# Stellaris



## agricola (Apr 23, 2016)

I appreciate this forthcoming Paradox game is mentioned in mrs quoad's thread, but I think it possibly deserves its own.  Only a bit more than two weeks until release! 



It looks absolutely incredible.


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## camouflage (Apr 23, 2016)

it does look quite lovely.

Been a big fan of Paradox Studios over the years, kind of assumed if I got another of their titles it would be Hearts of Iron 4 (and all shall tremble before the might of Poland once more), but I'd gotten Europa Universalis 4 on Steam a few months ago and haven't played it at all even though it's scrumptious. I don't know what's wrong with me.

Anyway, my heart now belongs to another. If I get the grand strategy itch again (actually more of a nasty reoccurring rash) I will definitely have to consider this one.


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## Vintage Paw (Apr 24, 2016)

Oh, I will be buying this.

I keep banging on about it in other threads, but I reckon everyone should check out Endless Space. It's a 4x game set in space, based entirely in the galaxy map, where you colonise systems and have your usual research/conquest/diplomacy/improvement gameplay. It's not as deep as something like Civ, but it's just as easy to lose yourself in it for hours/days. They're making Endless Space 2 at the moment but there's little info about it. There seem to be a few similarities here between Endless Space and Stellaris. I'll look forward to playing it.


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## Vintage Paw (Apr 24, 2016)

Oh I really like the idea that each planet will be different. Where he says he wanted to get away from the idea that each city/planet had to be perfect, with all the same improvements by the end game. Because frankly that gets quite boring in  a lot of these games, where you're just going through the motions making sure everything has a library, everything has a this and a that, ticking boxes.


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## Vintage Paw (Apr 24, 2016)

camouflage said:


> Anyway, my heart now belongs to another. If I get the grand strategy itch again (actually more of a nasty reoccurring rash) I will definitely have to consider this one.



But NMS isn't out for a whole month and a half after Stellaris. What on earth are you going to do with yourself until then, other than pace frantically around your room rewatching the same IGN and Game Informer videos and planning what you'll name yours and Sean's children?


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## camouflage (Apr 24, 2016)

Vintage Paw said:


> But NMS isn't out for a whole month and a half after Stellaris. What on earth are you going to do with yourself until then, other than pace frantically around your room rewatching the same IGN and Game Informer videos and planning what you'll name yours and Sean's children?



Hah! 

Camo Junior and Camolina, obvs.

I haven't been playing anything for many months now, I've been channeling the game-itch energy toward other uses. But NMS is definitely worth going full game geek on. In the meantime I will do other things that 2 months is a decent chunk of time to do by. Playing Paradox games made me feel a bit like WOPR to be honest ( Game 2287: Poland dominates Europe, Game 4216: Haiti conquors France, Game 1132: Peru defeats the swarming hordes of Chile by excellent application of displacement, Game 5070: the Indominatable rise of Bengal, Game 3366: the glorious implosion of the Russian Empire... just some of the happy memories Paradox has given me, not even mentioning others like Civ series. And now they offer us the stars, but where does it end damnit? WERE DOES IT END!!!?

The only way to win, is not to play... for a bit. Anyway NMS strokes an entirely different game-muscle, I'm sure it will be a much healthier and more wholesome addic- erm... habit.


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## Artaxerxes (Apr 25, 2016)

It looks utterly amazing, hopefully it'll live up to its promises




Vintage Paw said:


> I keep banging on about it in other threads, but I reckon everyone should check out Endless Space. It's a 4x game set



It was alright but it really could have been a lot deeper and by half way you either win big or get steam rolled by an Empire thats been quietly absorbing other Empires behind your back. Didn't really seem to be any way to get a pleasant middle of those 2 extremes going.


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## Vintage Paw (Apr 25, 2016)

Yeah, I'd agree with that. It's had some major balance issues, but has been updated regularly. I like it because it's a 4x that you can mindlessly play without getting so utterly involved that you lose your life for weeks - 4x lite I suppose.


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## tommers (May 9, 2016)

Out today by the way,

Wot I Think: Stellaris

And for balance:  http://uk.ign.com/articles/2016/05/09/stellaris-review


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## J Ed (May 9, 2016)

Time for space communism!!


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## agricola (May 14, 2016)

Been playing it fairly constantly since it came out, its incredible.	Will playing a race of space-going zealot molluscs who stumble across an irradiated tomb-world by the name of Sol III ever get old?


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## Vintage Paw (May 14, 2016)

How are the keyboard shortcuts?

Is it possible to play it with one hand?

I'm going stir crazy doing nothing but watching netflix atm.


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## J Ed (May 14, 2016)

Vintage Paw said:


> How are the keyboard shortcuts?
> 
> Is it possible to play it with one hand?
> 
> I'm going stir crazy doing nothing but watching netflix atm.



Keyboard shortcuts are fine, totally possible to play one handed. If you are short of stuff to do then Stellaris is a good way to pass the time.


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## J Ed (May 14, 2016)

tommers said:


> Out today by the way,
> 
> Wot I Think: Stellaris
> 
> And for balance:  http://uk.ign.com/articles/2016/05/09/stellaris-review



Having played about 25 hours now I think that your review is pretty dead on.

The lack of a fleshed out economy is a bit annoying, actually it's funny that Victoria 2's economy was so fleshed out but Stellaris' isn't when you consider the time periods!


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## J Ed (May 14, 2016)

agricola said:


> Been playing it fairly constantly since it came out, its incredible.	Will playing a race of space-going zealot molluscs who stumble across an irradiated tomb-world by the name of Sol III ever get old?



I like that if you invade the Solar System during WW2 all of the armies unite and fight you.


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## Artaxerxes (May 16, 2016)

Playing this now, its not bad but diplomatic options seem a bit flat, I also miss the ledger (I'm sure its buried in there somewhere)

Currently quite far in I think, Galaxy has been invaded by the big ugly beasties, which is great as they are miles away from me. Whats not great is that I got the attention of a fallen Empire who seem to have ALL THE SHIPS EVER and are about to beat the shit out of me. Serves me right for exterminating the Mollusc people next door (they have been giving me attitude since the year I met them and I thought a damn good vassilisation and annexing a star system would serve em right, then I killed the population of the annexed planet)

Whats worse is I can't find the surrender button


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## Vintage Paw (May 16, 2016)

Well I got it. Started an avian game last night. Playing solely by using the mouse in my left hand, the associated annoyances are stopping me from getting properly into it at the moment, but that's not the fault of the game. 

So many mods already.


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## camouflage (May 17, 2016)

Vintage Paw said:


> How are the keyboard shortcuts?
> 
> Is it possible to play it with one hand?



... bit keen on this game in'tcha?


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## Vintage Paw (May 17, 2016)

camouflage said:


> ... bit keen on this game in'tcha?



Heh.

I wanted something to pass the time until NMS, but my right hand is out of action atm so the range of stuff I can do is limited. If only it was that I had a rabid fetish for real time strategy.


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## camouflage (May 17, 2016)

Vintage Paw said:


> Heh.
> 
> I wanted something to pass the time until NMS, but my right hand is out of action atm so the range of stuff I can do is limited. If only it was that I had a rabid fetish for real time strategy.



Scuze, me minds got scuff marks on it, best of luck re your dexterity issues.


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## Vintage Paw (May 19, 2016)

I still have no idea what I'm doing.

Started a second game (cat people) because the first one predictably had lots of mistakes. I've not played real time strategy before, only a smattering of 4x games, so the learning curve is curvy. But I hear it's one of the easiest paradox rts games to have a go at, so...


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## camouflage (May 19, 2016)

Vintage Paw said:


> I still have no idea what I'm doing.
> 
> Started a second game (cat people) because the first one predictably had lots of mistakes. I've not played real time strategy before, only a smattering of 4x games, so the learning curve is curvy. But I hear it's one of the easiest paradox rts games to have a go at, so...



Up for AAR'ing it? The ones where the author ends up falling flat on their face as enemies close in from all sides and the people rise up in anger are always the best.


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## Artaxerxes (May 22, 2016)

Played it a lot the last week (to much probably) so I've actually bought it to keep up with the patches rather than being a dirty pirate. 

Its really good but there are a lot of bugs and empty spaces that need sorting, mid game flags a bit but it actually gave me a really good work out at one point when I had to declare disband half my fleet as they'd got stuck in my former enemies territory after the ceasefire. Then the guys next to me launched a surprise attack and my other fleet had to sort them out. Just as I'd done that the original enemies struck again and smacked my core systems around heavily, destroying mining stations, space yards and fleets slowly being replaced from last time. I managed to claw back a win somehow but it was a tough fight. 


I'm going to restart a third time once its all installed anyway, see how I get on. Install some mods to fix some of the more glaring issues like sectors


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## Vintage Paw (May 22, 2016)

Their first big free update (called 'Clarke') is due by the end of the month and aims to address in particular stuff around sector management, but also some of the mid-game flagging stuff too. They apparently scrapped some mid-game stuff before release because they didn't leave themselves enough time, and focused mainly on early-game narrative and events. AI is going to be an on-going balancing issue.


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## Vintage Paw (May 24, 2016)

Dev diary for the Clarke patch:

https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/stellaris-dev-diary-34-clarke-patch.936898/


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## Vintage Paw (May 25, 2016)

The only two mods I need:

Mass Effect soundtrack
Cute cat names


*note to self: call next cat 'Tabigail'


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## captainmission (Jun 2, 2016)

My Glorious star fox empire rule the stars. I'm basically playing as the culture- xenophile pacifist materialist passive-aggressively getting other nations to declare war on me before vassalising their newly liberated democratic nations.


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## Vintage Paw (Jun 2, 2016)

I'm on game # 3, having not finished a single one yet. I'm in the mid-game now. My nearest neighbours are "pathetic" so I'm going to pick them off. I've researched terraforming and uplift, so I have more colonisation opportunities now, although this game has been the best for habitable planets nearby so far. I still don't have any sectors, because I can have 8 core worlds via government and tech. Sector management is meant to be better now Clarke is out.


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## Vintage Paw (Jun 2, 2016)

My empire is called The Human League.


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## captainmission (Jun 2, 2016)

Vintage Paw said:


> I'm on game # 3, having not finished a single one yet. I'm in the mid-game now. My nearest neighbours are "pathetic" so I'm going to pick them off. I've researched terraforming and uplift, so I have more colonisation opportunities now, although this game has been the best for habitable planets nearby so far. I still don't have any sectors, because I can have 8 core worlds via government and tech. Sector management is meant to be better now Clarke is out.



Sector AI is better, but still bad. I tried playing by handing my developed colonies off to sectors and developing my new one myself. As soon as i do it demolished half my buildings to cover a short term energy deficit, builds endless farm and inappropriate star base moduels. I've never needed to use terraforming. Apart from it being micromanagey as hell I found it easier to migrate other pops in or genetically engineer my own.


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## Vintage Paw (Jun 2, 2016)

I was planning having my sector worlds take care of minerals and energy, since I presume they'll focus on those anyway, and re-purpose my core worlds to pump out science. The farm thing will be most annoying.


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## captainmission (Jun 2, 2016)

The farm issue might just be down to having the respect tile resource option enabled- every food tile gets a farm. I've generally found even with science focused sectors I have more minerals than I can ever spend.


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## J Ed (Jun 9, 2016)

I have to say that while I don't get some of the more, errr.. passionate, criticisms of Stellaris the game does not have the same staying power as EU4 or Crusader Kings. It's just too samey.


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## Kaka Tim (Dec 20, 2017)

this is for sale on paradox - worth getting? Im into EU4 and Hearts of Iron if that helps.


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## J Ed (Dec 20, 2017)

Kaka Tim said:


> this is for sale on paradox - worth getting? Im into EU4 and Hearts of Iron if that helps.



Not as of when I last played it in June last year, if they've improved it since then maybe.


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## YouSir (Dec 27, 2017)

J Ed said:


> Not as of when I last played it in June last year, if they've improved it since then maybe.



Seconded. Think it's on the usual Paradox trip of using DLCs to fix faulted games though. Would try it if I could get all the content in a bundle.


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