quote:
Originally posted by Krakenup:
When you colonize a planet, there could be a chance that plants and animals are already there. The animals could range from highly trainable animals that would give you a production bonus (possibly only if you built an animal training facility), to vicious beasts that attack and eat your population unless you build a security facility, to really tasty animals that increase happiness. The plants could also be tasty or provide an organic bonus equivalent to a free farm or be so aggressive that they prevent farming without an extension agent facility.
Just some ideas.
There was apparently a plan to have "monster" troops at one point. I'm guessing, since it was only a comment in the data files, but that would probably involve an "indigenous" life form that you would find on certain planets and could capture/train as a type of troop. I doubt you could get them to wear environment suits, so they'd be restricted to the atmosphere type they are native to. They could still be very interesting as a variant on standard mechanized troops.
I still like the idea of a 'plague' variant in the form of an addictive substance. What if you landed on a planet and found that there was something common as grass that had an effect like cocaine on your race? Production would be ruined, and the stuff would start spreading all over your empire unless you spent resources on security measure to try to control it...