Stellaris Dev Diary #155 - Origins

[Druplesnubb]

Purifier and Swarm are often lumped in with the rest of the Origin civics due to their 'unable to get removed or added' feature. I dearly hope Paradox will keep them as mere Civics, but I worry.

They change your starting conditions too much to be regular civics. Driven Assimilators and Rogue Servitors give you a second species just like Syncretic Evolution and Determined Exterminators starts you on a Tomb World just like Post-Apocalyptic.

 

[G S Palmer]

They change your starting conditions too much to be regular civics. Driven Assimilators and Rogue Servitors give you a second species just like Syncretic Evolution and Determined Exterminators starts you on a Tomb World just like Post-Apocalyptic.

I mean, a pretty simple fix to that would be to have certain civics require a specific origin as a prerequisite.

For instance:

• Maker's Shadow: prerequisite for Driven Assimilators and Rogue Servitors. Start with several pops of your creators. How they're treated would depend of the civic: for Assimilators, they'd already be cyborgs; for Servitors, they'd be bio-trophies; and for normal machines, they'd be organic batteries, allowing you to start as the Matrix.
• Forged in Fire: prerequisite for Determined Exterminators. Start on a tomb world. Can also be chosen for normal machines, allowing you to headcanon them as the only survivors of a nuclear war their organic masters started.

 

[Mike Louis]

@grekulf I been playing with tons of custom human empires whose backstory is that they originated from space arks sent by Earth in the early 22nd century. Based on my campaigns, I would suggest a Lost Colony origin in which the player could then select either a random system, another custom empire home system, or the Sol system as the origin system of their empire. Also should the Sol system be selected as the origin system of another empire, then the empire with the Sol system as their home system would be designated as the founder empire to same species Lost Colony origin empires with the Sol system selected with the appropriate event chains accompanying them (in vanilla the Commonwealth of Man would have the Lost Colony origin with Sol system selected while the United Nations of Earth will have the Founder Empire designation to simulate the CoM / UNE relationship).

 

[Rip Off Productions]

If hives can take life-seeded, can they also take syncretic evolution? It would finally allow hives to start with a separate worker drone caste.

indeed, this would be a nice option.

I mean, a pretty simple fix to that would be to have certain civics require a specific origin as a prerequisite.

For instance:

• Maker's Shadow: prerequisite for Driven Assimilators and Rogue Servitors. Start with several pops of your creators. How they're treated would depend of the civic: for Assimilators, they'd already be cyborgs; for Servitors, they'd be bio-trophies; and for normal machines, they'd be organic batteries, allowing you to start as the Matrix.
• Forged in Fire: prerequisite for Determined Exterminators. Start on a tomb world. Can also be chosen for normal machines, allowing you to headcanon them as the only survivors of a nuclear war their organic masters started.

I like the idea that Civics like Purifiers could pick from the various Origin options that could give them some extra flavor; having a Gaia homeworld makes them think they are "chosen/blessed", Tombworld origins imply their extremely warlike nature/history, syncretic evolution provides a motive for their hatred of other species(gameplay effect of this combo: fewer starting POPs, but a early boost in Unity generation), and so on and so on.

 

[Slignerd]

Well I mean, Exterminators start on a tomb world anyway.

You know, a non-exterminator machine intelligence on a tomb world would be cool to play as, too. A cataclysm that only the machines survived, even though the machines weren't the cause.

 

[avsbes]

Because individually sapient robots are an advanced technology well beyond the capabilities of starting empires. Asking for this is like asking to start with battleships instead of corvettes.

I think it could work as a Background that gives you a Techpath to (re)achieve Individuality. You'd start as a ME with high Deviancy which would be reduced by every tech in the Individuality Tech Tree, that would also slowly unlock some Bonuses. Having good Relations with Non-Gestalt-Empires would reduce the Amount of research needed for Individuality techs.

 

[Slignerd]

I'd personally love to have the ability to start the game as an individualistic synthetically-ascended empire, but then there's a balance issue – what should be the tradeoff for the fact that you basically got two ascension perks' worth from the very start?

 

[Rip Off Productions]

I'd personally love to have the ability to start the game as a individualistic synthetically-ascended empire, but then there's a balance issue – what should be the tradeoff for the fact that you basically got two ascension perks' worth from the very start?

skewed spawns for hostile/hazardous stuff around your spawn? more empires get the benefits of an "advanced start" regardless of how you set the galaxy generation?

 

[StJimmyRocks92]

What the other new origins you think we will get?
I for one hope we get a Nomadic Empire finally. That is something people have been talking about since Stellaris came out and the origin system looks a nice place to add it. Tell me that having a huge spaceship for homeworld isn't a great and awesome thing

This would be a good opportunity to bring back shared control of systems.

 

[Methone]

I'd personally love to have the ability to start the game as a individualistic synthetically-ascended empire, but then there's a balance issue – what should be the tradeoff for the fact that you basically got two ascension perks' worth from the very start?

The fact that you can't take those ascension perks at all, and for OBVIOUS reasons you don't get the outrageous +Production bonuses. Probably fewer Roboticist jobs, too.

 

[WhiteKyubey]

I'd personally love to have the ability to start the game as a individualistic synthetically-ascended empire, but then there's a balance issue – what should be the tradeoff for the fact that you basically got two ascension perks' worth from the very start?

For example:
In the beginning your proto-synths have very high upkeep cost and slow build speed. You can build more if you want, but it is not worth it for workers and it's quite expensive for specialists. But you can build regular robots for worker jobs. Your synth leaders break two times more often then normal.
Droid tech - now your regular robots can do some specialist jobs (like regular empire droids)
Flesh is weak - now you can turn aliens into cyborgs, you also pay less robot upkeep and have faster robot build speed (so quite everything from regular flesh is weak effects are useful for you)
Synth evolution - upgrade your proto-synths to regular synths - they get regular upkeep, regular break chance and they are build much faster. Your regular robots are upgraded as well (unlike all regular empires you get regular robots to synth upgrade only after the project, not when you pick synths tech).
So in short - you get some of synths bonuses from the start, but with drawbacks. You take 2 ascension perks to fix these drawbacks. And ofc you cannot follow other ascensions.

 

[Agamemnic]

Looks cool AF. But Devs, please also look at the end-game lag.

 

[grekulf]

Fanatic Purifiers, Rogue Servitors etc. will not be Origins, because we you to be able to use those playstyles and still have be able to have different starts with Origins.

As usual, the Origins system will be free and in the free patch that arrives with the expansion. Certain Origins will be free, while others will be a part of the coming expansion.

 

[RabbaDooDabba]

Fanatic Purifiers, Rogue Servitors etc. will not be Origins, because we you to be able to use those playstyles and still have be able to have different starts with Origins.

As usual, the Origins system will be free and in the free patch that arrives with the expansion. Certain Origins will be free, while others will be a part of the coming expansion.

Is there anything you can reveal about the Diplomatic Corps civic so far ?
At the moment I would guess it works like the old Charismatic trait and gives a positive opinion modifier...

 

[Eelectrica]

Looking forward to it. This seems really cool and this is what keeps me coming back.
Take your time, and release when it's ready though.

 

[xeleth12]

While all of this sounds and looks absolutely neat, I'm utterly terrified about the idea of an upcoming new expansion. The game still isn't fixed and is almost unplayable for many people. A new extension means (usually...) many new features and mechanics, wich will probably add to the many problems already ongoing.
In my point of view, you shouldn't add any new stuff until it is at least decently playable.
If it gets even worse (wich, let's recognize it, it probably will, though it's hard to get worse) that could be a pretty hard hit for the game/PDX/etc.
Obviously, it is not an easy issure to fix, taking a lot of time and work, I recognize and understand it fully. But it should be n°1 priority and nothing should be released until it is fixed.
I mean, when you have modders doing it (and doing it better), that should highlight an absolutely massive problem.

I apologize for the wave of pessimism and coming here to "cry about it yet again" but I still believe this is one of the best places to tell our concerns. And I most certainly am not the only one.
Still, nice work, I guess.
(Please don't censor this post..)

 

[sk065]

This appears to be a rebranding of mechanics already in the game, which I wont pay for. Don't tell me I'm going to have to wait another year for Diplomacy and/or Espionage...sigh

 

[Methone]

This appears to be a rebranding of mechanics already in the game, which I wont pay for. Don't tell me I'm going to have to wait another year for Diplomacy and/or Espionage...sigh

Oh good grief.

 

[Apollo1784]

Late. Game. Performance.

 

[PichuTrainer]

Fanatic Purifiers, Rogue Servitors etc. will not be Origins, because we you to be able to use those playstyles and still have be able to have different starts with Origins.

As usual, the Origins system will be free and in the free patch that arrives with the expansion. Certain Origins will be free, while others will be a part of the coming expansion.

Hope you guys are also taking in our suggestions too

Anyway thanks for answering the most important question and can't wait to see the rest of the Origins you have instore for us.