Philosophy

An archetype is the attribute given to empires in the Space stage. There are 10 archetypes in Spore. The default of Wanderer is given to any species starting in Space, while the remaining 9 can only be obtained through playing earlier phases, completing a 'change archetype' mission (with the exception of Knights) or by using the 'setConsequenceTrait' cheat.

The archetype and its associated philosophy are given to the player's species depending upon the number of green, blue or red cards their species gained as it evolved. Each card is determined by play style and the last card achieved. The cards the player has obtained and their current trait for the current stage can be seen at any time using the history time line of their species. Alien species in the Space Stage also have their own archetypes

The 10 Archetypes
Each archetype provides a short analogy of the play style so far through the stages and a special ability that is unique to the archetype. Each archetype has an associated philosophy, of which there are 8. Wanderer and Diplomat follow the same philosophy, the Philosophy of Order, as do Warrior and Knight, who follow the Philosophy of Force.

Bard (Philosophy of Chance)
"Bards are the social, outgoing entertainers of the cosmos. The galaxy is their personal playground." Bards receive the Soothing Song ability which, upon activation, boosts relations with the species that occupy the system temporarily. The ability sets the relationship to 0 (neutral) and lasts for 2 minutes.

The Bard philosophy can be reached by having 1 green card, 2 blue cards, and 1 red card. The optimal layout is Omnivore (more edible food in creature and tribal), Social (good for spice), Agressive (bad passive powers, but the blue card is used for civilization stage), Economic (more spice production from colonies)

Diplomat (Philosophy of Order)
"Diplomats are negotiators and problem solvers. Peace will come to the galaxy only through open communication between species." Diplomats receive the Static Cling ability which, upon activation, immobilizes all enemy ships and turrets on the planet. The ability lasts for two minutes. The optimal layout is the same as the Bard layout, but as a friendly tribe.

The Diplomat philosophy can be reached by having blue and green cards, an equal number if starting from cell or tribe, or just two of one and one of the other from creature.

Ecologist (Philosophy of Life)
"Ecologists are the protectors of nature. Species that attempt to exploit and corrupt the galaxy must be exterminated." Ecologists receive the Safari Vacuum ability which, upon activation, instantly abducts 2 members of each species from the planet. This can be very useful if the player is on a mission to abduct one of every life-form on that planet.

The Ecologist philosophy can be reached by having 2 green cards, 1 blue card, and 1 red card. The optimal layout is Omnivore (more foods) Predator (good passive) Friendly (gracious greeter is perhaps one of the best abilities) and Religious (fewer Eco-disasters is always a good thing).

Knight (Philosophy of Force)
"Knights are noble warriors that fight for right, not for personal gain. Peace will come to the galaxy only when evil has been vanquished" Knights receive the Summon Mini-U ability which, upon activation, summons a miniature clone of your spaceship that acts as an allied spaceship. It also should be noted that Knight empires cannot be NPCs (however Platinum Spore presumably adds the ability for NPC knights to spawn). Summon Mini-U also cannot be received from adventures. So it is best to start out as one and gather points for getting other super weapons.

The Knight philosophy can be reached by having 1 green card, 1 blue card and 2 red cards. The best layout for a knight is Carnivore (bigger fuel supply) Predator (Increase your space-craft's health by 150%) Friendly (empires like you more) and Economic (More spice from your colonies). Please note that sometimes it is in fact impossible to follow this route as it is not always so that Economic cities will appear for you. In that case you must start all over.

If a creature you made is a Warrior, if you reach them with another one of your Empires, your Knight empire will appear as and function as a Warrior, because Knights are noble Warriors (Although, the Platinum Spore mod allows them to be Knights).

Scientist (Philosophy of Science)
"Scientists are logical and calculating. The galaxy exists to be studied and understood." Scientists receive the Gravitation Wave ability which, upon use, will destroy every city and tribe on a planet. Note that this breaches the galactic code and using it gives a negative relationship penalty of -30 for all empires within 10 parsecs. The best layout for them is Carnivore (bigger energy tanks) Predator (More health) Industrious (They start out with an Economic city, giving them a boost towards Economic) and Economic (more spice)

The Scientist (philosophy) philosophy can be reached by having red and blue cards, an equal number if starting from cell or tribe, or just two of one and one of the other from creature.

Shaman (Philosophy of Harmony)
"Shamans understand that all life shares a common bond. The entire galaxy exists within us all." Shamans receive the Return Ticket ability, which upon activation teleports the player to their home system.

The Shaman philosophy can be reached by having 3 or 4 green cards. The remaining card can be of any colour. You can also get one green card in a game that started in civilization stage. The best layout for your remaining card is to use it in Civilization stage as an Economic (more spice, plus it pairs well with being a friendly creature). As an alternative for a final card, you may want prime specimen for your ship, as more health could be used for a longer time before you use Return Ticket to escape the fight.

Trader (Philosophy of Prosperity)
"Traders are in it for the profit. Their only allegiance is to the almighty Sporebuck." Traders receive the Cash Infusion ability that, upon use, will instantly fill the financial takeover meter for the solar system the planet is in.

The Trader philosophy can be reached by having 3 or 4 blue cards. The remaining card can be of any colour. It is best for the remaining card to be green in the Tribe stage (empires like you more)

Wanderer (Philosophy of Order)
"Wanderers want to sample a little bit of everything. The galaxy is vast and they want to experience it all" Wanderers originally received the Species Shuffler, but it was later removed. To change the philosophy of a wanderer race, the player must obtain a good relationship with an empire that follows that philosophy and eventually you will be able to request a mission to change archetypes.

The Wanderer philosophy cannot be reached by playing from cell stage and collecting cards. It is only given to races starting in the space stage.

Warrior (Philosophy of Force)
"Warriors take what they want and never ask for permission. The galaxy is a prize to be claimed by the strongest." Warriors receive the Raider Rally ability which, upon use, opens a pirate portal on the planet.

The Warrior philosophy can be reached by having 3 or 4 red cards. The remaining card can be of any color. However, if you started in the Tribal Stage, 2 red cards are enough; the same goes for one red card if you started from the Civ Stage. the other card can be: A. Omnivore (more food) B. Social (empires like you more) C. Economic (more spice)

Zealot (Philosophy of Faith)
"Zealots are certain that their beliefs are the only truth that matters. Those who do not feel the same way are not worthy to exist in this galaxy." Zealots receive the Fanatical Frenzy ability which, upon use, converts the system to your empire. However, this ability breaches the Galactic Code.

The Zealot philosophy can be reached by having red and green cards, an equal number if starting from cell or tribe, or just two of one and one of the other from creature. The best layout is Carnivore, Predator, Social, and Religious.

Path To Each Archetype
There are many ways to obtain each archetype and its philosophy depending upon your species behavior in each phase of its evolution.

The table below shows how to get each archetype. The table is ordered by phases gone through. Visiting each archetype's page will display a smaller table showing only the paths for that archetype. It is known that you are able to "skip" Tribal and Civilization stages by beating Creature Stage and then using a new file with that creature. These paths are generally undocumented.

Power Monger Effect and Testing
There has been a controversy regarding the effect of the consequence ability Power Monger. It has been suggested it really only increases the efficiency of all weapons. The following test was performed and it shows the effect is not limited to weapons.

Two games were played (both on easy level). The first game was started on space stage, thus as a wanderer. The second was started on the cell stage in the following manner (carnivore, predator, friendly, religious), thus as a zealot. To test the energy usage, the starting laser and the crop circle social tool was used. The laser was fired continuously and the time it takes for the laser to shut down from lack of power was recorded. The ship was then recharged and the number of crop circles that could be placed before running out of energy was recorded. No cheats were used, and no upgrades purchased to the spaceship.


 * Without Power Monger: 20 crop circles, 48 sec. laser


 * With Power Monger: 30 crop circles, 72 sec. laser

This shows that the Power Monger effect is not limited to weapons. It actually provides 50% extra energy capacity. This was probably intentional, as the next red consequence ability grants 1.5x health. The reference to increasing weapon efficiency was probably related to the assumption that mainly military archetypes (zealot, knight, warrior) would seek that particular trait.

Changing Philosophies
In order to change your philosophy, you must do the following:

(Spoiler Warning) The format is "setConsequenceTrait cell_carnivore/omnivore/herbivore or tribe/civ_aggressive/mixed/social" If any of this confuses you, go to the cheat page on this wiki. WARNING:  Using this cheat as well as some others disables any further achievements. Go to the cheat page for a complete list of achievement-disablers as well as how to solve that problem.
 * 1) Find an empire of the desired philosophy. You can find out an empire's philosophy by choosing "Diplomacy -&gt; Tell me about your race."
 * 2) Take a look at its Empire-tier Value, (the little yellow star with a number in it) if it is already 4 or 5 jump to the next step. If it is 1-3, ask the Empire to attack neighboring systems and assist them to ensure they succeed.  In this way you can force an empire to expand, effectively increasing their Empire-tier Value.
 * 3) Become their ally.
 * 4) Go into "Missions -&gt; Teach me your ways".
 * 5) Do the associated philosophy quest.
 * 6) Return to receive your change in philosophy, which also changes your Archetype to one of the associated archetypes. This gives you an achievement.
 * 1) If you Hit control+shift+c, a text box will come up. Type in "help", it will show a list of all the cheats which can be used in the space stage. one of these is setConsequenceTrait, which automatically gives you a personality card for a phase you have not played or a phase which you have skipped.

Archetype of Pollinated Species
Species that are pollinated into a game from the online Sporepedia do not bring with them the philosophy they were originally created with. For example, a species that collected only green and or blue trait cards during its progression may nonetheless, when added to a game as pollinated content, spawn in with the warrior or zealot archetype.

The Grox Archetype
The Grox empire that resides around and within the Galactic Core has an archetype that is inaccessible to players and pollinated empires alike without hacks. This archetype creates a very horrible attitude from the Grox to the player and anyone else who dares go near their empire.

This unique archetype also makes it much more difficult to ally with Grox, and much easier to anger them. Fans have nick-named this Archetype "Groxology" or "Groxism".

Videos
thumb|300px|left|By LuminarNightblade

A video on how to determine an alien empire's archetype. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCrjDBc1qRk&feature=related

Filosofía Archetypy Философии