I know this has been beat to death for *decades* now, but it's been about 15 years since i played MOO2 and it seems quite different than what I remember.
It seems to me there are fairly optimized Pick configurations:
1) Creative
-Repulsive
-Population Growth
+Creative
+Subterranean
+Unification
2) Non-Creative
Silicoids
At least this is what I do best with. I really like the Silicoids. A big advantage of Silicoids is that by doing away with Food and Waste, you eliminate the need for many techs, so not being Creative isn't much of a sacrifice.
As for the Creative configuration, it seems to me that -Population growth isn't a big factor, because you can quickly get Cloning Centers anyway, and just build those. Combined with building Housing, you can grow plenty fast enough, even with Subterranean. Subterranean is superior to almost any other economic bonus because more population is more valuable than added status to population. It is a little slower start than if you take +Industry or Rich/Artifact Home world, but not terribly so, and it hits like a truck by the mid-game. I'd always pick Subterranean over +Industry/Food/Science. More pop = better all around.
It seems to me there are fairly optimized Pick configurations:
1) Creative
-Repulsive
-Population Growth
+Creative
+Subterranean
+Unification
2) Non-Creative
Silicoids
At least this is what I do best with. I really like the Silicoids. A big advantage of Silicoids is that by doing away with Food and Waste, you eliminate the need for many techs, so not being Creative isn't much of a sacrifice.
As for the Creative configuration, it seems to me that -Population growth isn't a big factor, because you can quickly get Cloning Centers anyway, and just build those. Combined with building Housing, you can grow plenty fast enough, even with Subterranean. Subterranean is superior to almost any other economic bonus because more population is more valuable than added status to population. It is a little slower start than if you take +Industry or Rich/Artifact Home world, but not terribly so, and it hits like a truck by the mid-game. I'd always pick Subterranean over +Industry/Food/Science. More pop = better all around.