Stellaris Dev Diary #194: Intel

[Olterin]

There being different categories for intel is a good thing ... provided that's something that a player can actively interact with. Both by setting a focus on what to defend/obscure from others, and what to actively try to uncover. It might turn out to be too one-sided, however...

 

[FortunaDraken]

Interesting...it's certainly going to make the game a lot more mysterious, though I admittedly worry about how the AI is going to handle it. I do hope it doesn't come down to making them have better intel value (barring the usual game difficulty boosts) because it feels like it'd kinda suck if they just had perfect intel in order to not become more unwilling to wage wars.

I also hope that even with stale intel we can 'see' old empire borders on the galaxy map still. I need my pretty multicoloured border-gore map.

 

[Slaytanic]

doesn’t look like anything to you

 

[DarkEye5]

It is possible to lose access to information that was previously accessible. In some cases, this information will now be displayed as stale.

Intel, now in the scent of working from home for months.​

The last information you had about the empire was that they were far weaker than you on many accounts, but perhaps they have strengthened their fleets by now?

What effect does this have on the Subjugation CB?

Usually you need to be surperior to them in order to use it, will it just be changed to last known strenght, do you need updated intel or something else entirely?

 

[Eelectrica]

Really like where this is going. Bringing some mystery back into the galaxy will be great.

 

[Eladrin]

Can't you see a lot of that inform from their diplomatic power?

Information that you do not have details on may be obfuscated to varying degrees.

There are some things that you may be able to infer before being able to prove it - for example, if you find a pop with Gaia World Habitability, well... You've probably figured out what their origin is.

 

[Spaceception]

It is said that knowledge is power, and intel is a form of knowledge. Power usually fades, and so does Intel. It is possible to lose access to information that was previously accessible. In some cases, this information will now be displayed as stale.

This is probably my favorite part of all this so far. If you want something, you have to work for it, same with keeping it. I really feel more mechanics in the game should be like this, where things naturally degrade or lose their worth and you need to actively improve or invest in them.
Just spitballing - less advanced armor/weapons are less effective against advanced ones. Their damage is a benchmark, but they have reduced effectiveness depending on the other fleet (and vice versa). This could lead to FE/AE and crisis' being harder to fight because their tech is advanced and/or unknown.
And food could decay, so if you're running a food deficit, you run the risk of starvation.


For diplomatic power, I'd like to have that hidden, or at least specific values hidden until you get more intel.

Are there any changes to enigmatic engineering?

I'd also keep the capital hidden until at least medium Intel. You can find nearby colonies, and maybe a possible capital if you're lucky, but you need more info before you know for sure.

 

[glee8e]

declare rivalry requires a inferior to superior rating. How will the intel affect this requirement?

 

[Quercus Robur]

Is open borders summed up into diplomatic treaties? Because open borders should definitively give some bonuses to intel growth. So should xenophile and individualist—I mean—equalitarian. And finally, corporate branch offices should give your megacorp intel, give the host some intel too, and maybe an intel branch building would be nice.

 

[grekulf]

Sounds intriguing! When can we expect the next major update, please?

In a while. Not "soon".

 

[nikkythegreat]

I really hope we are able to do some covert stuff like steal tech or ferment discontent on another empire.


Also how does this affect the sentry array Megastructure?

 

[mikeboix]

This next update is looking great, way to go guys!

 

[Peepijeep]

Amazing! Thats great! This will improve Stellaris a lot!
I hope there is a way to increate the camouflage, so other empires needs moer Intel to get information about me.

 

[Pancakelord]

Nice

Stale Intel
It is said that knowledge is power, and intel is a form of knowledge. Power usually fades, and so does Intel. It is possible to lose access to information that was previously accessible. In some cases, this information will now be displayed as stale.

Fog of War
As we briefly showed last week, we are making some changes to fog of war, and what type of information you will be getting about other empires.

You will no longer see all of the systems and borders occupied by the empire you have recently contacted, but it will now instead be tied to how much Intel you have. This really makes alien empires feel way more mysterious, which is something that we really like.

These two together. Does this mean that fog-of-war will re-grow over time if we lose a sufficient amount of intel? Or will there be any (optional?) mechanics/graphical updates that will hide/shoud areas that we have low/no intel or sensor coverage over?

• Low Government Intel (Intel: 10) would reveal basic things like empire name, authority, ethics, capital location.
• Low Military Intel (Intel: 40) would reveal starbases and relative military power.
• Medium Government Intel (Intel: 40) would reveal civics and origin.
• Medium Diplomacy Intel (Intel: 50) would reveal the opinion breakdown and let us see which diplomatic pacts they have with other empires.

I still think this is an empty difference, if I see the "Blorkalork Purifiers" or "Birdman Technocracy" its... pretty obvious what civics they have. Will there be any plans to expand empire name-lists too? More variety in empire names would make this less of an issue IMO.

what intel level are enemy leader traits, names etc revealed at?

Will we still be able to examine other empires warships to see their technology/ship-modules/guns without X intel level (high Mil?)
Will we get a "consolidated" view of enemy ships? like a list that shows us all their currently used military designs + historic ones? So I can plan counters to their stuff

Will we be able to forcibly lower intel levels with other empires? (e.g. enigmatic engineering / getting an envoy to spread "fake news" or some special job "disinformationists" that passively lowers your intel w/other empires) so I can RP as a genuinely enigmatic empire that people know little about.

 

[grekulf]

declare rivalry requires a inferior to superior rating. How will the intel affect this requirement?

It may require you to also have the Intel to make such claims or demands (vassalization etc. as well). Final design is still to be determined.

 

[Me_]

There are some things that you may be able to infer before being able to prove it - for example, if you find a pop with Gaia World Habitability, well... You've probably figured out what their origin is.

Yeah, but that's true of almost any origin: have second species - syncretic, habitat/tomb/gaia/ring habitability - you know what. Has gateway in home system? Has relic world/machine world homeworld? Is necrophage? Three capitals right next to each other even if you don't know they are in a federation? And as soon as one can see planet modifiers for homeworld, all the other become known as well. Origins should be at lowest level of intel.

 

[Eitum]

Fog of war is great, but unless you reduce the Empire Icon to the size of the Known space. We still know how big the empire apx. is

 

[leftkeh]

Fog of war rocks!! Intel also looks promising!!!
However, I wonder now how claims are going to interract with the Intel system... I guess one will not be able to claim huge tracts of land unless intel is really high? And if one claims a ton of stars and then intel fades will part of the systems become "unclaimed" and invisible?

Edit: Also, will the Intel system change the way exploration is conducted? Will science vessels now be able to survey systems that have outposts, possibly uncovering potential new anomalies within foreign borders? And how will autosurvey interact? Will the vessels just know where to head to? Will you now be able to explore-your-way through another empire, thus revealing its borders? Also, what about Sentry Areas? Will their function change now that Intel is a pre-req? And Listening Posts? Will they now provide more Intel or keep revealing more map area?

P.S.: I really has been a LONG time that I have been this excited about new features in Stellaris...

 

[Vias]

Guys I'm so happy about these changes! Rue FoW was one of the thing that this game lacked, and the intel system looks really good. Can't wait for other dd!

By the way, how are all these changes related with trade? Do you think you will change trade between empires? Because trade could be one of the way you get to know more about other empires, usually merchant can gather a lot of info/intel/techs and so on, it would be really intereating if you are willing and you have the time to work on this

 

[HighKings_Ruin]

I like it. Will it be possible to keep other empires intel on you as low as possible? I like the idea of being an empire that is so unknown the others don't even know my name.