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Stellaris - Paradox new sci-fi grand strategy game

coldcrow

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If you take pacifist and agrarian idyll civic, you get 5 or 6 unity right off the bat and arrive even faster at privaty colony ships. You give up the ability to conquer, though, but with non-clustered starts and a bit of luck you can carve out a huge empire in no time and then play benevolent federation master and just tech win.

PS: Also Mastery over Nature ascension perk is massively OP. You get all Blockerremoval techs for free and total cost of zero to clear them up. This paired with prosperity's building cost reduction and that other civic allows to turn your planets into goldmines so much faster that the other perks are simply not worth taking first.
Whoever playtested this...
 
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Zboj Lamignat

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Feb 15, 2012
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I only started playing this game, but I think this might be the first Paradox game since HoI II Arma that I'll like. Yeah, the trademark "no fun allowed" design philosophy is present, but it doesn't kick you in the face every time you want to actually do something like in EU IV. And you only use the magical mana for some stuff and how much mana you get is not 90% random! Who thought that might help, right?
 
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Extremely Adapatable is so good that there is basically no reason not to take it as every empire. Fanatic Purifiers also have huge borders and tons of influence. Also while purging doesn't give much unity, pops being purged don't count towards increasing unity costs which is really nice. I haven't tested this but theoretically you could use the neutering option to keep slave pops around for a very long period of time and have them generate unity (and everything else) for you. This could could (second order) theoretically break the tradition balance because you stay at the effective size of a very small empire while generating it like a huge one. In fact I'm coming to believe that neutering is the most effective strategy anyway since its so easy to manage unrest now and keep pops working.

Discovery isn't that OP when I tried it. It looks OP but research is still a horrible investment in Stellaris. You run out of worlds to research after a decade or two anyway, and you could have just salvaged lots of the technology anyway, so it's really only useful if you are blitzing for Habitats or something (pray you roll lucky on tech). The rest of the tree is indeed horrifically, obscenely bad. Wow, you might save 100 influence over an entire game, and your leaders will research 2% faster for a short time. Paradox needs someone mathematically oriented doing balance because the worthlessness of some of this stuff should have been obvious.

Also I figured out my problem with getting battleships is that you actually need to upgrade your starport and BUILD one of each class of ship for the next tech to appear. If you just stick with Corvettes forever you'll never see it.
 
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thesheeep

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Extremely Adapatable is so good that there is basically no reason not to take it as every empire. Fanatic Purifiers also have huge borders and tons of influence. Also while purging doesn't give much unity, pops being purged don't count towards increasing unity costs which is really nice. I haven't tested this but theoretically you could use the neutering option to keep slave pops around for a very long period of time and have them generate unity (and everything else) for you. This could could (second order) theoretically break the tradition balance because you stay at the effective size of a very small empire while generating it like a huge one. In fact I'm coming to believe that neutering is the most effective strategy anyway since its so easy to manage unrest now and keep pops working.
Dude, the game is supposed to be played larping your nation of space hippies/nazis. Not to be power gamed like a D&D session. :lol:
 

Jimmious

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Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
You gain Unity way too fast in the game btw, mid game I've finished 3 trees already and going through a third. What's the point if you can get all of them in the end?
 
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If you get Unity quickly it's because you chose to prioritize Unity over other options. The point is the opportunity cost. Also the order - early game decisions often being game defining etc.

I do think the game would benefit from rebalancing Unity gain downward a bit and possibly making oppositional trees more expensive.
 

Jimmious

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Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
I actually didn't prioritize it especially. I build a couple of monuments occasionally when I had an available empty spot in a planet but that's it.. I believe costs should be increased generally otherwise the whole idea of Traditions making empires feel "unique" has no point
 

Inf0mercial

Augur
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Jan 28, 2014
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264
Mechanistic is actually ludicrously powerful, i am not sure who play tested for paradox, but i don't think they meant mechanistic plus master of nature to mean wars are obsolete as i can simply mass expand and flood every single world with my robots, dump all systems into one huge sector and it maintains itself fine give it a mineral focus for fun and as you increase core sectors take back the pop planets to administer.

Actually a tad ridiculous my food situation is easier than ever as half my pops are robots you build up planets twice as fast as mineral and food is a robot job, basically feels like i have 2 pop growing at the same time.
 
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Yeah, Robots are OP now that regular pops also require consumer goods. Consumer goods per pop goes up the more planets you have (which is fucking silly), so Robots are just flat improvements on everything. Don't even need them mining minerals to get more minerals from them. You can flood with regular pops though with Extremely Adaptive.

Extremely Adapatable is so good that there is basically no reason not to take it as every empire. Fanatic Purifiers also have huge borders and tons of influence. Also while purging doesn't give much unity, pops being purged don't count towards increasing unity costs which is really nice. I haven't tested this but theoretically you could use the neutering option to keep slave pops around for a very long period of time and have them generate unity (and everything else) for you. This could could (second order) theoretically break the tradition balance because you stay at the effective size of a very small empire while generating it like a huge one. In fact I'm coming to believe that neutering is the most effective strategy anyway since its so easy to manage unrest now and keep pops working.
Dude, the game is supposed to be played larping your nation of space hippies/nazis. Not to be power gamed like a D&D session. :lol:

Fuck off, D&D larping is serious business. RTSs are meant to be exploited mercilessly :lol:
 

Hellion

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They deployed a "hotfix" that updated the game to v1.5.1 and fixed several issues. Apparently you couldn't even earn achievements for Utopia due to a bug, but the fix is not retroactive so we'll have to start a new Ironman game to get those.

My Precursor storyline is still bugged though :(
 
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i am not sure who play tested for paradox

:lol:

Oh how I love these little Codex jokes.

Honestly I think the playerbase is so bad that Paradox has no idea what to balance for. The majority of Stellaris players seem to think that that having 5 planets by 50 years in is playing well because everyone knows that if you use sectors it will kill your tech. And if they lose then obviously the problem was that they just didn't tech up quickly enough. You can see it elsewhere too, where people seem to think that completely crap stuff like +leader skill levels or terraforming is a good deal.
 

coldcrow

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+2% per leader skilllevel is just ridiculously low of a bonus. It will only become on par with a new pop very late in the game, so it's anathema for any good player. 5-10% per level would elevate leaders to have meaningful impact and make those traits/civics worth taking.
 

Sarissofoi

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Mar 24, 2017
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i am not sure who play tested for paradox

:lol:

Oh how I love these little Codex jokes.

Honestly I think the playerbase is so bad that Paradox has no idea what to balance for. The majority of Stellaris players seem to think that that having 5 planets by 50 years in is playing well because everyone knows that if you use sectors it will kill your tech. And if they lose then obviously the problem was that they just didn't tech up quickly enough. You can see it elsewhere too, where people seem to think that completely crap stuff like +leader skill levels or terraforming is a good deal.
Implying that Paradox actually have a clear vision what they want this game to be other than milking it for cash.
Which they do not.
 
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+2% per leader skilllevel is just ridiculously low of a bonus. It will only become on par with a new pop very late in the game, so it's anathema for any good player. 5-10% per level would elevate leaders to have meaningful impact and make those traits/civics worth taking.

Paradox thinks +10% research rates is a game-breaking ability to give an empire, on part with a free +200 naval limit or clearing all tile blockers for free without research.
 

Grotesque

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Divinity: Original Sin Divinity: Original Sin 2
Ever since I was a kid I have looked up at the stars and been awed by the mysterious vastness above us. The beauty of our insignificance in it all is something I have always been fascinated by, and the idea of being able to explore the vastness and being a part of it has always been almost romantic to me.

When I was asked to join the Stellaris team, and later take over as Project Lead, it was like a dream come true. I would be able to explore and experience something that was very close to my heart.

index.php


We have come such a long way since we started working on Stellaris and it’s important to remember that the great game we have today is a reflection of the team that made it. I have, over these years, had the privilege to work with some of the greatest individuals I have ever encountered during my years in the industry and it has been an amazing experience. I cannot thank the people I undertook this amazing voyage with enough.

index.php


A lot of things have changed since I started on Stellaris. These days I have a lot more studio-wide responsibilities in my role as Project Lead Manager and the time has come for me to step back and let someone else carry the torch. I have full confidence in the new project lead (I hired him personally and assigned him to Stellaris), something that for me is critical for being able to step back. I know that he and the team will continue to expand and grow Stellaris in cooperation with our awesome players.

index.php


It has been such an honor to share this journey with all of you. The galaxy really is vast and full of wonders.
Farewell for now, I look forward to seeing you again in the future.

Best regards,
Rikard

In every end, there is also a beginning
Jamie, @Jamor

index.php


Hi everyone! I’m Jamie and I’ll be taking over as the new project lead on Stellaris. I’m a huge history nerd and a longtime fan of Paradox games, so when it came time to move forward with my career, it was a natural fit to apply at PDS. A half-year odyssey then ensued, including such highlights as watching Mad Max inside a metal tube hurtling through the night sky over Greenland, enduring the abject horror of plugging my Canadian computer in to a European wall socket, and standing in who knows how many lines waiting to fill in Swedish tax documents. Finally, at long last, I’m here in beautiful, historic Stockholm working for my favourite company in the world. I feel so thrilled and honoured by this opportunity.
One of my first complete memories as a child was seeing Return of the Jedi in theatre. It was 1983 and I was four years old. I didn’t really understand much of the plot, but even then my impressionable young mind knew that something magical and desperately important was happening. A larger than life, heroic struggle of primal forces clashing for nothing less than the fate of the galaxy, brimming with fascinating characters and dramatic events. It set me on a lifelong path of always looking upwards, outwards, towards those great adventures whether they reside in our own history, or the limitless realm of our imaginations. It was a childhood spent happily ensconced in the library reading about Spitfires and the One Ring, never content with the ordinary. Video games helped to take me on these incredible mental journeys, and so when it came time to choose a career, it was the logical place for me to be. To this day I still have to explain to friends and family members that yes, software project management is in fact a real job and I do actually have to work; but it sure doesn’t hurt to love what you do.

Stellaris is a young, exciting project that has really broken new ground for this studio: with an attractive full 3D visual presentation allied with the classic Paradox strategic depth, we are really working hard to raise the bar in every way. Paradox Development Studios has a legendary commitment to improving and expanding their titles for much longer than the industry standard, and our plan is to keep Stellaris fresh and exciting for our players for years to come. Our loyal fans (I count myself as one) and our vibrant modding community deserve a huge amount of credit for the success we’ve had, and will continue to build upon.

I want you all to know how humbled I am to have this opportunity to lead the next step of the game’s evolution, and give you my personal guarantee that as a fan and a gamer first, I’ll always strive to make something I myself would love to play. In doing that, I hope you all will love it too.

The universe is vast, and we’ve only charted a tiny corner of it. Let’s go see some stars.
 

JudasIscariot

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In my latest game I spawned pretty much next to a fanatical purifier isolationist fallen empire that would keep humiliating me anytime I did any damn thing anywhere close to them. Keep in mind our borders did not even touch, all I had to do was just build an observation post in a particular spot and they'd start bitching at me to remove it. If I complied, I would get the humiliated modifier for 3000+ days. If I said "no bugger off!" they would declare war and send 30K firepower doomstacks whereas I was still researching level 2 tech.

Most frustrating game ever and it didn't help that I wanted to try out hyperlane warp tech too...
 

Hellion

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It's both fascinating and frustrating at the same time that the most exciting moments of every single Stellaris game are always in the first few 10s of years. You explore your immediate surroundings, resolve your first anomalies, do the Precursors storyline (if it doesn't bug), encounter your closest neighbouring empires and see if they like or hate you... and after that you might as well start a new game, or keep playing on "Fastest" until the end-game crises decide to happen.
 

Raapys

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Jun 7, 2007
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Anomalies and events are fun, yeah. But the actual 4x portion of the game, the colonies, empire management, wars and combat, ship design, etc., it's all dull. That's why the game feels like it's over once you've gone through the first few years, because at that point what remains is a poorly designed 4x game with some novel ideas that are largely rendered pointless due to bad design.
 

thesheeep

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The AI sucks so much it doesn't expand at all while I grabbed like 1/4 of the galaxy with frontier outposts with those -influence unity traits.
My experience was that "lucky" nations do expand quite a lot.
In my game, I really wasn't able to expand too much (unlucky positioning of habitable planets as well as other species to integrate which could do it for me), and I don't even know what trait you talk about, but my frontier outposts were at 1 influence cost, meaning I could maintain maybe 2 or 3 of them at any given time.
Meanwhile, the not favored nations indeed barely expanded at all - quite weird, I agree!
But the lucky ones were far ahead of me in size - and now, by mid game, one of them has maybe 1/5th of the galaxy and are still slightly ahead of me. That does sound fine to me.

The normal AI nations seem to be pushovers, though.
 

Shadenuat

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150px-Alien_extradimensional_01.png


9adde9e49eac3a653d5aa1cc8d39baf8284b6d4348336af09fe4a2c5a7e924c7.jpg


Don't like events you have to read about in wiki to learn how to deal with if you meet them for first time. Where's all the background and lore? Even science enclaves know nothing about crises.

Xenophiles/goody expanding nice types get really easy game, aliens/factions don't bother player at all.

Why can't I choose different tactics for ships anymore? And where are passive station-like bonuses on battleships? Battleships seem different now than on release.

Federation sucks and AI is a stupid cunt.
 

JudasIscariot

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In my latest game I spawned pretty much next to a fanatical purifier isolationist fallen empire that would keep humiliating me anytime I did any damn thing anywhere close to them. Keep in mind our borders did not even touch, all I had to do was just build an observation post in a particular spot and they'd start bitching at me to remove it. If I complied, I would get the humiliated modifier for 3000+ days. If I said "no bugger off!" they would declare war and send 30K firepower doomstacks whereas I was still researching level 2 tech.

Most frustrating game ever and it didn't help that I wanted to try out hyperlane warp tech too...
You could've simply used an exploit for that and then told the fallen empire to fuck off and die with no consequences.

Yeah I am not sure what exploit I could use against them since they would show up 2 seconds after declaring war on me with 30K firepower fleets.
 

Hellion

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In previous versions, whenever a FE doomstack started following my main fleet stack (indicated as "Following 1st Fleet" or whatever when clicking on the enemy stack), simply splitting this 1st Fleet into 2 different fleets seemed to confuse the AI so much that they gave up and retreated back to their homeworld. Haven't tried this yet in 1.5.1.
 
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One of the 'x' in 4x is EXPAND. The AI sucks so much it doesn't expand at all while I grabbed like 1/4 of the galaxy with frontier outposts with those -influence unity traits.
It is actually the WORST AI of the century. Even in games with shit AI like Civ 5, GalCiv 2/3, Elemental, Endless Space the AI at least tries to do something by providing zergs of cannon fodder for you to rape. Here it can't effectively control even a freaking SINGLE fleet/doomstack, in 2017, after a year of "patches".

Frontier outposts are never a good idea though. Just spam out colony ships.

Currently the AI seems to fuck up food management somehow and then not be able to recover. It doesn't understand that it needs to scrap and replace its own buildings. Instead it tries to build a new food building on a growing pop (which is halted due to the food malus), then when the building finishes it scraps and rebuilds the building in place. I did a game as an observer (on insane) and by 2250 about half the AIs in the galaxy had managed to enter this food death spiral. The only AIs that seem to reliably survive it are Materialists who can build robot pops and said Materialists always take over the galaxy. Every other AI gets stuck eventually and simply can't grow pops anymore, so all they can do is sit around with what they have and spam fleets until they hopefully conquer something that puts them in a new positive food situation.
 
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Raapys

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I usually play the game by adding most new colonies into the one and same sector since I can't be assed managing them myself. In this latest update, I noticed that exact same thing about food production. It went nicely for a few decades, then suddenly my one and only sector started getting a huge food deficit. It just kept on growing, reaching -130 food at worst. It did eventually solve itself after a decade or two, but I can't be sure if it was because the AI finally coped with it or if it was just due to farming technology upgrades. And of course, at that point it started going excessively into the green, reaching somewhere along the lines of +400 food despite being near max population, meaning at least 40 completely wasted tiles.
 

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