I.T.C.B — Update 1.1.2: Luxury Is Optional. Apparently Housing Isn't.
Hello, Operators!
I've been listening to feedback and continuing to tune the new happiness model. One late-game loophole needed attention: a neglected resource such as Orbital Hab-Blocks could have so little influence on the overall average that overflowing warehouses elsewhere kept everyone perfectly happy.
The Bureau reviewed the argument that “there are no hab-blocks, but we have plenty of snacks.” The argument has been rejected.
This update adds a small guaranteed consequence for critical shortages of nonessential resources:
- Below 25% reserves:** any unlocked nonessential resource now guarantees an overall happiness loss of at least **1 point every 10 seconds.
- At 25% or above:** that additional safeguard stops. The resource continues to contribute through the existing happiness bands and faction weights.
- Essential resources retain their stronger protections. Their negative bands still force overall decline.
- The strongest shortage safeguard applies once. Multiple critical resources do not each add another guaranteed penalty, and the nonessential safeguard does not stack on top of the essential one.
- Widespread shortages can still cause greater losses. This is a minimum consequence for severe neglect, not a limit on how unhappy the population can become.
- Locked resources and resources without population demand are excluded. The population cannot complain about something your terminal has not translated yet. Give them time.
The intention is to keep prioritization and imperfect supply viable while making completely abandoning a late-game need a meaningful decision. Essentials remain the more urgent concern.
There are also a few clarity improvements:
- The happiness tooltip now identifies a critical nonessential shortage and the resource responsible.
- Resource details and card tooltips explain the new threshold and minimum decline.
- Faction rate descriptions now account for both types of shortage safeguard.
- The existing in-game happiness instructions have been updated to match.
The core reserve bands from 1.1.1 remain in place. This update also retains the recent market analysis, net-flow readouts, clearer audio controls, remembered settings, and other quality-of-life improvements.
Existing saves can continue without a restart of the campaign. The new rule takes effect when you resume with this version, so check your critical reserves—especially if your housing policy has recently consisted of pointing at the food warehouse.
Thank you for the feedback. I'll keep tuning the economy as players put it through its paces. Please keep reporting what feels too punishing, unclear, or suspiciously easy to ignore.