Iconian Refuge - Worst Race?

...hmm... yah thats bad. I guess that kinda explains why ive yet to play a game where the Iconian Refuge was a threat.

They are the only race that starts with Starship defense and Armor Theory

I belive the iconians start with more research than any other race (they are a very old race after all) however because research tends to get thrown around like a primed grenade that advantage quickly dissapears

The iconians have a lot of spare points for abilities iirc.

Don't the Iconians have more points to put into other abilities?

The starting techs of the iconians are nearly queal to the Yor.

Both have Xeno Economy/Industrial Theory/Engineering, Hyperdrive and Stellar Cartographie
Icorian have this 2: starship defense and armor theory.
Yor have this 2: ion drive and galactic warfare.

I find the yors better because drives are most important at the start of the game.

@debe2233
The research bonus should be better. Maybe +50% to make it useful.

I think its a bug that you can change the abilities of a non-custom race.

Can't find the clue changing a normal race like every custom race. You can even reset all 10 ability points.

I played a game where the Iconian Refuge was the #1 race since about turn week 20. They had a huge research lead and a decent swath of planets, I believe they'd found some real gems plus they claimed a research resource. Anyway they conquered several empires and several minor races and I had to leave them alone for most of the game and just hope they didn't attack...

thankfully I was able to give them a class 10 planet for most of their technology, about halfway through the game, and at that point I could spare that planet since I'd claimed 80% of the once-vast Korx empire. Eventually crushed the Iconians with my very fast fleets that could pick and choose their battles.. reduced what had been the 'most powerful' military to 'least powerful' in about 20 turns. Most of their stuff turned out to be obsolete, and the new ships were just outnumbered and outmaneuvered. (At some points I wasn't able to defeat their fleets but I just conserved my forces and took out any transports that came toward my planets; once I finally had Dreadnaughts the tide turned)

All races get 10 ability points and you can assign unspent points yourself (or even unselect abilities) so no race is "weaker" than another.

All races get 10 ability points and you can assign unspent points yourself

Not exactly true (much like independance day, the movie). There are races that you can not change their abilites, at least in sandbox mode. They screen comes up yellow highlighted when you try. Like the humans never being able to have steller cartography changing abilities are simply not allowed either, that I have noted. Trust me, I would love to make the Thalen more diplomatic especially with their starting off tech, not allowed.

W/R
Suralle

You can mod them of course. Just not if your playing the metaverse, which I do.

Suralle

I know the Korx actually have, like, negative 2 ability points. But the Iconians have, what? Six ability points to spend? Still can't touch the starting tech, but still.

I've asked this before, but never seen an answer: in sandbox mode, do the AI races use the ability and government settings that you see on the screen - or do they have preset defaults that the AI uses regardless?

Example: I'm thinking about playing the Iconian Refuge and mess with their abilites. I change them to have all military abilities and no research bonus. I also make them the War Party. But, then I choose to play as the Terrans instead. Does the AI Iconion Refuge in that game play with the military bonuses, or their normal research?

I don't see the sence to modify/add further abilites to the races. If i can reset and make a Iconian Warrior race instead of a research race i could create a new custum race instead. You shouldn't have the possibility to 'reset' the complete ability screen.

The Yor btw lose the +100 loyality bonus if anything changed in the ability screen.

Weird thing for me. Should be more clarified.

I'm playing the Iconians right now. I spent their remaining points and now they're pretty good.

+10 Economy (default)
+20 Research (default)
+15 Morale
+10 Soldiering
+10 Social
Someothers I can't recall.

in my last game, I played as the Iconian Refuge....medium map, 5 other AI all on normal....and won a political victory. I don't think they were that bad.

If you spend any points in the ability screen for any race, they lose any special bonuses that they have that aren't on that screen. Things like logistic bonuses, and the +100 loyalty bonus another poster talked about. I'd suggest not messing with the abilities of any set race, and making a custom if that's what you want to do.

-Dewar

Is it possible to recover the default racial abilities? Cause not knowing any better, I wiped out the yor loyalty bonus and I want it back...if I press clear all i get is miniturization and logistics.

Not to mention they start off with an Initial Colony instead of a Civilization Capital, further gimping them.

They make up for any deficiencies by having really really cool looking ships

Iconians also start on a Class 15 world.

The A.I always seems to do well playing them.