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Stellaris Dev Diary #151 - 2.3.3 beta patch [checksum 35d6]

Hello everyone!

We’ve been working on the 2.3.3 patch, but before we put anything live we will release it as a beta version as usual. To try the beta, right-click Stellaris in your Steam Library and select Properties. In the BETAS tab there should be a drop down list where you can find stellaris_test. Set your beta opt in to stellaris_test to try the 2.3.3 beta.

Save file compatibility between versions is never guaranteed. If you need to roll back to a previous version, do this: go to your Steam library, right click on Stellaris -> betas tab -> select the version you want.

The beta has a couple of known issues, but they are also things we will address before 2.3.3 goes live.

  • AI Robot empires are a bit slow to expand with outposts.
  • We have added a Relic stealing feature, but it only works while in a Galatron war instead of when not in a Galatron war
  • While Caravaneers no longer get stuck, they are prone to moving to the same destinations.

Here are some highlights of changes in the 2.3.3 beta:

Admiral XP
We’ve tweaked how admirals get XP from patrolling and combat. Admirals will now get XP according to the max piracy value as opposed to previously only checking current piracy. XP from combat should also be increased due to fixing a bug with how ship value, in terms of XP, was calculated. Disengaged ships now also provide some XP, not just destroyed ships. In general it should now be easier to level up your admirals.

Archaeology Site Rewards
We’ve improved a lot of rewards for the archaeological sites to make them more unique, more fun and in some cases stronger.

Grand Herald
Although we like how the Grand Herald can change the game quite a lot, we think it was a bit too common and too easy to get so early on. The Grand Herald site now spawns less frequently and the site difficulty is higher. When you complete the site, there is a chance that you find the Grand Herald in a weakened state. In that case it will be possible to restore it to its full glory.

Full patch notes here:
#################################################################
######################### VERSION 2.3.3 ##########################
#################################################################

###################
# Ancient Relics Story Pack Features
###################
* A number of archaeology sites have been overhauled to give more interesting rewards for completion, with new techs, empire modifiers, and ethics-based outcomes

###################
# General
###################
* Updated localisation for all languages

###################
# Balance
###################
* Further changed Precursor system spawning to always connect to an owned system, if possible, to reduce them appearing in inaccessible places
* More archaeological site events will grant minor artifacts
* Zroni chain grants Psionic Theory tech option for non-gestalts
* The Surveyor relic now has a chance to find multiple deposits during its activation time. It has also been reduced to a five year timer
* Adjusted the rate at which Admirals gain XP when patrolling and when in combat
* Daily patrolling XP is now based on the max piracy in a system rather than the current piracy
* Disengaged ship now also give xp, they have their own define: LEADER_ADMIRAL_FLEET_COMBAT_SHIPS_DISENGAGED_CONVERSION
* Zro is slightly more common
* Marketplace of Ideas trade policy unity per trade value increased from 0.15 to 0.25
* Grand Herald site is less common. When the Grand Herald is found it may be damaged to some degree, if so there is a special project to restore it to full power
* Finishing Arc Sites may yield Technology Research Options/Boosts
* Lowered the chance of archaeology sites being discovered when planets are surveyed
* Non-genocidal gestalt empires may now also seize the galatron from those who would withhold access to its glory

###################
# UI
###################
* Added MP DLC ownership icon for Ancient Relics
* Fixed line break in Zro Deposits causing unnecessary truncation of text
* Fixed displayed Army Recruitment time not including build speed modifiers
* You should no longer be able to see the orders of the fleets of other empires
* Fixed the resources going haywire in the trade view. Hopefully for the last time
* Added a country modifier to remind you that you can safely colonize Holy worlds as the chosen of Zarqlan

###################
# AI
###################
* Fixed so that the AI uses their idle science ships to assist research rather than just drawing salaries and doing nothing like typical freeloading intelligentsia
* AI empires will finish tradition trees before starting new ones
* Changed AI weight for consecration decision, so that it's actually used
* AI will now build city districts on planets if needed even if not many pops live there
* AI no longer juggles leaders back and forth, and also makes sure there is always at least one leader assigned to a ship
* Fixed the AI declaring war on empire they can't reach, or empires on the other side of the galaxy
* AI no longer needlessly upgrades starbases if they still have unused module or building slots
* Removed ostensibly arbitrary pop requirement for research buildings, also capped holo-theatres to one per planet

###################
# Modding
###################
* add_anomaly effect now adds the anomaly to the scoped country instead of the first country to survey the planet
* Added "min_jumps" and "max_jumps" parameters to the "spawn_system" command for better control of where and to what world spawned system appear
* min_jump and max_jump now use -1 to be ignored, so that you can make systems that attach directly to your base system
* Added `steal_relic = { target = TARGET_COUNTRY relic = <all/random/RELIC_NAME>` effect
* The `on_arrival_effect` is now properly called with a fleet scope
* Replaced hard texture limit with hybridarray for people that have excessive amounts of textures due to mods
* Added 'is_last_lost_relic' and 'is_last_received_relic'. Both trigger return true if the relice passed as a parameter is the last (lost/received) relic by the country from the scope country scope: is_last_lost_relic = <relic_key> / is_last_received_relic = <relic_key>

###################
# Stability
###################
* Fixed a freeze when editing trade routes from a system you stole
* Fixed a crash when using mature galaxy in observer mode

###################
# Bugfixes
###################
* Colony automation now has a 3 day cooldown after a building completes in order for recently completed constructions to take effect
* Increased weighting of favorited jobs so that they're properly prioritized
* Made the logic for buy/selling slaves better. AI is now more likely to both buy and sell slaves, wrote someone in the 21st century
* Fixed automation not working on planet capitals or new colonies if you don't change the designation
* Conquered habitats will now convert districts that are not permitted by their new empire type
* Fixed so that rogue servitor AI will no longer just build organic sanctuaries
* All non-Exterminator Machine Intelligences should now be able to make Farming Colonies
* In MP only the first player to discover the Baol or Zroni precursor will begin their chain. Others are free to discover different precursors
* Fixed overflow issues in AI diplomacy due to relative strength calculations
* The result of "Reverse-Engineer Minor Artifacts" is now properly randomized
* Disabled map-ping for finished arch sites
* Admiral XP is based on the total cost of ships instead of just minerals
* Fix for all buildings swapping issues
* Secrets of the Irassians will no longer sometimes give machine intelligences a tech they can't use
* Changed so that arch sites and certain events use the correct GFX files
* Fixed Growth species disappearing every other month in some cases
* Ship build speed modifiers are no longer applied twice
* Fixed Build Speed modifier being applied twice to buildings
* Fixed some new Tutorial Lines not playing VO (VO for a bald eagle flying out of an explosion with a pistol grasped in its beak didn't arrive in time for today, alas)
* The Caravaneers roam space once again instead of sitting in orbit ringing your doorbell for all eternity with an "offer you can't refuse"
* Deficit modifiers are properly applied again
* Master Builders no longer ever affects Habitat size
* Rare resource tech will also be researchable if any planet you own contains an Industrial sector deposit
* Primitives living on Ring Worlds will no longer build normal districts on them when invaded, enlightened, or if they naturally develop spaceflight, because inscrutably we have created a game where apparently such things are possible
* Maintenance Drones again have a positive weight for the Emotion emulators trait
* Fixed ships not going MIA when they can't return because they don't have access
* Presapients can now be found again to be uplifted/exploited/devoured as your whim decrees

stellaris_test is the version you need to be in to crossplay between Steam, GoG, and Paradoxplaza versions of the game.

Our goal is to fix whatever issues may arise and be able to set 2.3.3 live next week before we disappear on summer vacation.
 
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The Grand Herald site now spawns less frequently and the site difficulty is higher. When you complete the site, there is a chance that you find the Grand Herald in a weakened state. In that case it will be possible to restore it to its full glory.
I knew it. Thank goodness.
 
Also consider robot oriented starts (materialistic or mechanist). If they get the Zroni chain then they'll only get zro which they can't use and (I think) a few minor artifacts. They can't easily switch and become spiritualists. The Irassian chain will give a nice home system but the relic is useless if your people will soon become cyborgs with long lifespans and then synthetics that don't die of old age. In contrast if they get the cybrex they get an even nicer homesystem and can pump out robots and synthetics. There is definitely a balance problem here and rerolling until it fits isn't OK.

But there are all sorts of bonuses in the game which you are not guaranteed to get and are not guaranteed to be useful if you get them so why should precursors be different? If you get a good one it feels great but if you dont then youre no worse off then you were before.
 
* Further changed Precursor system spawning to always connect to an owned system, if possible, to reduce them appearing in inaccessible places

Oh, I wish I had waited a bit to start my campaign.

9e8bfe0da9.png


abb5c3ed06.png
 
* You should no longer be able to see the orders of the fleets of other empires

You mean I'm actually going to have to try and anticipate where my enemies might attack and move my fleets preemtively, rather than just selecting the enemy as soon as they get in sensor range, seeing their orders and then moving my fleets to intercept them? Darn! XD
 
Election mouseover text still not fixed. Literally unplayable. Please cancel all of Sweden's summer vacations and make all of Paradox staff (coders, scripters, artists, marketing, admins, janitors, etc) come back to work until this bug is fixed. It is critical to the survival of Paradox as a company and Paradox will LITERALLY COLLAPSE AS A COMPANY and MAY NOT SURVIVE THE SUMMER if this bug is not fixed.

0/10 LITERALLY UNPLAYABLE.
 
Fixed so that the AI uses their idle science ships to assist research rather than just drawing salaries and doing nothing like typical freeloading intelligentsia

As a typical freeloading intelligentsia, I'm offended by this. And I'm going to do something about it. As soon as I get up from a nap.
 
Was the building queue and buildings going to the end of the list when upgraded fixed? Please tell me it is, that bug drives me nuts.
I'm not sure exactly what you mean here, but we fixed the things that used the slot instead of the building itself to determine what they should do.
 
So, beta today and a week for hotfixes: That's clarification and a glimpse of hope. Good.
 
* Admiral XP

You mean I can again get rewarded with xp for blowing stuff up? Now this is how one celebrates American independence!
 
You mean I'm actually going to have to try and anticipate where my enemies might attack and move my fleets preemtively, rather than just selecting the enemy as soon as they get in sensor range, seeing their orders and then moving my fleets to intercept them? Darn! XD
CURSES! FOILED AGAIN!

Also, Stellaris team, is there any plans in the queue for dealing with the various balance and flavor problems Hive Minds, Machines, and Gestalts in general are experiencing?
 
I've started two games this morning - both of them the Rubricator system spawned without any hyperlinks to it. Both of them spawned in the center of a "triangle" of joined systems. Seems to be a bug.
 
Weakened or not, next time I get the Grand Herald I have to remember not to "upgrade" it because the game thinks that means stripping it of everything and adding blue lasers.
 
I'm not sure exactly what you mean here, but we fixed the things that used the slot instead of the building itself to determine what they should do.

I believe he is refering to how in 2.2 when you upgraded a building it didnt move to the last slot but since 2.3 it now does which Im assuming has led to the issues with upgrades ending your build order. This means that you cant queue up multiple upgrades and cant queue up a new building after an upgrade. I aslo believe it affects downgrading or replacing buildings.
 
I note that the bugfixes do not include anything about the problem with pre-sapients disappearing in a tick after they are spawned in a non-colonized planet. Am I to assume that this has transitions from being a bug to a "that's not a bug, that's a feature" thing?
 
I note that the bugfixes do not include anything about the problem with pre-sapients disappearing in a tick after they are spawned in a non-colonized planet. Am I to assume that this has transitions from being a bug to a "that's not a bug, that's a feature" thing?

Presapients can now be found again to be uplifted/exploited/devoured as your whim decrees
 
Election mouseover text still not fixed. Literally unplayable. Please cancel all of Sweden's summer vacations and make all of Paradox staff (coders, scripters, artists, marketing, admins, janitors, etc) come back to work until this bug is fixed. It is critical to the survival of Paradox as a company and Paradox will LITERALLY COLLAPSE AS A COMPANY and MAY NOT SURVIVE THE SUMMER if this bug is not fixed.

0/10 LITERALLY UNPLAYABLE.

They really hate you, don't they...?