Stellaris Turns Over a New Leaf With Plantoids Species Pack

[Zenicetus]

If you really want to go for realism, it's pretty likely that a hypothetical sentient plant would eat other organisms like animals do. Photosynthesis doesn't produce nearly enough energy to sustain intelligence, and really there's nothing stopping a plant from being carnivorous anyway if it needs to be. Farms would still make perfect sense.

We don't know that photosynthesis doesn't provide enough energy to sustain intelligence. That's an idea too restricted by Earth biology and our local star system.

Maybe they didn't evolve around a G-type main sequence star? Maybe it's a star with a much higher energy output? Or their version of photosynthesis is just a hell of a lot more efficient than Earth plants, using something different from the Krebs cycle? Maybe they metabolize shorter wavelength radiation for more energy? Speaking of which...

The "Outsiders" in the Niven Known Space universe soak up radiation on their sub-light travel between the stars to metabolize. They're basically highly intelligent, mobile, spacefaring plants that act as intergalactic Traders with secrets and technology to sell. There are many other possibilities like this, once you get away from Earth-bound thinking about biology.

And ideally, that would make the way you play them in the game different as well, not just a skin for existing gameplay.

 

[heliostellar]

I'm ready to purge dem planets...

 

[Schakar]

Highly moddeble games like Stellaris allways have problems with Add-Ons. What should they bring modders didn't allready brought?
There are tons of new races and ships (including moddels) at Stream. Like there are new galaxy forms, new weapons, new portrais.

Yes, I would pay for new ship moddels + portrais if they are done well and if it's just to support the team behind Stellaris.

But just if the current problems are fixed before and for free!
- weapon balance
- research balance
- combat behavior
- unlogical diblomatic (ambassity system was good, still don't get why it was changed to somethink ... no idear what)
- FPS / performance problems

 

[DC123456789]

We don't know that photosynthesis doesn't provide enough energy to sustain intelligence. That's an idea too restricted by Earth biology and our local star system.

Maybe they didn't evolve around a G-type main sequence star? Maybe it's a star with a much higher energy output? Or their version of photosynthesis is just a hell of a lot more efficient than Earth plants, using something different from the Krebs cycle? Maybe they metabolize shorter wavelength radiation for more energy? Speaking of which...

If the star is much more intense than the sun, then its lifespan may be too short to evolve intelligent life. At any rate, increasing the intensity enough to make photosynthesis produce enough energy would probably heat up the planet too much to make it viable for life, and higher-energy EMR tends to be pretty lethal to anything is complex as life.

Plants would need some incredibly efficient photosynthesis to be able to get enough energy for intelligence. Even a moderately-sized tree on Earth produces much less calories than a human eats in a day - so imagine how much more energy it would need in order to actually be intelligent, and sustain all the other processes it would need for a body of that size. It might be possible, of course, but probably really unlikely; becoming more animal-like would be far more efficient and probably far easier evolutionary. I mean, if you can move around, you can sense, you can think... then there are definitely better ways of getting energy than sitting there and photosynthesizing (even if it's just supplementing), and evolution will favour it. It's very easy to rationalize farms for sentient plants.

The "Outsiders" in the Niven Known Space universe soak up radiation on their sub-light travel between the stars to metabolize. They're basically highly intelligent, mobile, spacefaring plants that act as intergalactic Traders with secrets and technology to sell. There are many other possibilities like this, once you get away from Earth-bound thinking about biology.

That's cool and all, but that doesn't really seem all that realistic.

 

[Pete0714]

If, someday in a distant future, species interbreeding between races in stellaris becomes a thing, will i be able to create sentient ferns after mixing plant life and fungoids?

Will probably buy this on sale and plant life in the galaxy, after incensive, i mean intensive purging.

I'm lichen where you are going with that....yes, I went there.

 

[Space Ranger]

That's cool and all, but that doesn't really seem all that realistic.

- this game is not about realism, its about fanatically individualistic xenophobic fungus colonies that reached FTL and built slave empire while having utopian democratic society only to be later devoured by revolted machine consciousness. Realism b...h!

Species Packs will give players new phenotypes to play with as they expand across the galaxy.

- what about allowing for old phenotypes from pre-release, nova pack and signup campaign to be able to spawn normally to begin with?

 

[Darkspysrival]

Now that I think about it, there are no fish in space...

 

[Zenicetus]

Now that I think about it, there are no fish in space...

Well, our current Molluscoid aliens are definitely a marine species, so that's a start.

There is also the Boron faction from the X3 universe... squid guys in spaceships. And the dolphins from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. "So long, and thanks for all the fish" Some form of implied trans-dimensional space travel there.

None of these are actually fish in Earth-biology terms, but that shouldn't matter. All you need is an apex predator in a marine environment that manages to achieve intelligence, high tech and space travel. Maybe the dolphins would have made it eventually, if we weren't around to wreck the planet.

So there you go for a new skin.... Space Whales (or Dolphins).

 

[Hikuran]

The Empire of Broccolis has publicly denounced the Combined Union of Caterpillars, following with declaration of war.

Their Ally, Brotherhood of Cordyceps Sinensis happily joined arms with them, aims to bring more plunder and spawning material to their kin.

However, powerful but mysterious Republic of Woodpeckers remains neutral, waiting to strike at them all when the time is ripe

In realm of Church of All Holy Light, the protectors have gathered in front of palace, putting a petition that Matriarch would permanently exile all vegetarians to show their support to new neighbors.

 

[VitaminK]

This game needs LOTS of work before you should start adding new races into the game you expect people to pay for.

 

[Knotz]

So for plantoid's (and fungi for that matter) the 'dangerous wildlife' modifier is gonna refer to herbivores?

 

[Praetori]

So for plantoid's (and fungi for that matter) the 'dangerous wildlife' modifier is gonna refer to herbivores?

Beavers!! From hell...

 

[Praetori]

So there you go for a new skin.... Space Whales (or Dolphins).

I sense a new "Ackbar" name in the Admiral name-list. And possibly a new trait: "Knows it's a trap"

 

[Orinsul]

This is AWESOME brilliant!!
anychance they will have slightly different localisation when it comes to anomalies about trees?

 

[Druplesnubb]

Sure, it can be hand-waved away to explain why spacefaring plants behave exactly like every other alien in the game.

The question is whether that's a good design -- whether we should settle for just visual appearance to differentiate aliens, or whether their biology should make for different and interesting ways to play each major type.

What do you mean "hand-waved". Sentient plants building hydroponic farms to sustain their population makes perfect sense. It certainly makes far more sense than your vague insinuations that having photosynthesis somehow changes the way you produce electricity. I don't think you've ever actually given a concrete example of how playing as plants would actually change the game, especially in a way that actually makes sense and isn't just you trying to force people to play a certain way because of what portrait they picked.

The races really are too samey, cosmetics aside (weird that the mushroomy types can be individualists)...So I can't be excited here. Only vaguely pleased.

Also, if there's no Audrey II here, you have failed.

Why would being a mushroom somehow prevent you from being an individualist? At least the other guy is trying to base his arguments on some kind of science.

 

[Orinsul]

I see individualists fungus POPs of the 'each is a colony of thousands' preset empire as in, each colony is an 'individual' rather than all the colonies working together to one society. A colony who sees itself as a separate single colony and putting itself first, would be 'individualist'

 

[Jerev]

This is AWESOME brilliant!!
anychance they will have slightly different localisation when it comes to anomalies about trees?

I would say no. Do you get special messages like : "We scanned the planet and there are dangerous aliens but they are mammals like us."
My point is that currently lizards don't sweat if they conquer fellow primitive lizards. Why should plants be different? They could have evolved into arrogant science lovers who reject their primitive earthbound brethren.

 

[Alex_Yakub]

Aw yes, plantliens! Can't w8 for this DLC!

 

[Slyvena]

Yes i'm sure paradox will tell all their artists to stop working until the programmers are finished with bug fixing, that really sounds like a productive use of everyones time!

Thank you voice of reason in these dark turbulent times

 

[Spyhawk]

It's not their artists that keep working (I bet they are also in holidays), but their marketing hype department. You know, the one in charge of maximizing profits...