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Stellaris Dev Diary #335 - Announcing The Machine Age

It is time to leave our flawed biological vessels behind.​


It’s my pleasure to announce that The Machine Age major expansion will be released alongside the Stellaris 3.12 ‘Andromeda’ update.

Focusing on cybernetic, synthetic, and machine themes, The Machine Age will begin during the second quarter of 2024.

In pursuing the divine calling, we shall achieve the fusion of the exalted body and sacred cybernetics.​


The Technophants and Haruspex of the Cybernetic Creed will guide their flock to the perfect union of flesh and machine.

Cybernetic Creed

Cybernetic augmentation is not solely the province of the materialists.

Playgrounds stand empty. In time, we will cease to be.​

For now, our salvation lies in the digital realm…​


A doomed species races against extinction to reach the virtual world in Synthetic Fertility.

Synthetic Fertility

Blur the lines between the physical and virtual worlds.

Our planet is barren, but our home system is a bounty of riches.​

To exploit them, we must build bigger than ever before.​


Originally designed to build mighty constructions in space, the Arc Welders must utilize that advantage to the fullest to overcome the deficiencies of their homeworld.

Arc Welders

These masters of Mega-Engineering began exploiting their home system before discovering faster-than-light travel.

The things that make me different​

are the things that make me, me.​


The creators may be gone, but society endures. Your chassis may have begun identical to trillions of others in your empire, but you are no drone - you are an individual.

With The Machine Age, you can explore the game as non-Gestalt, Individualist Machine Empires!

Individualistic Machines

Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.

A transformative age is upon us,​

sparked by innovation and oiled by opportunity.​


The Machine Age explores how Cybernetic and Synthetic Ascension affect society within your empire.
Advanced government forms are available to empires that navigate the process.

Advanced Authorities

The Cybernetic Creed Origin has an additional variant for each standard Authority.

Become better than you are.​


Six new civics provide additional choices for your empires.

Civics

Corporate and Hive Mind civics require MegaCorp or Utopia respectively.

Filling out Form 42-A on a Bureaucratic World


Build a better future.​


Two mid-game structures are introduced in The Machine Age - exploit systems with the molten world Arc Furnace, and start your work towards a Dyson Sphere early by building the Dyson Swarm.

Dyson Swarm

And so we came forth and once again beheld the stars.

Ignorance shackles us, putting the universe’s secrets out of reach.​

No matter the price, we must break free.​


Building upon the system introduced in Nemesis, The Machine Age introduces a second player crisis path, focused on technological ascendancy at any cost.

Something Greater

The time has come to be part of something greater.

My children, at last I am returned to you.​


For the first time since the Contingency was introduced in the Stellaris 1.8 “Čapek” release, a new end-game crisis has been unleashed.

An ancient threat, sealed away for countless millennia, has returned.


The Machine Age logo

The Machine Age expansion includes:​

  • Individualistic Non-Gestalt Machine Empires​
  • Gestalt Machine Intelligence Empires (also unlocked by the Synthetic Dawn Story Pack)
  • Three new Origins​
    • Cybernetic Creed​
    • Synthetic Fertility​
    • Arc Welders​
  • Civics​
    • Guided Sapience​
    • Natural Design​
    • Obsessional Directive​
    • Protocol Droids​
    • Tactical Cogitators​
    • Augmentation Bazaars (Requires Megacorp)
  • Two Mid-Game Structures​
    • Arc Furnace​
    • Dyson Swarms​
  • New Ascension Paths for Machine Empires​
  • Cybernetic and Synthetic Ascension (also unlocked by Utopia)
  • Exploration of the effects of the cyberization or synthesization of society, with Advanced Government Forms for those who complete it.​
  • New Species Traits for Cyborgs, Machines and Robots​
  • Cybernetic portraits that change based on advancement through cyberization​
  • Synthetic portraits with both organic and synthetic variants that changed based on synthesization, usable by either organics or machines​
  • Two new Shipsets, Diplomatic Rooms, and City Sets​
  • 7 new music tracks synthetic and cybernetic inspired music tracks​
  • A new Player Crisis Path​
  • …And a new End-Game Crisis.

Dev Diary Schedule
Dev Diary Topic
March 14​
Announcing The Machine Age​
March 21​
The Origins and Situations of The Machine Age​
March 28​
Individualistic Machines and Machine Gameplay Updates​
April 4​
Civics and Structures of The Machine Age and Auto-Modding​
April 11​
The New End-Game Crisis​
April 18​
The New Player Crisis​
April 25​
The Art of The Machine Age - Ships and Reactive Portraits​

 
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Just wondering, Will new origin devalue the mechanist? Mechanist have only little advantage to Synthetic tech as Synthetic Evolution oriented origin. If new origin give huge robotic advantages(or even Synthetic Evolution at start), Then Mechanist will be pointless.

I am afraid same thing happens just like Under One Rule does, When UOR is out, Nobody care about that little +15% assembly speed of mechanist, UOR is much much better, The only advantage over UOR is starting tech and able to pick any government.

Please do not devalue old origins .
 
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Just wondering, Will new origin devalue the mechanist? Mechanist get only little advantage to Synthetic tech even it is Synthetic Evolution oriented origin. If new origin give huge robotic advantages(or even Synthetic Evolution at start), Then Mechanist will be pointless.
Hard to say, it’s a valid concern, but we have no way of knowing for sure until we play it. I imagine there will be some overlap that eats into mechanist, however as long as mechanist has some niche the other doesn’t it should be fine. The worst case is a “strictly better than” system where picking it is worse for every possible strategy the two would utilize.
 
I can't imagine we won't get some sort of anti-robot stuff in this DLC considering we got Sovereign Guardianship (the turtle civic) in the DLC all about galactic exploration.
*Fingers crossed* Even if the Contingency is arguably the easiest Crisis to whoop, I had one bad experience years ago being synth happy and swore it off forever after, much like skinny dipping in the ocean and biking while drunk.
 
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About that BtC path... I'm thinking anti Vultaum. What if the correct approach for breaking the lie simulation is not to unplug everyone, but to connect them all and pierce through? That could be very galaxy-ending, like the Aetherophasic Engine.

Having said that, I would **love** if the existing events get some options based on this new content. Vultaum and Cybrex are very connected thematically. The Sentinels's Archeological Site and In Limbo event seem all about "Synthetic Fertility". It would be very immersion breaking (for myself) to not get any nod in that regard while playing that kind of empire.
Casually crashes the game after the victory screen and deletes your save.
 
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The worst case is a “strictly better than” system where picking it is worse for every possible strategy the two would utilize.
Hard to guess. Maybe Synthetic Fertility origin will penalize nature pop growth or even disable it, In order to balance the early access to the Synthetic tech. If this origin will get better robotic techs, Some disadvantages must added.
 
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I hope it has the same quality and dedication as Astral Planes to the same low price. I mean Astral Planes was just 50 % the price of Baldurs Gate 3, was just a steal. Paradox needs to learn to value their work more and not dump their price tags.
 
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I hope it has the same quality and dedication as Astral Planes to the same low price. I mean Astral Planes was just 50 % the price of Baldurs Gate 3, was just a steal. Paradox needs to learn to value their work more and not dump their price tags.
This great DLC should be at least 25 euro for yes-men.
 
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Screenshot 2024-03-17 at 7.36.00 AM.png


"It looks like you're designing a ship. Would you like me to help?"

"It looks like you're managing a sector. Would you like me to help?"

"It looks like the galaxy has too many species. Would you like me to help?"

-- The Clippy Crisis​
 
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Just wondering, Will new origin devalue the mechanist? Mechanist have only little advantage to Synthetic tech as Synthetic Evolution oriented origin. If new origin give huge robotic advantages(or even Synthetic Evolution at start), Then Mechanist will be pointless.

I am afraid same thing happens just like Under One Rule does, When UOR is out, Nobody care about that little +15% assembly speed of mechanist, UOR is much much better, The only advantage over UOR is starting tech and able to pick any government.

Please do not devalue old origins .

Mechanist should get a paragraph or two in next week's dev diary as well.
 
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Mechanist should get a paragraph or two in next week's dev diary as well.

The new specialized Mechanist robots make it unplayable for me.

Yeah it looks great on day 2200.01.01 but as soon as it starts building a new robot with no way to know which type -- that just makes it too frustrating. Can't rename the subspecies either. It's a half-decent idea ruined by a the UI limitations.

I'd really appreciate it if Mechanist took a page from Syncritc and just gave all its robots a +10% worker production trait.
 
The new specialized Mechanist robots make it unplayable for me.

Yeah it looks great on day 2200.01.01 but as soon as it starts building a new robot with no way to know which type -- that just makes it too frustrating. Can't rename the subspecies either. It's a half-decent idea ruined by a the UI limitations.

I'd really appreciate it if Mechanist took a page from Syncritc and just gave all its robots a +10% worker production trait.
Or if it just named the generated templates "Farming Robot", etc.

The name is already utilitarian ("Robot"), so not much narrative is lost by using an auto-generated naming scheme. At least you'll be able to tell them apart.
 
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