The ship component provides the colony with an orbital population, without colonists on the ship itself. It will be smaller in size, but more expensive than the Ark Module. For example, 200 000 tons and a Cost 500 or 1000, providing the same 200 000 population.
Due to the smaller size of the component, the “robot habitat” stations will be easier to transport by tugs, but their cost will be significantly higher. They will also be of little use after terraforming the planet, since they will not be able to unload their “population” onto it.
It will also make some players’ dreams of using robots or creating fully mechanical races come true. You can also spend the entire human/xenos population on Forced Labor Camps, and use robots as Labor Camps Overseers.
I’m not against the idea in principle, but there are a few caveats.
It would have to be carefully balanced as population is a limited resource and the robots would have no environmental concerns (which is why the Robot Ark concept works well).
There might be some interface issues. For example, are robots a different species for population purposes, or a new line on the population summary.
There are already ‘robots’ in the game in terms of automated mines, or the many industrial ship modules that don’t need population. The robots would have to more expensive than those, or they would be rendered obsolete.
Perhaps give them constant fuel and maintenance costs as spare parts and energy source, costly research or mineral cost. So only low population worlds would think of going to that route
A few things to potentially consider as balancing factors.
1.The robots could cost currency and or minerals as upkeep.
2. Making robots without reproduction capacity might be another way of limiting balance concerns.
3. As far as environmental concerns robots could potentially have environmental limitations. It could be general as for example only working up to twice the max gravity as humans or robots could have races/types designed by the player. In the robot race/type case one might design a robot race/type to work in high pressure, high heat, or low gravity … . Done this way optionally more technology research could be included to unlock these options and a research/engineering project to unlock. Perhaps mandate an engineering project. The robot race/type option could have the advantage for balance that those working in more extreme environments could cost more.
4. Robots could potentially respond differently to aliens than other populations. I suspect unrest would not be natural for a robot population. But also that an enemy might be able with time and dedicated units (either ground or ship based) suborn/co-opt robots. They might also be able to shut them down temporary with electronic warfare units. The ideas in this 4th point while potentially useful for balance and interesting in their own right might be overly complicated to start.
5. Unlike the original person making the suggestion I am assuming/suggesting robots will be a ground based not space based population.
