recipes could be needed or a nerf to brackene)

And because getting caviar seems to be something players should be getting around mid game or late game, keeping the gleaner locked behind orbital research seems like a good trade off; you would only be able to get ovolene from the seaquines but wouldn't be able to get caviar yet. Plus it would add a chance to use ovolene for a new food.

 

I'm not sure if this seems a little too unbalaced/game breaking but my point is that it would be nice to be able to use seaquines earlier because by the point you get the orbital data you are better off by ranching glo squids than the niche use of seaquines for caviar. (Glo squids give more kcal and the squid ink for critter fountians)

Also added an abstract representation of the subject bc I thought it would be funi.

Edited May 28 by cheeees

[Tenedas]

don't know if i get your point, i find them to be quite nice even just for food early game, there's really no requirement to use this critter at all. Clampum feeds on sand so really not that hard.

One Seaquine is sustained even by only 2 wild clampum without too much work and you get some seafood and slime even before auto-sweepers.
I like the idea that at some point the player unlocks new research and go back to improve on the stable instead of set and forget. 

Only sad thing for the moment is that aquatic grooming station doesn't count as grooming station and you need a regular one to ranch em:

[cheeees]

6 minutes ago, Tenedas said:

don't know if i get your point, i find them to be quite nice even just for food early game, there's really no requirement to use this critter at all. Clampum feeds on sand so really not that hard.

One Seaquine is sustained even by only 2 wild clampum without too much work and you get some seafood and slime even before auto-sweepers.
I like the idea that at some point the player unlocks new research and go back to improve on the stable instead of set and forget. 

Only sad thing for the moment is that aquatic grooming station doesn't count as grooming station and you need a regular one to ranch em:

Well yes, seaquines don't really need too much imput and can be ranched withouth much trouble.

My point was more about how the benefits they give feel very small.
If you evolve them to meat you only get 1000kcal of fish fillet, if you crack the eggs you get 1600kcal of raw egg and 1kg of egg shell.
The thing is they bad for food, you can't use them for thier unique trait until you get the milking station and they are accesible in the very next biome to the starting one and are outclassed by beakons in terms of kcal.

Orehulls, Seaquines, and Glo squids all have the same reproduction rate.
Beakons, and blowters have a faster reproduction speed and give 1000kcal of fish fillet, beakon eggs give 1200kcal of raw egg and blowter eggs give 1600kcal + 1Kg of egg shell.

Even if the fishy have more mass of materials requiered to feed them you can also get orehulls, and they can infinetely be feed with tower kelp, give 6000kcal of raw shell fish when they die, give free metal ore, can sustainably be ranched with the same materials they poop, and have the same reproduction rate of Seaquines.

A similar thing goes for glo squids. When you compare all the critters of the DLC, at least to me, Seaquines feel less usefull than all of the others, since ranching them for food can be done better with any other critter and their unique mechanic of producing ovolone is not that usefull right now.

 

Also fun fact, as it is right now, all the aquatic ranching stations have no room requirement. (Which I really hope it stays like that)

[Lacero]

I can't make any sense of the slime output.  it's such a tiny amount I can't see algae, or mushrooms, as being practical at all.

A full stable of 12 gives you 4(.6875) mushrooms.  if they were exhuberant and tended, maybe that isn't completely pointless?

You could also turn it into algae + ph20.  enough ph20 to run a single fertilizer machine (ish).  I dunno I don't get it, I feel like I'm missing something.

pearl you can save it all up for a one off building project at least.