I'm going to start a list of the areas I think have the greatest balance issues. This isn't necessary everything I think could use some tweaking, but its the stuff that most stands out to me right now. I will also include a few things that are just plain strange that need correcting. I will add to the list later as I consider other things. Would love to get counterfeedback from others who have played the game longer.

Legend: OP = Overpowered, UP = Underpowered, * = weird, something is off

Citizens / Leaders

·        +1 culture trait (OP): Much stronger than most leader traits by a good bit, and its so random which feels bad.

·        Traders (*): Unless I’m missing something, there is nothing against me creating a bunch of trade ships, send them close to their destinations, switch a bunch of people to traders, trade, and then switch them back. I now have “negative licenses” but I don’t think I’m penalized for that in anyway.

Techs

• Defensive Studies (OP): This immediately raises your ship's defense from 0 to 3 on all ships. I wouldn't consider it the most powerful military tech of its time in raw strength (for example getting access to harpoon missiles if I have early antimatter can be quite strong), but the fact that it kicks in immediately gives it a major punch so early in the game. I consider it the most effective military booster at that point, and it can be a game changer whether you have it or not.

Resources

• Approval (OP): On any world I intend to go Manu and/or research, approval is king. Approval's boost is equal or better than one of the other two....but then it applies to both. On every planet that is not a money planet, first order of business is 100% approval, only then do I look at the others. The only exception is a major boost to Manu (like a +4 level bonus or something).

·         Food (UP): I never seem to have food problems in any of my games, at worst I have to switch a guy to farming every so often. Food seems plentiful in most runs, enough where I never need to dig hard on the agricultural buildings. Also seems like a bug right now, I’m not sure negative food even does anything.

Policies

• All HP/Defense Boosting Policies (*): All of the direct combat policies are OP at the moment because of the way policies work. For example, I want to take on a defended starbase. I switch to my combat boosters, gaining a major advantage in the combat, then immediately switch back to economic. As far as I can tell I have lost no bonuses from my economy, yet had a major edge in warfare. This kind of micromanagey exploit should not be encouraged.
• Security Lights (UP): Other bonuses seem much better, I can't find a time I would take this one.
• Coerced Colonization vs Protect the Planet: In general pollution’s biggest detractor to me is growth. Yes removing pollution on a farming planet is nice, but a general pollution reducer is really a growth enhancer. In this case, Coerced Colonization is far superior to PtP.
• Experimental Drives + Free Trade: ED is a great policy early in the exploration phase but tends to fall off. Meanwhile, Free Trade is harder to justify unless your trade income is insane. However…why not combine them. Trade ships greatly benefit from speed anyway, so one policy that enhances space and trade is one I would actually consider.

Buildings

·        Trade Network (UP): Considering the financial district gets +3% per level, its actually often better to build one of those over this building. I think either it should give a +2 to wealth adjacency, or increase its level multiplier to +4% or something cool.

Starbase Modules

·        Omega Starbase Defenses (UP): By the time you can bare the cost of this (especially in hyper silicates), +15 to weapon damage is actually not all that great. Fleets are large and support very high damage numbers at this point, a +15 to attack does not stop a good fleet from blowing you up. For this cost, I would expect +5 to everything (weapons and defenses). Even then I don’t know if that will stop a real fleet at this point in the game, but its at least a much better deterrent.

·        Offense/Defense in general (UP): Though I highlighted Omega SD above, I think all of the offense and defense modules are weak for what they offer. If they were just modules in cost it might be one thing, but often they require a lot of pricey strategic resources, and once your in the mid game fleet strength increases very rapidly. If nothing else, maybe increase the Stardock’s hitpoints with some of these modules.

Ideologies

Authority

• Iron Fist (UP): Control is not valuable enough to spend a precious culture point on.

Liberty

• Free Trade (UP): Very mediocre
• Self-Governance (OP): A free leader early in the game is really great, because money is so tight. But then you get a full +10% approval on all colonies, that is frankly the best economic bonus of all the policies in the game, especially when you can get it so early.

Harmony

• Preferred Culture (*): As the Krynn start with Harmony, I assumed that they didn't have a foreign species, and so this was basically a +10% approval bonus for all citizens. Instead...its a -5% bonus for all of their citizens.

Individual

• Flexible (UP): A bit on the weak side, especially for such an early tenant. I would rather it was later but stronger, or if kept in the same place, maybe stronger but on the homeworld only or something.

Cooperation

• Pioneering (UP): With the new executive orders to give me a colony ship here and there, I just don't find this needed, culture is too precious.
• Prepared (UP): +1 ship repair is just not that great, +2 would be solid.