How colonies looks like

[Torgrim]

For you who played Master of Orion 2 remember when you colonized a planet you see the ship land and you see some housing on the surface pops up, more you build more structures apear on the surface.
I really hope Stellaris takes this aproach so you can acual see how big your colony is and of cource the visual.

And if you look at research station on a moon you acual see it on the surface.

 

[RoboticManiac]

It's the tiny details like that which can truly make a game.

 

[Mattastic]

However it's done, I hope the game will show these colonies as active places. Most games I've played in this genre, if they do show the colony as anything more than a menu, have an unfortunate atmosphere of abandonment. I'd like to see planets with their night-side surfaces slowly being taken over by city lights. Maybe colony views where, between your structures, you have street lights, shuttles moving to and from the surface, signs of active construction, and so on. I'd like a sign that my colonists are actually living active lives.