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Stellaris Dev Diary #112 - The L-Cluster

Hello everyone and welcome to another Stellaris development diary. Today, we're going to be covering the headline feature of the Distant Stars Story Pack that will be accompanying the 2.1 'Niven' update.

The L-Cluster
In Distant Stars, some Black Hole systems are home to mysterious "L-Gate" structures that the player can find while exploring the galaxy. Originally part of the regular Gateway network, these L-Gates were heavily modified shortly after the initial construction of the network. The gates are operable but stuck in perpetual maintenance loops, possibly due to intentional sabotage. L-Gates cannot be activated by the usual Gateway technologies, instead requiring the collection of insights relating to subspace and the nanite technology used to activate the gates. Insights can be collected in a wide variety of ways - from anomalies and exploration, from defeating certain enemies, and from researching a repeatable technology that becomes available once your empire is sufficiently advanced to conduct independent research on nanites.
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Once an empire has amassed enough insights, they will be able to open an L-Gate and access the L-Cluster, a cluster of stars located just outside the galaxy and entirely inaccessible from the regular hyperlane network. What precisely you will find there, we are not going to be spoil in this dev diary, but suffice to say that there are several possible outcomes, and that the gates may have been locked down for a reason...
1.png


On a technical level L-Gates are a new and fully moddable bypass type, distinct from Wormholes and Gateways. L-Gates cannot be built and there is a finite number of them (up to 10) in the galaxy. They use a hierarchical (or hub-and-spoke) connection design, where all roads lead to the L-Cluster. This means that an L-Gate can only send a fleet to the L-Cluster, but once in the L-Cluster the fleet can travel to any L-Gate in the galaxy. This bypass type, along with the ability to create whole new areas of the galaxy (and specify their location relative to another system or the galactic core) is available for modders to use as part of the free Niven update.
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That's all for today! Next week we're going to continue talking about the Distant Stars Story Pack, on the topic of new anomalies, new systems and new Leviathans.
 

Princess Stabbity

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On a technical level L-Gates are a new and fully moddable bypass type, distinct from Wormholes and Gateways. L-Gates cannot be built and there is a finite number of them (up to 10) in the galaxy. They use a hierarchical (or hub-and-spoke) connection design, where all roads lead to the L-Cluster. This means that an L-Gate can only send a fleet to the L-Cluster, but once in the L-Cluster the fleet can travel to any L-Gate in the galaxy. This bypass type, along with the ability to create whole new areas of the galaxy (and specify their location relative to another system or the galactic core) is available for modders to use as part of the free Niven update.
Blend-S-gif-você-sabia-anime (2).gif
 

Xiandrus

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When will we be able to give the xenos gateway allowance?
Like Migration treaties I mean.
I don't like how it works at the moment. They kinda like me and don't close borders, now they can use thier gate to come through my gate and take the next system on the other side of the galaxy, because it is just one jump away (150 influence)
 

Elimdur

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Modders will be able to create their own clusters and gateway networks, including special rules for which gates connect to which other gates.

So also 1:1 connections as currently used by wormholes? Or would that be simply be accomplished by having a seperate gateway bypass type? These additional bypass types would usable for autopathing?
 

Rafss

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I think the L-map will be in another layer, as if it was too far from the galaxy. But we'll have to see it. In theory it could be generated like precursor systems are, somewhere not so far from the galaxy so that you could move the camera on galaxy view and go there, after unlocking it.
 

W0ssname

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Any ideas as to what will be found behind the L-gates?
Wiz did say in the Distant Stars live stream that there would be nods to Niven in the story pack.
My guess is we'll find a bunch of "Moties", as in the 1974 book "The Mote in God's Eye". They'll attempt to flood through into normal space, breeding like space-rabbits, expanding their numbers until they threaten the entire galaxy.
 

Arathir

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How will the travel through the L-gate work for empires that do not have the technology researched?

Say that i will successfuly travel to the L-cluster and discover that one of the gates is in enemy teritory. If i attack from the L-gate and then retreat back through the gate, will the enemy be able to pursuit me through the gate even if he does not have the technology? (So basically will the gate be opened for all once somebody travel trough it?)
 

CrowScape

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What precisely you will find there, we are not going to be spoil in this dev diary, but suffice to say that there are several possible outcomes, and that the gates may have been locked down for a reason.
No doubt a food species attempting to cut itself off from the galaxy to avoid the inevitable.