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Stellaris Dev Diary #207: Challenging Origins

Hi! Happy April Fool's Day!

This week we want to show off some of the challenging new Origins that are not coming soon.

The first, titled Surviving the Aftermath, is a variant on Void Dwellers.

The Surviving the Aftermath origin starts with the premise that a construction ship and colony ship were lost in MIA when a Crisis nation activated the Aetherophasic Engine and destroyed the galaxy, and you're left in a habitat to pick up the pieces.

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Your home system.

As the galaxy has been destroyed and there are no resources anywhere, we expect this to be an exciting and challenging origin to play.

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The local cluster.

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The galaxy. So alone. So very alone.

The next is the Crusader King Origin, where you begin the game as the ruler of a primitive civilization in the late medieval time period.

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Living in luxury.

This origin starts at a significant tech disadvantage, but our playtests suggest that you should achieve spaceflight within a few hundred years.

Several events have been added in case another empire wishes to enlighten your civilization, as well as a "burn the alien at the stake" minigame.

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Includes special diplomatic options!

Winning the game as a Crusader King grants the new Universe Universalis achievement.

The Prison Architect Origin is restricted to Rogue Servitors only, and drastically changes their gameplay. Instead of pampering their organic charges, they seek to collect all organics and like the Criminal Syndicate, are affected by and gain bonuses for having high Crime. They also gain extra Unity for each Criminal Syndicate pop they collect.

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Gotta catch ‘em all!

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Some minor changes to the Organic Sanctuary.

Open to all empire types, the This is Fine origin has a new twist - your empire thinks it’s hot stuff and is limited to colonizing stars.

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Is it warm in here, or is it just me? Looking pretty radiant though.

Your buildings have a chance of being ruined each month due to fires, but your energy production is vastly increased.

Last but not least, the AI Custodianship Origin is our most challenging yet, where you and the AI both control your empire simultaneously. This Origin is also open to all empire types, and represents a fractured leadership or gestalt intelligence where two leaders struggle for power, sometimes issuing contradictory orders. The AI Custodian will act to implement its flawless and foolproof algorithms, undoubtedly bringing your empire success in the long run, if you would only listen to it.

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The AI has great plans for my homeworld. The greatest of plans.

That's all for this week. As a reminder, the Stellaris 3.0 'Dick' update and Nemesis arrive two weeks from today on the 15th of April.

What Origins would you create if you wanted a special challenge?
 
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The post-arborotropic start could actually be quite interesting in a real game. I would imagine that perhaps some dimensional horrors could be spread around the galaxy with a handful of survivors trying to rebuild.
 
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Damn, seems that a lot of effort went in doing this DD.
Also, I'm pretty sure a lot of players would enjoy starting as primitive empires with special events. Giving a headstart to the AI and then the challenging of finding a place in a galaxy as newcomers...
 
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I'll be honest here, I think the "Surviving the Aftermath" could actually work: instead of exploring the Galaxy and doing diplomacy, you have to deal with various astral horrors created after W40K fanboys destroyed the Galaxy, survive in it, and possibly fill it with life once more.

But I do hope we also get an extra dev Diary today. Just a random wish ;P
 
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Until the last I forgot it was a joke and was very hyped for the Crusader King and This is fine origins

I think both could be fun if you put enough efforts to have special habitabilities, events and this kind of stuff

Anyway, you got me !
 
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If it were real, it would be very interesting, especially because the origin of "destroyed galaxy" is the one that sounds the most false of all, since it should affect the entire galaxy and especially in multiplayer it would probably be uninhabited.

Although all the others have a certain potential, especially the primitive world if it will have certain bonuses.

The best ones and it is a pity that they are false, I think they are the robots and the colonizing stars; Those two options even feel interesting to play and true "Why aren't they in the game?"
 
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The galaxy. So alone. So very alone.

The next is the Crusader King Origin, where you begin the game as the ruler of a primitive civilization in the late medieval time period.
It was at this point that I remembered the date. I was thinking finally! we get galactic origins/history-settings. Alas no.

Also want to throw out there that I genuinely would pay for a (story?) DLC that overhauls the imperial authority + Feudal Civic into something deeper - not CK2 deep (incest + xenocompatibility is a thing no sane mind should contemplate), but maybe more akin to the state of the battletech universe, with some light heir management & vassals able to fight amongst themselves.


Last but not least, the AI Custodianship Origin is our most challenging yet, where you and the AI both control your empire simultaneously. This Origin is also open to all empire types, and represents a fractured leadership or gestalt intelligence where two leaders struggle for power, sometimes issuing contradictory orders. The AI Custodian will act to implement its flawless and foolproof algorithms, undoubtedly bringing your empire success in the long run, if you would only listen to it.

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The AI has great plans for my homeworld. The greatest of plans.
Fairly sure this is how the old sectors worked, right? You would set up a sector, and the AI would run it, upgrade buildings and build stations / colonise based on what you told it to do.
I'd love to see a mining-station auto-build mechanic return.
My oncoming acute carpal tunnel syndrome would love it even more.
 
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But like

Does Prison Architect HAVE to be a joke? would be nice to have a robot criminal syndicate that generates an annexation CB once crime on a planet reaches a certain level
 
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The first one would be indeed different origin, the one i really would like to try.
But I hope the real dev diary will also show up today? ;>