Gargon667
Mentor
Problem with culture is straightforward, as Pauly7 wrote. However, the problem with population is also there. It comes mainly from the event buildings that are able to replace factories. Hypothetical example: if I get all my needed T2 production from special buildings and don’t have any T2 manufactory, my working population (and used culture) will be lower than if I used the manufactories instead. There is also some bonus space gained (not that much), but what I place in such space certainly won’t consume the same amount of population (and culture).
In other words using non-standard (event) buildings to optimize the city used to have only positive effects on the city.*) However, in the newest chapter it has also negative effect: on Unurium production.
*) Said by a player who doesn’t pursue high ranking score. City that is optimized using event buildings tends to have lower ranking than similarly developed city that mainly uses standard buildings. The reasons are exactly the same as the reasons for lower Unurium production.
Just to offer a different point of view: This change may just make those entirely useless buildings called residences (or in your example T2 factories) a tiny little bit more useful. A residence (or T2 factory) has absolutely no right to exist before this change, now one can say, yes it is a crap building but compared to pop/culture Hybrid buildings (or spire sets) it at least helps with unurium production. I find it actually a good idea to give standard buildings a boost. Just like pre chapter 15 WS they badly need boosting. Inno acknowledged the fact for WS in chapter 15. Now in chapter 17 they go at boosting other useless buildings. Btw just another analogy: chapter 16 made culture a thing again (a resources that is entire useless before chapter 16).
Magic Residences on the other hand have always been better than pop/cult event hybrids and will be even more so now. So no real change there.
Said by a player who does not intend to ever play this chapter...