I can finally see your point, overlord2. Balance of races has to be redefined for each total ammount of points available. Cutting repulsive, there would be less effective points available. Also that the -10 is probably set in stone. The artificial cost for repulsive helps you.
I still think you should attempt to make picks's costs reflect their value. To make you feel any better, I played a uni-tol-rich race last evening. Those races DON't NEED the initial research, they act like they already had robo miners+atmospere renewer and colonize crazy from the start. Also using the housing on colonies. So I agree Uni=8 points, Dem=5.
Another fault of your way of thinking is that with it, you end up playing uni-tol forever, because of the way you arrange pick costs over their values.
A quick assignemnt of values, average of uni case + dem case, using this average allows for intelligent race design (fitting picks together more imaginatively):
population:
-8 -4 -> -6
+4 +2 -> +3
+6 +3 -> +5
Note that here you gave artificial values (too low) for positive growth costs, in the line of thinking that you need your uni+tol and everything else has to be small enough to fit in (the first column is for uni races)
farming:
-4 -5 -> -4
+3 +4 -> +4
+4 +5 -> +5
industry:
-8 -4 -> -6
+4 +3 -> +3
+7 +5 -> +6
Again, you exaggerated with -10 for penalty, only meant with extreme judgement for uni races. This kind of thinking prohibits intelligent race design.
science:
-6 -8 -> -7
+3 +3 -> +3
+5 +5 -> +5
This time you overdid it for the demos with -8 for the penalty
money: I never picked negative (too horrible) and can't really judge this one. I assume it is worse for demos because they don't have as much industry, despite their tax bonus.
ship defense:
-3
+2
+5
I'm telling you, low defense gets you hit. You always played low defense, this time YOU don't know
ship attack:
-3
+2
+5
For both attack and defense extreme values are increased by one point because it could distance your performance too much.
Ground combat:
-1
+1
+2
I think you need to be fair and give -1, not -2, for the penalty. It reflects reality much more than vanilla, ground combat isn't that important.
Spying:
-3
+2
+5
I have to say, in multiplayer where everyone researches valid techs, spying is pretty important. You should give it more, like I did.
governemts:
feudal: -8
dictatorship: 0
democracy: 5
unification: 8
low-g: -8 -4 -> -6
high g: +3 +2 -> +3
aquatic: +5 +3 -> +4
subterranean: +5 +4 -> +5
large home world: +1 +2 -> +1
rich home:+2
poor: -2
artifacts: 3
cybernetic: 3 (not 2)
lithovore: 8 (not 10)
repulsive: -2 for multi -6 for single
charismatic: +1 for multi +2 for single
uncreative: -10 (totally agree, luck is a *****)
creative: 7
tolerant: 10 (maybe a little less? 9 or 8 is worth for demo)
fantastic traders: 1 or 2 depending on warlord
telepathic: spy + assimilation : 4 or 5
lucky : 0, not 1 (it just isn't lucky enought; really +0.5 )
omniscient: 3 for multiplayer, 2 for single
stealthy: 2 or 3, depends - if you risk opponent using omniscient then worthless
trans dimensional: don't know, I assume it gives good speed in combat => initiative; this plus fast map movement -> 3 or 4
warlord : half attack+defense :+2 ; huge control: +1 for uni, +2 for demo; also depends on traders to compensate; => +3 or +4
Hehe, a lot of writing probably for nothing