3.0 Stream Highlights

[Calvax]

I'm sure I didn't grab every interesting thing, but for those who missed it or don't have time for the VOD here's a list of reveals from the stream. Anymore wants to add more go right ahead.

- There are a plethora of minor tweaks in the patch, too many to show on stream.
- No new civics, but a handful of changes to others and government types, e.g. shadow council boosts one's espionage capability
- The galaxy generation screen allows you to select a prefered crisis if you don't want random
- Hyperlane scanners start with less range, granting less vision
- Things can be quickly shuffled around the outliner, with icons changes to display designations graphically for easy reading.
- Designations/automation have significantly improved. The AI can keep up (at least when not minmaxing) pretty easily for a century thanks to this, and two save files of the same empire comparing minmax and full automation showed a smaller difference than expected during internal tests.
- The AI (possibly thanks to the economic boost) plays more competitively and makes smarter choices. Like going to war opportunistically.
- Some traditions and tradition tree finishers adapted for voidborn
- Population growth feels slower in early game, late game pop numbers reduced by half on average.
- First contact policy ranges between being open (increases reward and risk)
- FEs know your language and have no first contact encounter, but you can choose your response along similar lines.
- When first contact is complete you'll see the location of the capital, and any borders, but nothing more.
- The empire emblem size and placement scales to your vision of the empire.

 

[Moonglow87]

Any link to this stream/video? I cant find it

 

[Calvax]

Any link to this stream/video? I cant find it

Here you go, goes on for about an hour

Twitch

Twitch is the world's leading video platform and community for gamers.

www.twitch.tv

 

[Pancakelord]

Helpful write up, only had time to skim the stream.

- Hyperlane scanners start with less range, granting less vision

Pity they still dont have any actual graphical overlay for sensor range, seems we still have to rely on hovering over a star to see its intel level (unhelpfully, that now shares a name with the intel from spy networks...)

The AI can keep up (at least when not minmaxing) pretty easily for a century thanks to this,

I wonder if the AI actually considers its strategic resource usage now and wont fall into a gas-deficit death spiral after a century.

- When first contact is complete you'll see the location of the capital, and any borders, but nothing more.
- The empire emblem size and placement scales to your vision of the empire.

I really hope the initial reveal of the capital is event driven - so that I can mod out it showing the home system right away. Or at the very least this shouldn't be revealed if the target is xenophobic or militarist.
The LAST thing any rational (i.e. non fanatic xenophilic) species would do is tell you where to find the planet where most of it's kind lives. If anything it should be revealing the closest border system and nothing more.

 

[Calvax]

The LAST thing any rational (i.e. non fanatic xenophilic) species would do is tell you where to find the planet where most of it's kind lives. If anything it should be revealing the closest border system and nothing more.

I won't be too cut up about it but it would be good if the event determined it. Empires that go for the open arms option would probably host on their homeworld, if someone picks the most hostile they might protect their own.

 

[Ezumiyr]

The LAST thing any rational (i.e. non fanatic xenophilic) species would do is tell you where to find the planet where most of it's kind lives. If anything it should be revealing the closest border system and nothing more.

Maybe they aren't revealing it on purpose. Depends where the communications are coming from, and it's more likely to be from the capital than from the nearest system. Most Stellaris empires aren't hostile by default, and the capital is also where envoys and traders will go (it doesn't just happen at the borders).
I think you're mixing "realism" with gameplay a bit too much here. From a player perspective, capital planets are where most of your pops are, and so they are what you should protect over all. But in-game, planet capital are also where most of the diplomatic contacts with other empires happen ; your trade routes lead to there, and so on.

In a space opera context, the only empires that would realistically hide their capital are the most paranoid and isolationist ones.

 

[Pancakelord]

I think you're mixing "realism" with gameplay a bit too much here.

Hardly. I see their capital system, its 2220 I can calculate the size of their empire based on like a 3-jump radius.
I know their climate preference, i know their species type,
I can guess their ethics and civics just from the name alone in some instances.

For a system that's meant to hide enemy empires, it does a pretty poor job of it. Realism has nothing to do with it.

Trade is purely internal in stellaris - and you wouldnt have any trade agreements right after meeting someone (If I am not mis remembering that is a restricted diplo action now and isnt immediately available anymore, anyway). And there's no reason why diplomatic contacts (not the same as envoys) wouldn't initially be handled in deep space at a border station, if only for convenience, ignoring security.

The homeworld should be like a level 1 or 2 intel unlock, you should have to at least work a little to either see it via spying or building up their trust level with you (not that it will take that long with how strong improve relations is) - or scouting if they've left borders open to you (implying some degree of trust, anyway).

 

[Shadowstrike]

Yeah, I agree with the "finding out about a border system used as a contact point instead of the capital" idea. Especially xenophobic species would really not want you to know where their capital is and details about their species (which you might need to resort to things like abduction to find out). You have examples like the Vorlons from Babylon 5, where the other species don't even know what they look like...

As a historic example, Qing China kept European traders in Guangzhou in the south, instead of letting them come north to Beijing. You might image a xenophobic empire doing something like that, or even designating a contact point outside their space.

 

[Calvax]

I can totally see a xenophobic empire hiding their homeworld, and that would be a neat mechanic. Given the timespan between space colonisation and first contact I doubt most would try to hide their capital because it would be so hard to do. You only have a handful of systems when you start meeting people, and your homeworld will still be the economic majority of said empire. Realistically hiding it would be far too difficult unless you really, really try. Everything from sharing a picture (which could reveal sun type, climate, and potentially constellations) to having to factor in diplomat travel time in negotiations.

 

[Ixal]

Hopefully the AI is really smarter so that PDX can finally remove or change the market.

A pity that the homeworld becomes visible after first contact. Searching for the homeworld is a big SciFi trope.

 

[Pancakelord]

Searching for the homeworld is a big SciFi trope.

Indeed... One could even make an entire series of games around just this concept lol.

 

[Verx90]

i think finding out the homeworld of an empire is the easyest thing you can take with little effort of just traducing someone language ... since homeworld are the center of your empire commerce - resources gatering - intel - control .

even if it is not instant , it should be quite easy to find out as in our history capitols were always extremly easy to be know , when existing .

 

[Verx90]

Population growth feels slower in early game, late game pop numbers reduced by half on average.

this may be a production of the origin start. the growth rate is decreased based on how " full " the planet is of pops in relation to max districts , and he started with 3 almost full habitats with a reduction of growth of 1.50 of 3.0 .

you have to considerate that other planet origin have always the possibility to open up districts by clearing theyr planets, increasing the early game growth rate.


colonies seems to grow faster , but planets that are more advanced , slow down significantly.

 

[Shadowstrike]

I feel like the "how hard is it to find the homeworld" question is really something that would work quite naturally with the intel system. You might imagine something like "where the homeworld and other major planets are" might be something you can find out with some level of intel, and that intel is way easier to get for xenophile empires (who might just invite you in) versus xenophobe ones (who really want to keep you out).

In a "dark forest" sense, I don't think most empires would be super keen to let you know where the majority of their population and economic base are right away. It would be incredibly dangerous to being rushed, at least until some mutual trust is built.

 

[Verx90]

I feel like the "how hard is it to find the homeworld" question is really something that would work quite naturally with the intel system. You might imagine something like "where the homeworld and other major planets are" might be something you can find out with some level of intel, and that intel is way easier to get for xenophile empires (who might just invite you in) versus xenophobe ones (who really want to keep you out).

In a "dark forest" sense, I don't think most empires would be super keen to let you know where the majority of their population and economic base are right away. It would be incredibly dangerous to being rushed, at least until some mutual trust is built.

if you traduce theyr language and "hear" around 10 trasmissions from theyr commerce routes , you can probably know theyr homeworld, theyr routes and some of theyr planets-system with trade resources.


i can't see this as hard or difficult or particulary costing.



NOW... if we talk about hiveminds things can be realy different ... but still feasible if drones all receive information from 1 place, and send information to 1 place.

 

[Shadowstrike]

That assumes you have access to their communications, which is harder to get at if you aren't allowed in their space at all. Sure if you are allowed to fly around inside their space and spy on their communications, you can figure out where things are with some effort.

 

[HugsAndSnuggles]

this may be a production of the origin start. the growth rate is decreased based on how " full " the planet is of pops in relation to max districts , and he started with 3 almost full habitats with a reduction of growth of 1.50 of 3.0 .

you have to considerate that other planet origin have always the possibility to open up districts by clearing theyr planets, increasing the early game growth rate.


colonies seems to grow faster , but planets that are more advanced , slow down significantly.

In other words: our beloved late-game micromanagment of fighting unemployment was changed to mid-game micromanagement of keeping steady pop growth? IDK how I feel about that.

 

[Calvax]

In other words: our beloved late-game micromanagment of fighting unemployment was changed to mid-game micromanagement of keeping steady pop growth? IDK how I feel about that.

I wouldn't class the second one as micromanagement unless it turns out that you are strongly incentivised to keep planet populations at a sweet spot size. Right now because unemployment is always a drain and jobs are so valuable that you simply have to play the micro game, unless you want to be really handicapped. It's not helped by the constant red and amber warning icons on the outliner.

However if the automigration is smooth and the pop changes balanced you should hopefully only feel the need to intervene in niche cases, or when going full minmax.

 

[Verx90]

In other words: our beloved late-game micromanagment of fighting unemployment was changed to mid-game micromanagement of keeping steady pop growth? IDK how I feel about that.

mhh... what you feel was the worst aspect of lategame management?

having alot of planets ? thats still there if you don't trust the automatization . but since buildings are chained to residential districts, you can actualy pre-build a planet entirely ( with a price of upkeep and administration for an empty shiell ) without cares for the actual presence of pops, THATS actualy would help the auto-resetling to the new planet.

having to move pops ? i don't know how it will work for non-sapients robots - hive - slaves , but evryone else will have auto-resetlement , so you can just let the game go and your pops will move where there are jobs and housing for them .

the lagg? they decreased the number of pops, if you considerate they made the pops half , and the game became quite slow by 2400 on x1k stars, this mean that the same performance hit will arrive around 2500-2600 . ( thats a child calculation , its probably before that , but given the nature of the system you should reach the same number of pops is 100-200 years. ) So you should have a chance to see a "victory" or the endgame killing evryone , the endgame killing evryone may actualy increase performance making it happening faster >>> .

managing jobs ? if you think clerk are the alternative to disoccupation that make you unaware of the fact that those pops are doing something useless, then you are probably in for a ride. if not, i think the jobs management is relevant only in early game, where 2-10 jobs can actualy change your economy from positive income to negative.

managing factions ? i'm joking.

 

[Ryika]

In other words: our beloved late-game micromanagment of fighting unemployment was changed to mid-game micromanagement of keeping steady pop growth? IDK how I feel about that.

If I recall correctly, manual resettlement costs influence now, so that might not be feasible.