2.2.3 Balance

[Wolfgang I]

I don't like how utterly irrelevant space-based construction became in 2.2. Sure, planets were always dominating in stellaris, but now they completely overshadow any kind of space station. A single planet based researcher produces 12 science (4 of each), before upgrades and buffs. A single advanced research complex has 8 researches - 96 science. And if you're just starting the game where you haven't even encountered any aliens yet, your own vessels are primitive and you find an astounding anomaly - a whole graveyard of advances alien ships from the previous era...which give you a whopping +3 to engineering, which is outdone by some planet-bound pencil pusher easily. Kinda lame, if you ask me.

I agree.
One of those 6 or 9 science anomalies used to boost early research a lot as did observation posts.
Starbase buildings like the Black Hole Observatory or the Curator Think Tank need a boost too.

 

[xsmilingbanditx]

Well there already is alot of posts around, so jere are my thoughts:

Economy: As soon as you're accustomed to it, it works. Good. In the beginnen - like the first three planets - there is not much specialization possible. You need to balance resources to be able to expand further so you need a surplus to all.

Expansion: For meaningful play, you just cannot colonize and build mindlessly everywhere. Having three planets and colonizing two puts a strain on the economy, depending on the traits you picked. Same goes for war. Conquering five worlds when you have four or five yourself? Good luck early on...

Resources: As soon as you get the tech, rare resources aren't rare anymore, but sparse. Yet again, before building check your needs, plan anhead what you are going to need, build, wait for pops.

Fleet: You cannot just dish out ships. They are a meaningful investment now. Losing anything besides corvettes and destroyers might hurt. And using those makes WE go up. Balanced imho.

Starbases: It's possible to get a 20k+ Bastion without Platforms in 2300. With Platforms, dedicated citadels hit the 30k or 40k mark without dedicated ascension perks. This is sufficient for anything midgame can throw at you. In 2325 or whatever my fleets get around 40k or 50k and Bastions without Platforms are at 20k. While you will not beat a fleet twice the size, you WILL kill stuff which translates to enemy WE. While you get none in losing a station. Now back that station up with a half decent fleet...

Space resources: I think they are fine. They keep you going in the early game until you get the tech and pops to make your planets awesome. Space resources are just the icing on the cake later on. The ONLY thing they just finally should get rid of are those godforsaken systems with a total of two or three resources in it.

Don't get me wrong, 2.2 was quite a change and it took me about ten games with a total noob-proof race to get things going. Now I know what I gotta do and while being to lazy to do the maths in detail, get a feeling of what's worth and what I need.

 

[828]

It's impossible to face end-game crisis as it stands. Even mid game crisis is a no go for most empires. The only empires I've seen pass this ordeal where fanatic purifiers going all in from the start. And the system caps itself though the services and housing upkeep. So I can understand the need for a deterrent for building upgrade but the one choosen is downright inefficient. Try to deal with an awakened empire or end-game crisis with that. I cannot at all. And I used to roll over awakened empires like it was nothing before. So yeah there's a change in balance here. Btw I'm stuck with 2 exotic gas and don't seem to be able to get more, except from market and it's too expensive for my purse.

In the span of 35 years i killed off both awaked empires in the war in heaven, and killed the end game crisis, with ease as i had over a million fleet power by year 230 with standard settings on admiral difficulty and 2x crisis strength. I was a materialist xenophilic authoritarian with slaver guilds and technocracy at the beginning of the game. But yeah the end game crisis crumbled to my fleets with the ai just fighting eachother while i saved the galaxy lol

 

[Wolfgang I]

In the span of 35 years i killed off both awaked empires in the war in heaven, and killed the end game crisis, with ease as i had over a million fleet power by year 230 with standard settings on admiral difficulty and 2x crisis strength. I was a materialist xenophilic authoritarian with slaver guilds and technocracy at the beginning of the game. But yeah the end game crisis crumbled to my fleets with the ai just fighting eachother while i saved the galaxy lol

Without the use of exploits like using broken trades? Did you just max. pop growth or were refugees involved?

 

[828]

Without the use of exploits like using broken trades? Did you just max. pop growth or were refugees involved?

No exploits as far as i know, i just inhabited any world with 20% habitability plus early in the game and went tech heavy, got 3 ecuminopolises and had about 2k alloy generation a month, so 10 corvettes created a month if i need them, had a fleet of half a mil going into year 2400 and just kept continuiosly producing corvettes for 50 years basically, had 1700 eventually. Just sold 200-500 alloys per month on the market to get 2000-5000 energy per month since ai's were buying it all up

 

[Wolfgang I]

No exploits as far as i know, i just inhabited any world with 20% habitability plus early in the game and went tech heavy, got 3 ecuminopolises and had about 2k alloy generation a month, so 10 corvettes created a month if i need them, had a fleet of half a mil going into year 2400 and just kept continuiosly producing corvettes for 50 years basically, had 1700 eventually. Just sold 200-500 alloys per month on the market to get 2000-5000 energy per month since ai's were buying it all up

Oh I misread I post. I assumed you you hit a million fleet power by 2300(I thought you forgot a 0) which was my usual goal in the few true min/max games I played between 2.0 and 2.2(with a 2250 endgame date). I have not tried such a game yet in 2.2. Well I started two but hit the bug which purges your own pops in both... .
Now I'm just messing around in a RP game testing stuff.

 

[xsmilingbanditx]

No exploits as far as i know, i just inhabited any world with 20% habitability plus early in the game and went tech heavy, got 3 ecuminopolises and had about 2k alloy generation a month, so 10 corvettes created a month if i need them, had a fleet of half a mil going into year 2400 and just kept continuiosly producing corvettes for 50 years basically, had 1700 eventually. Just sold 200-500 alloys per month on the market to get 2000-5000 energy per month since ai's were buying it all up

I somewhat doubt that. Below 60% Hab the upkeep/consumer goods kill you, especially early on. Even 70% is a gamble too early.
If you're no ME that is.