Stellaris

Hey all,

Been intrigued by Stellaris for a while... How would you guys rate it ?

I'Ve played MOO/MOO2 and AC back in the days, and more recently GALCIV 2 and GALCIV3...

Got bored with Galciv3 pretty fast. Is Stellaris more interesting and does it captivates for a longer time ?

Basically an all time 4x player here, played all version of Civ

There's a week end sale on Steam right, trying to figure out if it's worth the buy at $26

Thanks

Have you played any of Paradox's other games - Crusader Kings and the like?

I'm asking because whilst Stellaris is a 4X game, it's also heavily influenced by the style of Paradox's other series, so it's got quite a lot of RP and empire customisation systems, random events, and lots of little elements that add flavour. Basically you're going to get a lot more enjoyment out of it you're playing more for the 'story' that emerges during each game rather than the strategic simulation. In fact, if I'm being honest, there's plenty of stuff that isn't balanced (some weapon types are better than others, some genetic traits give better advantages than others, etc) and actually 'winning' a game requires you to conquer... I think it's 40% of the galaxy, which can be pretty tedious on the larger maps. More often, you'll play a game for a few centuries (of ingame time :lol:) until you complete whatever personal goals you might have set out for your empire (there are galaxy-wide crises you can help defend against, fallen ancient empires you can conquer for their super advanced tech, that kind of thing).

Short version, if you want more roleplay potential in your strategy games, go for it - it's amazing :D. If you're only looking for a tactical challenge, perhaps not :(.
 
Have you played any of Paradox's other games - Crusader Kings and the like?

I'm asking because whilst Stellaris is a 4X game, it's also heavily influenced by the style of Paradox's other series, so it's got quite a lot of RP and empire customisation systems, random events, and lots of little elements that add flavour. Basically you're going to get a lot more enjoyment out of it you're playing more for the 'story' that emerges during each game rather than the strategic simulation. In fact, if I'm being honest, there's plenty of stuff that isn't balanced (some weapon types are better than others, some genetic traits give better advantages than others, etc) and actually 'winning' a game requires you to conquer... I think it's 40% of the galaxy, which can be pretty tedious on the larger maps. More often, you'll play a game for a few centuries (of ingame time :lol:) until you complete whatever personal goals you might have set out for your empire (there are galaxy-wide crises you can help defend against, fallen ancient empires you can conquer for their super advanced tech, that kind of thing).

Short version, if you want more roleplay potential in your strategy games, go for it - it's amazing :D. If you're only looking for a tactical challenge, perhaps not :(.

Thanks for the answer.

The only Paradox game I've played is Cities:Skyline, so no, I've never played any of their strategic stuff. Big RPG player though, and I do like RP elements in games, so it's not a down side for me, what you describe here.

I've read some negative reviews on Stellaris basically saying that it's a poor man's 4X etc... I've been looking for ages for a Space 4X game that will be as engrossing and entertaining as the CIV series has been to earth 4X, but neither BE ou GALCIV3 has responded adequately to my hopes, so maybe I'll give Stellaris a swing

Thanks again
 
I've read some negative reviews on Stellaris basically saying that it's a poor man's 4X etc...

If you play it as a 4X game, quite possibly. That's never really been the point of Paradox games though.
 
I see that Steam has a Paradox sale this weekend. I still need a strategy game to take that chair from Civ VI. I couldn't quite pull the trigger on Total Warhammer a couple of weeks ago. Any recommendations?

(I already have Cities Skylines and Crusader Kings II, but I haven't played either one in a while. I liked both, so if the DLC packs for either of those are worthy additions, I'd consider those too.)
 
I've read some negative reviews on Stellaris basically saying that it's a poor man's 4X etc... I've been looking for ages for a Space 4X game that will be as engrossing and entertaining as the CIV series has been to earth 4X, but neither BE ou GALCIV3 has responded adequately to my hopes, so maybe I'll give Stellaris a swing

It's a really great game, but it's not really the same genre as MOO or GalCiv. More Simulation/RPG than strategy game.

So, opinions on the Banks update ? I was really a bit lost when I started a new game without reading the patch notes first. First I got dismayed that I didn't get the colony ship research option at the start, then got angry when it refused to appear. Took me a while to figure out it's a starting tech and I could build colony ships the whole time.:wallbash:
The ethics, factions and government rework look like great improvements. More flexibility, and factions now actually matter. I'm mixed on traditions. It's really just a copy of Civ V social policies and while I like more specialization options for my empire, they don't seem to be very balance.
Global food takes a bit getting used to, but it never made sense to me that every planet in my galactic empire had to grow crops locally.
 
I was really a bit lost when I started a new game without reading the patch notes first. First I got dismayed that I didn't get the colony ship research option at the start, then got angry when it refused to appear. Took me a while to figure out it's a starting tech and I could build colony ships the whole time.:wallbash:

I did the same thing! :lol: I like the change though, I mean the colony ship research had such a high probability to appear in the first two or three batches of techs, coupled with the fact that you normally always picked it as soon as it appeared, it just made it such a non-choice that its more fun to have it right from the beginning.

I haven't had much time to play yet, so I'm not far into my game, but I really really like the new faction system. It does a really good job in making me feel like my citizens have their own opinions and that they don't necessarily agree with the direction I want to take the Empire. I'm playing as fanatic spiritualist + xenophile, so the first faction to form was a 'happy spacefriends society' type thing who were all pleased with the direction I was going, but my closest neighbour turned out to be a xenophobe militarist who declared war on me. So now I have a second 'Nationalist Bloc' faction forming who want us to become agressive militarists and retaliate with conquest. I like how I can choose to side with them, or resist and stick things out - 'Guys, guys, its just this one bunch of warmongering scumbags, we can still be friends with everyone else!' :lol:
 
Buy Stellaris. With the new Banks update, it's a whole new game.
 
Stellaris was a pretty shallow but still very immersive and gripping game.
They've steadily improved it with the patches, adding meat on the bones. I'm wary they'll end up bloating it up like EU, but so far it was needing the improvements so it's all good.
 
You guys are tempting me, I promised myself that I'd wait for 50% off before getting Stellaris but it sounds like it has become a really interesting game.
 
A 50% sale is not worth waiting for. Get it now.
 
It's the Paradox weekend and it's currently 40% off. Definitely get it now.
 
You guys are tempting me, I promised myself that I'd wait for 50% off before getting Stellaris but it sounds like it has become a really interesting game.

Waiting for another 10% off is only going to be a difference of 3 or 4 more £/$/€. Go ooooooon, buy it.

'One of us! One of us! One of us!' :lol:
 
I see that Steam has a Paradox sale this weekend. I still need a strategy game to take that chair from Civ VI. I couldn't quite pull the trigger on Total Warhammer a couple of weeks ago. Any recommendations?

(I already have Cities Skylines and Crusader Kings II, but I haven't played either one in a while. I liked both, so if the DLC packs for either of those are worthy additions, I'd consider those too.)
I liked the DLC for Cities:Skylines (Never mind the Art Deco pack though - boring), but the regular game addition DLC is pretty good.
 
So I bought it, thanks to you guys and gals ;-)

Pretty engrossing so far, but... feels like the player has to set his own goals, cause the game certainly doesn't seem to set them for ya ;-)

I think the games are gonna be loooonnnnggg... Been playing this first game for about 6 hours and I haven't explored more than 15% of the galaxy map...

So far, feels like all I'm doing is secondary to finding energy and minerals... but maybe that'll change

Thanks for the tips everyone, think I'm going to like this one
 
So in my game, my space mushrooms have succeeded in awakening their psionic potential, so now it's time to get revenge on the mean old materialists who laughed at us a century ago, along with everyone else who decided to take pot shots against my Empire :D

The psionic ascension stuff seems quite cool, though I've only had a chance to glance over it so far. My first attempt at communing with the 'shroud' thing you gain access to summoned a psychic avatar that works like a 17k power fleet, which at the point of the game I'm at is still about twice as strong as everyone else's fleets :eek:. I've no idea if it sticks around permanently or if it evaporates or something after a set amount of time, or perhaps if I ask for another psychic benefit I have to give it up. Regardless, I'm sure nothing bad can possibly come from my species meddling with extradimensional forces for fun and profit, right?! :think:

So far, feels like all I'm doing is secondary to finding energy and minerals... but maybe that'll change

Yeah that is sort of the first 'phase' of the game. Basically around about the time your mineral income gets high enough to build a mining station every month without needing to save up, the galaxy will have started to fill in and you'll have to switch over to dealing with your neighbours - be it peacefully or otherwise :shifty:
 
I am currently enjoying Utopia!

I have yet to build a mega-structure (need to unlock the ascension perk) but manage to acquire 2 ascension perks: one technological focus to increase my research, the other a imperial ambition that raises my core world sectors by 5.

Now I have a core world sector limit of 15! :D

Will report once I have set a project.

The edict system does a good when it comes to world-building, be they scientific technocratic bureaucracy of my space parrots (the Ushag) to the robotic development and admiralty of the Metall Hode and the slaver aristocracy of the Mutans.

I should hive mind when the time comes in a future game.

Overall: I am currently enjoying my SCIENCE play-through.
 
Overall: I am currently enjoying my SCIENCE play-through.

Materialistic fool! Psionics is the way forward :p

... at least until one of your planetary governors attempts to harness a potent source of psychic energy, only to have it turn him into an all-consuming energy monster that lays waste to several systems in the middle of your empire before you can stop him :sad:

Turns out there are downsides to psychic powers after all, what a surprise!
 
The new stuff is really great! I especially like the Ascension perks where you can build Dyson spheres and ring worlds as it gives a definite sense of progression.
 
Haven't played stellaris since release. I found the game boring, and the micromanagement of allocating population and upgrading buildings tedious in the absolute extreme.

Has that changed?
 
Can't really understand how anyone can consider that Stellaris has micromanagement. The main problem I had with it at the beginning was the lack of things to do, not the opposite...
 
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