In the early game of Stellaris, leaders are expensive. You end up spamming science leaders to get exploration benefits, and if you fight you need 1-2 admirals and *maybe* a general.
By later on, you have dozens of leaders, with very few really mattering.
I'm suggesting we make fewer but more important leaders. This will also mean that leaders should cost more.
1. Science leaders can both lead research *and* pilot science ships at the same time.
As the leaders also cost more, this makes your research leaders take risks to advance faster.
2. Science ship upgrades. Speed (both STL and FTL and operation), durability, escape chances.
3. Larger fleets in the late game. This can be as simple as doubling the +Fleet size cap technologies; if fleet size goes from 100 to 200, you'll have half as many admirals.
4. Flagships. Individual ships that are an upgrade over your existing ones that the admiral is in charge of and that fleets follow. The admirals traits would also boost this ship. Science ships are a form of flagship; a military fleet can follow them.
5. Combination leaders. The same leader could be a scientist, admiral, general and governor. Traits learned from one branch can have minor impacts on the other.
6. More empire-wide effects. Having a field theory scientist might buff your shields empire-wide by (leader level %).
7. Leaders get 1 trait per level guaranteed, and fewer levels. This is to just shave off filler.
8. Build a Sector Hub in a starbase to allow for a governor to be selected. Governors' military traits also buff ships (so long as you have the starbase) and soldiers in the sector, and scientist traits buff researchers in the sector, etc.
Limit how many leaders you can have based on empire size; say, twice the log 2 of your empire size (aka, the log base sqrt(2)). Some civics could change this number.
...
While it isn't exactly realistic that a great admiral is a great scientist, this comes right out of the fiction that inspires stellaris, where individuals have a wide range of expertise.
And the idea that your science skills make you a better admiral also comes right out of it.
As these leaders level up in different areas separately, you can have a Governor 2/Admiral 3/General 0/Scientist 5 running a sector, each of which comes with a collection of traits. When or if a war comes to that sector, the leader starts leveling up their General level.
By later on, you have dozens of leaders, with very few really mattering.
I'm suggesting we make fewer but more important leaders. This will also mean that leaders should cost more.
1. Science leaders can both lead research *and* pilot science ships at the same time.
As the leaders also cost more, this makes your research leaders take risks to advance faster.
2. Science ship upgrades. Speed (both STL and FTL and operation), durability, escape chances.
3. Larger fleets in the late game. This can be as simple as doubling the +Fleet size cap technologies; if fleet size goes from 100 to 200, you'll have half as many admirals.
4. Flagships. Individual ships that are an upgrade over your existing ones that the admiral is in charge of and that fleets follow. The admirals traits would also boost this ship. Science ships are a form of flagship; a military fleet can follow them.
5. Combination leaders. The same leader could be a scientist, admiral, general and governor. Traits learned from one branch can have minor impacts on the other.
6. More empire-wide effects. Having a field theory scientist might buff your shields empire-wide by (leader level %).
7. Leaders get 1 trait per level guaranteed, and fewer levels. This is to just shave off filler.
8. Build a Sector Hub in a starbase to allow for a governor to be selected. Governors' military traits also buff ships (so long as you have the starbase) and soldiers in the sector, and scientist traits buff researchers in the sector, etc.
Limit how many leaders you can have based on empire size; say, twice the log 2 of your empire size (aka, the log base sqrt(2)). Some civics could change this number.
...
While it isn't exactly realistic that a great admiral is a great scientist, this comes right out of the fiction that inspires stellaris, where individuals have a wide range of expertise.
And the idea that your science skills make you a better admiral also comes right out of it.
As these leaders level up in different areas separately, you can have a Governor 2/Admiral 3/General 0/Scientist 5 running a sector, each of which comes with a collection of traits. When or if a war comes to that sector, the leader starts leveling up their General level.
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