Introduction:

The Sowers have been my most played faction in ES 1 and i always hoped to see them return for the second game.

This of course didnt happen and since two of their most defining faction traits have made an reappearance without them.

 - growing pops with (mostly) industry with Riftborn

 - colonizing planets without the appropriate techs via ecologist law

I believe that it is highly unlikely we will ever see them in ES 2 in their ES 1 form. So what if instead they would be changed in a way that turns them into something unique inside ES 2.

Bevor i beginn i want to say that i dont want to tell Amplitude how they should develop their game this is merely an thought experiment how i would implement the Sowers into the game that i decided to share. (read: Fanfiction)

Accurate Lore Summery:

The Sowers where created by the virtual Endless as sentient terraforming equipment. Once the virtual Endless all died (citation needed) the Sowers didnt really notice at first, they where content just doing their job. After terraforming the planet they were assigned to they waited for new orders and noticed a distinct lack of glowing golden translucent figures. Since then they have been on quest to terraform the entire galaxy because if they do their job good enough their masters will surely return for them.

Traits:

Dust Based Industry:

100% of Industry is converted to Dust (after all modifiers have been applied to both resources)

(conversion rate is 0.5+0.5xDust-Inflation)

Uses Dust to construct Systemimprovements and Ships

(If something is inside the Systems construction que it will use all the Dust it produces to perform a partial buyout each turn. Once you research buyout-tech you could in theory only go for full buyouts, if you like to micromanage that way)

Endless Machines:

Population doesnt grow

Population can be bought using Dust

Population consumes Dust instead of Food

Galactic Gardeners (Faction Affinity)

System are assigned an Eden-Level

Eden-Level is determined by the amount of Food produced inside the System

Low Eden-Level decreases Dust-, Science- and Influenceproduction

Hight Eden-Level Increases Dust-, Science- and Influenceproduction also grants small Approval bonus

Eden-Level is not capped, Foodproduction requirements scale exponential, bonuses scale linear.

(since Sowers dont eat, Foodproduction instead is used to show their progress in creating the perfect worlds)

(insert minor Traits here)

Sower Population bonuses:

Notable Techtree Changes:

primary terraforming tech unlocks with Rare Earth Foams

advanced terraforming tech unlocks with Evaporation Inhibitors

Climate Engineering unlocks two additional planet types to terraform into

Atoll or Ocean -> Paradise

Forrest or Terran -> Garden

Behemoth get more expensive but stronger terraforming modules. Once the Climate Engineering is unlocked allies of Sower players may terraform their planets into Paradise or Garden worlds as long as an sower Behemoth with at least one terraforming module is in the system.

Gameplay

Quite straightforward you terraform planets wich rewards you with FIDS which you then use to terraform more planets, until the entire galaxy is an beautiful garden waiting for the inevitable return of the virtual Endless, also has anybody seen the other factions? 

Notes:

In my opinion the problem with implementing the Sowers in ES 2 is that we already have the Riftborn as an industrious robotic faction. So i thought well since they are machines made by the Endless why not switch their primary resource to Dust apart from the Lumeris no faction specializes in Dustproduction and the Lumeris are way more trade focused.

The Popbuy mechanic is copied from the broken Lords but thats where the similaritys end.

It was important for me to not outright remove Food because it is one of the resources you gain most from terraforming and with the Sowers you should always want to terraform. Thats why Food is now one of the most important resources to them maybe even more important than to most other factions

The Sowers would be good not as a major but a minor, we already have the Sophons, Horatio, United Empire, Cravers, and Hissho as major powers, all first appeared in ES1, while the pilgrims, Yussho (ES1 Hissho), and harmony are minor factions.