• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.

Stellaris Dev Diary #20 - War & Peace

Hello everyone!

For today’s dev diary, I thought I’d talk about a crucial part of Stellaris; waging wars and making peace, because as you know, not all ETs are nice... The system is different from most strategy games out there, but should be familiar to anyone who has played a Paradox Development Studio title. In fact, it is probably most reminiscent of how these things work in the Europa Universalis games.

Let’s start at the beginning. When you declare war in Stellaris, you have to state what your aims are; what the war is actually about. You simply choose from a list of possible goals, where each one is listed with a certain cost. The total cost of your picked goals cannot exceed 100. If you have a good reason to take something, the cost will be reduced. This might be the case if, for example, members of your founding species happen to live on a planet, or if it has previously been a part of your empire.

If you are a member of an alliance, the other members will need approve your list of selected goals before you can actually start the war. This is of course more likely if you are not too greedy and want to take everything yourself. That is, you will probably want to assign some goals to other alliance members to get them to approve the war.
stellaris_dev_diary_20_01_20160208_declare_war.jpg

When a war has been declared, the defending side is allowed to add war goals in the same manner, but they have an important advantage; they have a one-year grace period, and can thus choose targets depending on how the war is already progressing.

You need to gain “war score” in order to win, just like in our other games (-100 to 100.) At any time, you can negotiate for peace by selecting specific goals from your own list or that of the other side, very much like in Europa Universalis (except that you are limited to the stated war goals.)

Of course, wars are not always waged simply to seize territory: Other valid goals could be vassalization, for example, or securing a treaty of some kind. Sometimes, you might not really care about your stated goals at all, but just going in there and destroying the enemy’s space ports and stations...
stellaris_dev_diary_20_01_20160208_war_overview.jpg

Like in most of our games, occupying a planet with your armies does not mean it immediately becomes yours, of course; you need to demand it in the peace talks. There is a notable exception to this rule though; so called “first contact wars”. Before you have established communications with another civilization, it is possible to simply attack them and even take one of their planets (but once you take a planet, communications are immediately established.) Of course, such early hostility will never be forgotten, and will sour your relations for the rest of the game… There are other exceptions to how wars are waged, in the form of special types of civilizations, but that will have to wait for another dev diary.

That’s all for this week folks, stay tuned next week for “Administrative Sectors”!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • 128
  • 54
  • 1
Reactions:
Nice DD
Is there any way to encourage your species to migrate into your enemies territory to get a CB?
Also I like the negotiate for peace indicator.
 
  • 5
  • 1
Reactions:
Interesting!

Why the limitation to war goals stated at the start?

For people who don't know, in EU4, you just pay more for everything that is not your war goal.
 
  • 21
Reactions:
There are other exceptions to how wars are waged, in the form of special types of civilizations, but that will have to wait for another dev diary.
Ooo! Does that mean that there will be empires that simply don't care for diplomacy? Definitely interested in what other possibilities may be in stall for this.
 
  • 7
Reactions:
Nice DD
Is there any way to encourage your species to migrate into your enemies territory to get a CB?
Also I like the negotiate for peace indicator.

Well, you can have Migration Treaties with other empires...
 
  • 62
  • 1
Reactions:
Waaagh!
 
  • 17
  • 2
Reactions:
Do all the CBs regarding planets revolve around seizing them for ourselves or our allies? What if I do not want the world for myself but just wish to deprive it from my enemies? Can a planet become entirely depopulated during a war or as a result of the following peace treaty?
 
Do all the CBs regarding planets revolve around seizing them for ourselves or our allies? What if I do not want the world for myself but just wish to deprive it from my enemies? Can a planet become entirely depopulated during a war or as a result of the following peace treaty?

If your policies allow full orbital bombardment, it is possible to severely damage planets, but not to completely depopulate them.
 
  • 50
  • 3
  • 1
Reactions:
Ooooh... shiny...

A question though Doomdark, does empire ethos affect the point cost of wargoals? Or is it only going to be influenced by CBs?

Side note: I'm going to enjoy first-contacting the living hell out of the galaxy. Just sayin'
 
  • 10
Reactions:
I see ''administrative sectors'' is next week's. I really hope we'll have some kind of ''development thing'' in same spirit as the common sense dlc/patch for EU4. So peacetime isn't a vaccum of activity and money stacking when all exploration is done.
 
  • 11
Reactions:
Could we get a little more info about the 100 points and how this can be shared with alliance members?
Eg Can you plan a war with your allies?
Or is it just that one alliance member picks all the war goals, and will win allies over as long as the goals are in their interest?
 
  • 3
Reactions: