Stellaris Dev Diary #160 - Origins Full Reveal

[Zoinker]

If I play as a lost colony and lock in another custom empire with the same species, will the game still generate a random empire?

 

[Sensational]

Remnants is going to be straight up broken with those research bonuses into Ecumenopolis. Imagine if a Machine can take it. I wonder if that or Doomsday will be the most overpowered start.

I'm pleased with all of these, hoping the gateway, lost colony and shoulder of giants are special in some way and not just a disabled gateway, added faction that likes you and random relic site respectively.

All these zoomers whining when they don't even know what the final product is are very entertaining.

 

[Red Earth]

As much as I dislike when people complain that something isn't free cuz I've accepted that businesses need to make money, I think restricting several of these to the Federations expansion instead of existing expansions is illogical.

Remnants and On the Shoulder of Giants should be with Ancient Relics. (Wouldn't it otherwise create a situation where someone with Federations but not Ancient Relics has a homeworld dig site but no access to archaeology?)

Shattered Ring and Void Dwellers should be with Utopia like other mega structures.

Tree of Life with Utopia cuz hive mind.

Doomsday with Apocalypse because they're synonyms.

Since this is about the sales side of things it seems like this would be already set in stone, but I still felt like saying it.

 

[BlackUmbrellas]

Come to think of it, the "doomed homeworld" Origin might be a good fit for one of my other species concepts.

Basically an expansionist Ork-like race that's been frantically colonizing and stripmining every planet in range, rinsing and repeating, because they witnessed a nearby civilization get wiped out by an intersellar KEW via telescope and PANICKED, hard. So they've been running ever since, convinced (but not actually knowing) that some hostile alien power has launched interstellar kill-missiles at them and everyone nearby them and that their only hope is to outrun them.

I guess they turn out to be right if their homeworld blows up

 

[The Founder]

Galactic Doorstep: Start with a dormant Gateway in your home system. (Available to everyone)

Can this be a L-Gate with the DLC for it, or is it always a base gateway?

Calamitous Birth: Lithoid Only. Start with a Massive Crater on your Homeworld. You are also able to build Meteorite Colony Ships, which colonize planets in a more dramatic fashion. (Lithoids)

Do you mean Ork Rocks? Because that sounds like Orc Rocks!

Prosperous Unification: Start with 4 additional Pops and 2 additional Districts. (Available to everyone)

Lost Colony: Another empire with the same species as you will exist somewhere in the galaxy. (Available to everyone)

I am asuming those are what is used for United Nations of Sol and Commonwealth of Man?
If so, can we pick wich "same species" empire we want the other guys to be? Or will there continue to be just speceial CoM handling to force the UNS?

 

[Fermi's_Solution]

Defending mechanist? The civic (now origin) that gives you the most powerful ascension path ridiculously fast along with 2 amazing early game techs FOR FREE? You not only get half the prerequisites for droids, you get double the weight to draw the card! Much of this path is just in the perks, the ascension is entirely optional.

And psionics isn't “complete” when you select transcendence, you have years of accessing the shroud to get it to its full potential. Even if you give a player the psionic theory tech for free, it wouldn’t compete with mechanist.

Don't be ridiculous, stating facts is not defending. And believe me I know all about robots, I'd be surprised if there was anyone here at all who didn't think Mechanist was overpowered.

The difference is that psionics isn't just the shroud. A fully psionic species gets all of the following even without that: +10% boosted energy and research gain from pops, +5 stability, -70 crime, and +6 unity from Psi Corps, +5 stability and +10% unity from governors, +0.5 influence from the ruler, then the best scientist and admiral leaders in the game. Getting that by your second and third tradition tree consistently isn't a joke.

Honestly though, the reason psionics doesn't compete is due to the lack of pop growth. Early game, they wouldn't have that problem. And I have to say, if the argument for handing out Psionic Theory as a starting origin is that psionic ascension is underpowered compared to synthetic, then that isn't addressing what's really going on.

 

[Red Earth]

Remnants is going to be straight up broken with those research bonuses into Ecumenopolis. Imagine if a Machine can take it. I wonder if that or Doomsday will be the most overpowered start.

I'm pleased with all of these, hoping the gateway, lost colony and shoulder of giants are special in some way and not just a disabled gateway, added faction that likes you and random relic site respectively.

All these zoomers whining when they don't even know what the final product is are very entertaining.

Machines can't make Ecumenopolis'.

 

[Sensational]

Machines can't make Ecumenopolis'.

Oh I haven't kept track of how that works with relic worlds. Is that decision disabled for Machines on those?

I know it's true for the ascenion path variation, but they could at least get the old precursor version (and it was ridiculously overpowered when you did). Either way it remains super broken, it's a what, 50%ish research bonus on your homeworld once you remove the blocker?

 

[Daoko__]

#141

• Pop growth: Look into how immigration/emigration works, try to make base growth across multiple planets less powerful, make habitability matter more again
• Sectors & automation: Allow players to nudge which sectors planets belong to, reduce micromanagement by improving sector management tools
• B̶a̶c̶k̶g̶r̶o̶u̶n̶d̶s̶:̶ ̶S̶p̶l̶i̶t̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶c̶i̶v̶i̶c̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶t̶o̶ ̶b̶a̶c̶k̶g̶r̶o̶u̶n̶d̶s̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶d̶d̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶b̶a̶c̶k̶g̶r̶o̶u̶n̶d̶s̶.̶
• Civic flavour: Spend more time on making the civics feel more unique and fun (?)
• Institutions: Define which institutions make up your empire’s internal departments (such as Diplomatic Corps, Xenology Bureau etc.), and their funding, size and power.
• Espionage: Intel to determine how much you know about another empire, spy actions, cloaking, sabotage & general mischief.
• Religion & Cults: Similar to factions, cults could appear in your empire during certain circumstances. Spiritualist empires would most likely have “imperial” cults. Worship of powerful entities etc.
• A̶r̶c̶h̶a̶e̶o̶l̶o̶g̶y̶:̶ ̶E̶x̶p̶l̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶r̶u̶i̶n̶s̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶a̶n̶c̶i̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶c̶i̶v̶i̶l̶i̶z̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶
• Subject contracts: Allow overlords to better customize what type of subjects they have, tribute levels, benefits to subject etc.
• F̶e̶d̶e̶r̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶d̶e̶p̶t̶h̶:̶ ̶A̶l̶l̶o̶w̶ ̶f̶e̶d̶e̶r̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶l̶e̶v̶e̶l̶ ̶u̶p̶,̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶d̶i̶f̶f̶e̶r̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶e̶l̶e̶c̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶t̶y̶p̶e̶s̶,̶ ̶t̶a̶x̶e̶s̶ ̶e̶t̶c̶.
• G̶a̶l̶a̶c̶t̶i̶c̶ ̶C̶o̶u̶n̶c̶i̶l̶:̶ ̶C̶r̶e̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶s̶o̶r̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶a̶ ̶‘̶s̶p̶a̶c̶e̶ ̶U̶N̶’̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶g̶a̶l̶a̶c̶t̶i̶c̶ ̶p̶o̶l̶i̶t̶i̶c̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶d̶i̶p̶l̶o̶m̶a̶c̶y̶
• Primitives: Allow for more interactions with primitive pre-FTL species

I guess Religion & Cults, Institutions, Subject contracts and Espionage is next on the list! Hoping the next DLC is Spiritualist/Psionic-driven (but honestly, really against the idea of anything Espionage-related)

 

[Zxcpoi]

Remnants: Start on a Relic World. (Federations)

On the Shoulder of Giants: Start with an Archaeological Site related to a mysterious benefactor. (Federations)​

may be Federations AND Ancient Relics?​

 

[Tufy]

Is it possible to have multiple Lost Colonies with a common Homeworld empire?

 

[Abnwtwtud]

What about a more "boring" starting origin? I.e. planetary unification via conquest, or anything else that could lead to a more "default" sort of starting game?

 

[AaronArx]

Excuse me...but if you started on a Relic world, ringworld or habitat...how would you go about the food?

Is hydroponic farming a starting tech now? How are they going to deal with that? It sounds incredibly challangeing.

 

[Red Earth]

Oh I haven't kept track of how that works with relic worlds. Is that decision disabled for Machines on those?

I know it's true for the ascenion path variation, but they could at least get the old precursor version (and it was ridiculously overpowered when you did). Either way it remains super broken, it's a what, 50%ish research bonus on your homeworld once you remove the blocker?

It's only 15% science bonus, and either +8 scientist jobs or -6 districts depending on if it's a central spire or dense ruins.

 

[Gothbert]

Is there more to the "Galactic Doorstep" one? I'm a bit confused.... you just have Gateway in your space? Isn't that fairly common with RNG anyway? Is it just a normal gateway? Are there events etc. associated with it?

Might be more useful if you start with the gate deactivated but already have the technology to activate gateways. Would give greater strategic emphasis to controlling systems with inactive gateways early in the game.

 

[Pointyearedgit]

Excuse me...but if you started on a Relic world, ringworld or habitat...how would you go about the food?

Is hydroponic farming a starting tech now? How are they going to deal with that? It sounds incredibly challangeing.

The ringworld is probably fine for food, the devs said there is some kind of special space resource nearby for minerals.

I would think the other 2 have some special districts or something, maybe the tech similar to mechanists. It should defiantly be challenging

 

[Gothbert]

Could we get some more details about some of these? Like what habitability trait will Remnants, Shattered Ring, and Void Dwellers get?

Void Dwellers could be interesting if it comes with a habitability decrease for planets. The species is like the Quarians from Mass Effect. They have been living on spaceships for so long that their immune systems cannot handle a non-filtered and highly sterile environments. So living on an actual planet takes more resources to build self-contained domes to keep out viruses and bacteria that their immune systems have no defense against.

 

[Gothbert]

The ringworld is probably fine for food, the devs said there is some kind of special space resource nearby for minerals.

I would think the other 2 have some special districts or something, maybe the tech similar to mechanists. It should defiantly be challenging

I agree. Ringworld could be really interesting as you have to establish mining outposts and colonies on mineral rich planets but will have to rely on the galactic market for minerals until you have those established. Could be very powerful in mid to late game, but the lack of minerals and alloys in the start could make early empires with that origin extremely vulnerable to invasion.

 

[Dmitrius]

Yes. That strategic goal is the capital, for every empire. Therefore I don't see the balance point of making the loss of the capital --- already the worst thing that can happen --- extra-worse. It only screws you up if you're screwed already, so it's swingy, nothing more.

All empires would lose a valuable centre of resource production. Which is hardly a game ender. A hive mind could stand to lose much more, we don't know yet, but it looks like it could be very bad.

 

[Spaceception]

#141

• Pop growth: Look into how immigration/emigration works, try to make base growth across multiple planets less powerful, make habitability matter more again
• Sectors & automation: Allow players to nudge which sectors planets belong to, reduce micromanagement by improving sector management tools
• B̶a̶c̶k̶g̶r̶o̶u̶n̶d̶s̶:̶ ̶S̶p̶l̶i̶t̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶c̶i̶v̶i̶c̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶t̶o̶ ̶b̶a̶c̶k̶g̶r̶o̶u̶n̶d̶s̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶d̶d̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶b̶a̶c̶k̶g̶r̶o̶u̶n̶d̶s̶.̶
• Civic flavour: Spend more time on making the civics feel more unique and fun (?)
• Institutions: Define which institutions make up your empire’s internal departments (such as Diplomatic Corps, Xenology Bureau etc.), and their funding, size and power.
• Espionage: Intel to determine how much you know about another empire, spy actions, cloaking, sabotage & general mischief.
• Religion & Cults: Similar to factions, cults could appear in your empire during certain circumstances. Spiritualist empires would most likely have “imperial” cults. Worship of powerful entities etc.
• A̶r̶c̶h̶a̶e̶o̶l̶o̶g̶y̶:̶ ̶E̶x̶p̶l̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶r̶u̶i̶n̶s̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶a̶n̶c̶i̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶c̶i̶v̶i̶l̶i̶z̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶
• Subject contracts: Allow overlords to better customize what type of subjects they have, tribute levels, benefits to subject etc.
• F̶e̶d̶e̶r̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶d̶e̶p̶t̶h̶:̶ ̶A̶l̶l̶o̶w̶ ̶f̶e̶d̶e̶r̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶l̶e̶v̶e̶l̶ ̶u̶p̶,̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶d̶i̶f̶f̶e̶r̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶e̶l̶e̶c̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶t̶y̶p̶e̶s̶,̶ ̶t̶a̶x̶e̶s̶ ̶e̶t̶c̶.
• G̶a̶l̶a̶c̶t̶i̶c̶ ̶C̶o̶u̶n̶c̶i̶l̶:̶ ̶C̶r̶e̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶s̶o̶r̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶a̶ ̶‘̶s̶p̶a̶c̶e̶ ̶U̶N̶’̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶g̶a̶l̶a̶c̶t̶i̶c̶ ̶p̶o̶l̶i̶t̶i̶c̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶d̶i̶p̶l̶o̶m̶a̶c̶y̶
• Primitives: Allow for more interactions with primitive pre-FTL species

I guess Religion & Cults, Institutions, Subject contracts and Espionage is next on the list! Hoping the next DLC is Spiritualist/Psionic-driven (but honestly, really against the idea of anything Espionage-related)

A Diplomatic Corps civic has already been teased, in a recent DD, so Institutions is probably(?) going to be here too. And if that's the case, I'm interested in what Xenology bureau does. Or if they're holding off on it for now. Will we eventually get an alien life rework per @G S Palmer excellent suggestion?

As for Espionage, I believe they talked about it, and its problems at PDXcon, and (if I'm not mistaken) how it would mainly be around intel. Which is something we actually have a lot of, even if it doesn't make sense (we know of the colonies, known power, no. of pops, etc of a genocidal Empire for... reasons?), they could just take all that away, and give us the tools to discover and exploit it. Enigmatic engineering could become a much stronger perk, and listening posts could actually be made useful. Getting better sensor tech could follow up with techs for better intel gathering.