The other day I started (and finished!) a game where I was the only empire at the beginning. Ironman, small galaxy, no AI empires, no FEs, no Marauders. Boosted primitive chance and habitable worlds a bit. I thought of this as a "progenitor" game where my species was the first out the gate as a spacefaring empire. I tried this a while back before Apocalypse, but with 2.2's new planetary management I knew I wanted an economic-focused game to get a full feel for the way things work now.
With no computer-controlled empires, I didn't have to worry at all about potentially dodgy AI lessening the experience. On top of that, there were far fewer pops across the map which greatly helped late game performance (to be fair, I have never experienced the game-breaking slowness other people complain about, even on games with lots of AI empires).
Went for Fanatic Pacifist & Authoritarian ethics. Dictatorial succession with Efficient Bureaucracy & Environmentalist civics. Species traits included Rapid Breeders, Conservationist, and Enduring. This allowed for a pretty quick economic expansion without pushing empire sprawl too high too quickly.
By the time the Prethoryn attacked, I controlled over half the galaxy including the fully restored Cybrex ringworld system and 3 Ecumenopolises. Being alone against the Prethoryn was really tough but I managed to beat them back! Sadly they did seem bugged (no infested worlds) so I'm sure that worked in my favour, but it was a blast nonetheless.
Highly recommend this game mode to anyone wanting a "chill" experience with Stellaris, and/or anyone who is experiencing performance issues. Could keep you going until the AI and game performance is improved. Warning - this game mode is highly addictive and caused me to be up far later than I should have on a Sunday night...
With no computer-controlled empires, I didn't have to worry at all about potentially dodgy AI lessening the experience. On top of that, there were far fewer pops across the map which greatly helped late game performance (to be fair, I have never experienced the game-breaking slowness other people complain about, even on games with lots of AI empires).
Went for Fanatic Pacifist & Authoritarian ethics. Dictatorial succession with Efficient Bureaucracy & Environmentalist civics. Species traits included Rapid Breeders, Conservationist, and Enduring. This allowed for a pretty quick economic expansion without pushing empire sprawl too high too quickly.
By the time the Prethoryn attacked, I controlled over half the galaxy including the fully restored Cybrex ringworld system and 3 Ecumenopolises. Being alone against the Prethoryn was really tough but I managed to beat them back! Sadly they did seem bugged (no infested worlds) so I'm sure that worked in my favour, but it was a blast nonetheless.
Highly recommend this game mode to anyone wanting a "chill" experience with Stellaris, and/or anyone who is experiencing performance issues. Could keep you going until the AI and game performance is improved. Warning - this game mode is highly addictive and caused me to be up far later than I should have on a Sunday night...
