Stellaris Dev Diary #196: [REDACTED]

[Agamidae]

This sounds really interesting so far.

I do have a question though: If you want to build a spy network in the realm of a fanatic purifier, how do your agents stay hidden? Wouldn't they notice people from a different species right away?

Scooby-Doo style bodysuits.



Or more likely, very realistic remotely-controlled drones, like in Bobiverse.

 

[Garfazz Steamfang]

Envoys using intel is great but, with the envoys being more and more usefull can we hope them to get traits like all the others rulers? I will be looking for the details of the options espionnage will give but you get my interest.

 

[Coconut_Cookie]

Will factions be looked at in this update? Will the support and oppress faction option use your espionage capacity? Kinda like building a spy network within your empire in order to buff or nerf specific factions. Are the different strata ever going to be involved in decision making in some way? Shouldn't the political goals of different strata be different? What if a faction caters to only one specific strata?

Can pirates also get a little more substance? Like being able to strike a deal with them or link the piracy and crime mechanics in some way?

 

[nikkythegreat]

Will we get a tradition tree dedicated to espionage? It would be nice if we did.

Instead of just changing a few of our current traditions to benifit espionage.

 

[Ragnarok Ascendant]

Okay, so.
Not really optimistic about this.
Why?
The devs say they'll try to balance it. That they'll try to make it fun.
Considering the dearth of engagement for midgame, the massive long-standing issues with Hives and Spiritualists, and the lengthy lists of civics that are useless beyond RP purposes (and not even mentioning how the AI is literally too stupid to run an economy)... I'm not sure this new system will be any different.

Anticipating the disagree horde in 5, 4, 3, 2....

 

[Pale Blue]

Will we get a tradition tree dedicated to espionage? It would be nice if we did.

Instead of just changing a few of our current traditions to benifit espionage.

A complete tradition rework is necessary. One of the reasons spiritualists are so bad is that everything new gets some new techs as requirements or techs that boost it. Traditions on the other hand are as useful or useless as they were years ago.

 

[LWE]

I wonder why Paradox is allergic to adding new tradition trees.

 

[Irbynx]

This sounds really interesting so far.

I do have a question though: If you want to build a spy network in the realm of a fanatic purifier, how do your agents stay hidden? Wouldn't they notice people from a different species right away?

I'd assume the agents would discretely contact the disloyal natives in FP empire and then use those as agents in the empire itself.

 

[Ragnarok Ascendant]

I wonder why Paradox is allergic to adding new tradition trees.

It would literally be the one thing needed to take the traditions system from shallow nothingness to meaningful choice. Add a bunch of trees but make it so you can only take a certain number of them, and boom, your empire can grow in a unique fashion.

 

[Burnonator]

Okay, so.
Not really optimistic about this.
Why?
The devs say they'll try to balance it. That they'll try to make it fun.
Considering the dearth of engagement for midgame, the massive long-standing issues with Hives and Spiritualists, and the lengthy lists of civics that are useless beyond RP purposes (and not even mentioning how the AI is literally too stupid to run an economy)... I'm not sure this new system will be any different.

Anticipating the disagree horde in 5, 4, 3, 2....

With you 100%. This game has a long history of things having so much potential, but poor implementation/balance. On top of the examples you listed, I still can't stand being in a federation. This seems like its going to be exactly the same. Please prove us wrong and do better Paradox.

 

[DanielPrates]

Needless to say, the other empire will not be informed of your envoy's new position.

Will be tough to explain why an emissary is there doing nothing, tho!
"so what are you doing here? Improving relations, improving coalition strenght... what?"
"oh well... you now... just chillin'".

I loved this DD, the new mechanic promises to be very useful and abstract in just the right way. Congratulations, it is the most interesting DD I have seen in years.

 

[Pale Blue]

It would literally be the one thing needed to take the traditions system from shallow nothingness to meaningful choice. Add a bunch of trees but make it so you can only take a certain number of them, and boom, your empire can grow in a unique fashion.

I would like traditions being more like eu4 idea groups. You can take a limited amount, different combination effects, events can roll once a tree is finished, most of the unlocks are actually useful.

 

[mirco297]

This system looks amazing.
I am particularly excited for the Operations such as "Steal Technology" as it seems to provide an alternative to tech rushing.
Not to mention giving Psionic Empires, Hives and Machine Intelligences something to specialise in.

Thank you for this Dev Diary and I can't wait to see more about Operations next week

 

[Cassilda]

I guess the space Karens will be flooding with calls the new espionage bureau offices when a cute starfish walks into their neighborhood now
Seriously I like the new option, especially the Utopian sub-dermal chips that let the police catch all those secret liberals!

 

[HighKings_Ruin]

We all know Spiritualists are pretty bad atm, but if they can be tailord more for the espinoage system and rely on the steal tech method with having an easier time, this would make them a more valid play option again beyond RP.

 

[Flying Scorpion]

This is super cool! I'm grinning like a child while drinking my coffee. Looking forward to this

 

[Kapitalisti]

The time has come for agents HC-9 and MA-23 to infiltrate an alien empire.

Just remember that rubber skin is easy to spot even at medium range and stay away from the dogs/equivalent critters.

 

[Kaligoth]

Well looks like i can now make a classical eldritch hive mind that uses spy's to corrupt and over throw.

"you will all succumb to the whispers of the old ones..."

 

[Pale Blue]

This system looks amazing.
I am particularly excited for the Operations such as "Steal Technology" as it seems to provide an alternative to tech rushing.
Not to mention giving Psionic Empires, Hives and Machine Intelligences something to specialise in.

Thank you for this Dev Diary and I can't wait to see more about Operations next week

While this could help spiritualists I don’t like a playstyle that is inherently worse and can just survive by stealing tech, instead of being actually good in something themselves.

 

[mirco297]

It seems kinda odd to me that making it mandatory to get implants increases Authoritarian Ethic Attraction.
Wouldn't citizens (especially loyal ones) be less likely to support Authoritarianism when this edict shows that they are the target of surveillance and mistrust regardless of their loyalty?

Don't get me wrong, I like the concept of this edict and I think it fits really well with the Authoritarian ethic.