Stellaris: a second Astral Planes has hit the game

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Stellaris: a second Astral Planes has hit the game

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Mostly dislike marauder clans since the early game can be way more "Your poo poo can get hugely hosed if you aren't even the target"

Other than that the penalty for adding controlled systems seems pretty stiff

# ¿ Feb 26, 2018 15:09

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# ¿ May 11, 2024 06:59

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Thyrork posted:

Expansion also means shutting prospective rivals out of space you can use later.

It also means border friction so that's another thing to weigh up.

Its just fair to say that blind expansion isn't the rule of thumb or a good plan. Consider that 2 energy 2 mineral star nearby. By itself its not really worth the cost, but would it lead you to richer systems or keep your neighbors from trapping you in?

That part is what you're paying that unity/research malus for.

They need a listening post starbase that doesn't 'control' the star, just to stop pirates from spawning. Pirates are a small threat but a basic starbase can't handle them at all, and even 3 platforms can't at later points. Put a limit of adjacent to one of your owned systems as being the only valid location

would make me a lot more friendly to leaving holes in my territory

# ¿ Feb 26, 2018 17:27

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Man i started over as i usually do almost daily when i play and i have had just the worst luck with scientists. In my first 5 years of this game i've churned through 5 of them - all of them bit it to events they had fair shots at doing. I don't mind *tremendously* now that they cost energy instead of influence but i'm pretty sure my empire just has a diploma mill that hands them out to randos and say "HERE YOU ARE SCIENTIST NOW, GO FORTH"

On the one hand it's funny that being a scientist is the equivalent of a red shirt in my science-focused wanna-be robot people, but on the other it is inconvenient as poo poo not being able to gain experience levels on them. I have a dozen anomalies i can't do because they have a laughable chance at completing them

# ¿ Feb 27, 2018 14:12

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

GorfZaplen posted:

When someone makes a claim on you, you should be able to click the pop-up bubble and have it zoom on the system in the galaxy view.

it's best when they claim the system immediately behind your chokepoint with a fully armed star fort

Come and get it fuckers

# ¿ Feb 27, 2018 19:23

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Captain Oblivious posted:

Xenophile but in the opposite direction! I can get behind that.

Now i'm imagining a friendly tree species that sends out emissaries and uses mind control pollen to take over

# ¿ Feb 27, 2018 19:59

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

President Ark posted:

~~protip in case this ever happens to you or anyone else in the future: you can trade for food with other empires; this just almost never comes up~~ you mentioned this in your post i can't read

now build a colossus and use a planet cracker on it

yes, the FE reacts to you doing this; no, it doesn't end well for you

They cant be that important if the FE will crack thier own gaia world like just happened in my game

# ¿ Feb 28, 2018 05:27

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

DatonKallandor posted:

I literally can't comprehend how people have trouble with pirates. Where the hell are you putting your fleets that you can't get there before they blow up multiple systems of mining stations? Or are stronger than even one your fleets?

Early on there shouldn't be a huge deal, but you really do have to build at least one defensive platform in systems that are at risk, since one platform and the basic star outpost can usually handle 400-600 strength pirates, later on you have to add platforms to at risk stars though, and eventually the basic star and 3 platforms can't handle them on their own, but by the time that happens you should have a developed galaxy and a very easy time pinpointing where they're going to pop in. It's also possible people are referring to the marauder empires as pirates, and they will happily murder anything in line with where they're going and you really have no chance against them until at least midgame

Also still disappointed you can't make a spiritualist machine intelligence b/c i really want to do that as a concept. Machine intels are probably my favorite to play but there's not a lot of variety to them

Sloober fucked around with this message at 14:09 on Feb 28, 2018

# ¿ Feb 28, 2018 14:03

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

ToxicSlurpee posted:

Pfft, I'm playing a devouring swarm. Inflation is meaningless; systems that I don't own are incorrect.

i play like this most of the time, but i always make curator and artist troupe deals and build every unity building on every planet i get, i've never hit *too* long of a wait between unity gains.

I just want it all

# ¿ Feb 28, 2018 15:40

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Captain Oblivious posted:

Okay folks I need some advice. I'm in an amazing place in my Iron Man Hive Mind game on 0.75 hyperlane density. I'm hemmed in by a friendly Machine Intelligence to my south, the 10k Old Guard Pirate stack blocking my west, and my east is a ridiculously lush unclaimed space I have free reign to expand into including a ruined ring world. There is just ONE SMALL PROBLEM.

https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/929302799332098250/F42046CECAFAE7368E9C6300586BB56344339745/

In 2245 this rear end in a top hat is gonna come out of the Pulsar literally right next door to me and start loving my poo poo up. I have a rough plan to deal with him. I'm going to build a Star Fort on top of the Pulsar, load it for bear with Defense Platforms and build two fleets of 30~ corvettes each and stick on top of the star for when he shows his face. I have a shipyard in the adjacent star system and the plan is to just reinforce high evasion corvettes faster than he can kill them and hope they distract him long enough for the defense platform star fort to kill his dumb rear end.

My question is: What the gently caress defenses does the Spectral Wraith have cuz I need to counter them and none of the online resources seem to detail whether he's got shields or not. My weapon tech is limited so I need to know what to bring.

depending on type wraiths are weaker in systems with certain star colors, and their weapons also hinge on their color, too. i dont think you can find out though until it spawns. Also remember pulsars nullify shields, so build custom platforms without shields attached. This can at least let you stick more armor modules on them

probably your best shot of taking it out in the pulsar since at least that aspect is predictable. Fortifying the next door systems is also recommended due to the auto-repair they have, otherwise all your work is for naught

Sloober fucked around with this message at 16:16 on Feb 28, 2018

# ¿ Feb 28, 2018 16:08

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

ulmont posted:

Well, not ring worlds. Those go segment by segment.

still saves you the 30k or w/e minerals to get to that point at least (from the prep platform and frame)

# ¿ Feb 28, 2018 17:08

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Jazerus posted:

just wanted to make a couple comments on this:

1. if you're caught without 6 corvettes when the pirates come, pause, examine their weapon loadout. if they're gun-heavy (which seems to be the usual preference for pirates) refit your corvettes to all armor, if they're laser-heavy refit to all shields. the starting 3 corvettes can handle the first pirate fleet with this advantage particularly if you jump on them while they're fighting an outpost.

2. a lot of people seem to go for the labs as first picks, i'm not sure why though. you're not going to have more than 3 planets for a long while under most circumstances, each of those planets will have maybe 5 labs max, maybe a few more if you're lucky and they're all pretty big. you will have to upgrade them all once you've got the techs. so, you're spending early-game research time that could have gotten you something else, 1500+ minerals, and a lot of building time (which is no joke, now) for...15 research of various types. very underwhelming. this isn't to say you should never upgrade your labs - that would be dumb - but the early game is really a bad time to do it. a basic science lab is 75% as good as a tier 1 bio/physics/engineering lab and is only 33% of the total cost of the tier 1 labs.

pick anything but labs as your first research. i beg you. the best picks are probably administrative AI (5% research speed), planetary unification (+2 unity) or genome mapping (+10% growth speed) if that's not available, and powered exoskeletons (5% minerals).

Yes, for sure. I used to pick labs first but i found it would be decades before upgrading. All those other bonuses will be more meaningful.

# ¿ Feb 28, 2018 19:12

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

PRAISE THE SUN posted:

So, turns out the AI has been paying 50% less maintenance costs than players since Utopia.

this seems like something that should scale with difficulties

# ¿ Feb 28, 2018 19:21

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Gadzuko posted:

Yeah, click on the fleet and it'll tell you what planet they are moving to attack. You can use the search tool to find what system that planet is in.

My favorite is when it just says "Attacking Starbase"

ok fuckin great, which, i have 50 of them

# ¿ Feb 28, 2018 22:10

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Gadzuko posted:

Gateways are insanely powerful. Once you have a few set up, the ability to instantly teleport from any key point in the empire to any other key point is amazing and a total game changer. I guess if you already have a convenient wormhole they are less useful but that's not always going to happen.

Gates win out in the whole "Can set them up wherever".

I've yet to see a convenient wormhole network

# ¿ Mar 1, 2018 14:49

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Ugh that outpost change is bad. They are close to the star, why wouldn't they have solar processors or something installed?

Gonna need to double my energy buildings for my robuts

# ¿ Mar 1, 2018 15:34

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Gadzuko posted:

Would be nice if there was a solar panel module like starbases had to eliminate maintenance.

That's a real nice changelog though. Thank space Jesus the marauders aren't going to wreck all your poo poo any more. It's worth it just for that.

Yeah. One of my beefs with modules is that frontline starbases are the only ones you really have decisions to make about, backline, what, naval or offworld trading co? not much there. And not being able to put trading modules in uninhabited systems exacerbates it, and having more reason for backlines than just "MOAR ANCHORAGES" would be encouraging

# ¿ Mar 1, 2018 16:01

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Splicer posted:

+8 in the early game is massive. +4 in the late game is not much. That's why it worked when it was reduced influence cost (scaling) + 2 stations (fixed). Should be something like increase your starbase cap by +X and increase pop contribution to starbase cap by 50%.

Early game boosts to starbase numbers seems like a good way to energy bankrupt

I like the pop cap contribution idea though, then it can be mixed in for naval cap too

Autism Sneaks posted:

If nothing else roll Machine Age into World Shapers, ffs

Yeah, this, and also ring of life in with the wonders. Rings are good/fun but i'm not sold on the research base or dyson sphere,

# ¿ Mar 6, 2018 17:12

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Zulily Zoetrope posted:

Yeah, that's what they're supposed to do. You can hold them off if you've got a large enough fleet, and theoretically hunt down the Khan's fleet to shoot it down (which he has a chance of surviving), but they're deliberately overtuned for the point of the game they show up.

The khan can also be replaced by another khan.

He popped up in the marauders just a few systems south of my empire and ran over the gimpy hostiles i had cordoned off (All their planets sucked and were small so i didn't feel like bothering), but went after my allies so i sent my two big fleets down to kill him off. I killed one khan, and another took over, killed him, and then a 3rd did and the khanate become a regular AI empire after that.

# ¿ Mar 6, 2018 17:27

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Magil Zeal posted:

The Dyson Sphere is pretty cool because it lets you run Resource Replicators in huge numbers and get tons of minerals.

if you have the minerals to put a dyson sphere together

do you need replicators

(i'm building every megastructure in my current game just to say i did)

# ¿ Mar 6, 2018 17:32

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Magil Zeal posted:

I mean that kind goes for all the megastructures, yeah.

Eh, the ring is pretty well priced at 110k for 100 tiles imo, and in smaller bursts of 20k to get there vs the 5 stages of 50k from the sphere. I'm making something like 900m/month now and none of it is hard, but that just means i'm past the point of caring about what i get out of it. Like in theory i like megastructures a lot, it's a fun concept, but it's basically just dickwaving due to the costs involved. Which is OK if i guess that's what they want them to be.

I think ascension perks badly need some kind of passover on them though.

# ¿ Mar 6, 2018 18:02

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Westminster System posted:

A Dyson Sphere is an incremental investment though - and theres been a few games where the energy it provides has essentially been the only thing keeping me in the positive for whatever reason.

For the price of getting the first layer of energy generation you could have built an entire ringworld, which would come with more naval capacity, more starbase capacity, more research, minerals, unity

I get it that it can be 'useful' but i'm not sure the usefulness matches the cost

# ¿ Mar 6, 2018 19:15

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Sedisp posted:

For picket ships is it smarter to use corvettes or destroyers?

I'm pretty much 100% corvettes at this point. The mobility and surprising durability of them is wonderful, especially with the disengagement mechanic. You can lose a fleet battle full of corvettes and 90% of them make it home. They can also be fitted with most roles in mind. Typically i have a torpedo version and a picket/PD version and it holds its own in every combat

# ¿ Mar 7, 2018 16:02

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Hot Dog Day #82 posted:

Haha that may be true, but I really like the RP elements of having my race come up as part of some intergalactic science experiment. I don’t play the game multiplayer, but I would like to try to give my race its best shot and maximize their world’s potential.

I play life seeded as stuck up technologists, so i try to rush droids and then colonize big planets with them and strip all the non research/unity gen from homeworld, so its left with unity, research, and empire uniques while the droids dig minerals and energy out of hellhole planets

Plan on ring of life and/or lucking into non holy gaia worlds

Sloober fucked around with this message at 07:10 on Mar 8, 2018

# ¿ Mar 8, 2018 07:07

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Staltran posted:

Huh. That makes sense, I had psi jump drives so it's certainly possible they couldn't find a path home.

they never take jump drives into account

i wish they did though.

i really dont care if constructors or sci ships use jump drives

# ¿ Mar 8, 2018 19:12

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

AAAAA! Real Muenster posted:

In my (limited) experience, pirates will not attack if they cannot access your space without needing to attack a large fort.

They're dumb as poo poo

My current game i left a deliberate hole in my space to a lovely star (2 energy), where i intended they spawn (they do) which is connected to 3 other systems - 1, my main system, fortified, 2, a glorified yet still very fortified chokepoint, and 3 a system with a base and 4-5 mining/research stations.

They go for the fortified chokepoint every time

# ¿ Mar 8, 2018 20:32

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Sylink posted:

I tried to like this game, but its insanely boring even by Paradox standards. The combat is pretty but keeps me wanting it to be an RTS instead of auto battles between doomstacks.

Basically if it had homeworld combat I'd be sold. Instead I find myself waiting on high speed for something to complete, to complete something else, to hope my doomstack survives long enough to win.

Sins of a Solar Empire is a fun little space RTS

# ¿ Mar 8, 2018 21:29

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Grammar-Bolshevik posted:

Hey Wiz,

Think the Hyperlane Registrar could get some buffs to sublight speed too so it can also function as a sort of 'road network' in Europa Universalis/civ buffing travel time within the empire?

One of the things I really love is the starbase customization, from economic buffs to military protection to basically forge systems an adding a 'movement mechanic' would really round it out.

Love 2.0 keep up the good work!

Forming 'shortest route' network between starbases with registrars would be a cool idea (if it buffed your move speed down said route), as it stands i dont really think the buff is all that worthwhile to even bother slapping on a system. Rather have another silo or even hydroponics bay

# ¿ Mar 9, 2018 15:57

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Tomn posted:

The victory conditions in Stellaris are a joke and not worth trying to achieve except as a completionist thing or if you happen to be really close already by accident.

That being said, now that war has been focused down on, I would really like to see some more improvements to pacifist play so that you actually have worthwhile options for interacting with the world other than war. Actual non-conquest-based victory conditions would just be the cherry on top.

I play until i get bored with a galaxy/empire and restart. I think i've only reached 'endgame' crisis once or twice?

# ¿ Mar 9, 2018 17:13

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

winterwerefox posted:

The cultist chain needs a sanity check. right now, its considering gates and wormholes for local star systems to seed the bases and corvette fleets as local, when you are just starting out and have non of that tech.

i stopped bothering with that chain with how stupid far away they seem to get

# ¿ Mar 9, 2018 21:06

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Napoleon Bonaparty posted:

A quality of life change I'd look into, in a recent game I had a fallen xenophobic empire next to mine, and there was one system in particular that bordered them which they insisted should never be colonized or have an active star base. The result was new pirates every year, and a fleet dedicated to their constant eradication. This really sucked and I hope the pirates know not to set up next to xenophobes in a patch soon, or that said empire will do something about the alien pirates they say they hate.

I just set up a trap system that has a fortified starbase by it so i dont have to bother with a fleet stationed there

they always seem to spawn in the same system unless you've taken that system over

Sloober fucked around with this message at 21:55 on Mar 9, 2018

# ¿ Mar 9, 2018 21:53

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Man i am apparantly the only one with a good empire in my current game, my federation allies are garbage (although 3 of the 5 are next to a devouring swarm sooo)

They got me embroiled in 2 wars with other folks due to the bajillion claims they put on their territory. I had to create two whole additional fleets to take back all the territory one of them lost in the war they started, and generate two 1.5k str xeno landing forces to take their planets back.

you dumb bastards are wasting my pretty megastructure building phase. I also have two science nexi so i am way the hell ahead on tech

# ¿ Mar 11, 2018 14:15

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Synthbuttrange posted:

Maybe, seems ambiguous?

Hit my next ascension perk. I'm torn between Galactic Wonders and Machine Worlds. The wonders look great but they're so expensive? Machine worlds look more suitable for my session.

Machine worlds let you rack up resources way faster to build said wonders, and only take 10k energy

# ¿ Mar 12, 2018 04:37

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

HappyKitty posted:

Is there some secret reason that my energy production completely tanks after I finish modifying a species?

what way did you modify

I've never seen it before though, no

# ¿ Mar 12, 2018 14:58

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Chomp8645 posted:

imo the pirates would be more interesting if they spawned stronger fleets but not one god drat jump from your zone. Make them spawn 3-4 jumps out with a stronger force. Once there aren't any 3-4 jump plots of open space left just stop spawning them because they only serve to piss people off while doing nothing of consequence at that point. An option to buy them off would be cool too.

Another kind of marauder clan at that point

# ¿ Mar 12, 2018 16:59

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Putting in one or two defense platforms in at risk systems helps

Early on, one platform is enough, later, another, past early game you need a small fleet though.

# ¿ Mar 12, 2018 17:13

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

HappyKitty posted:

First time was to add Industrious, second time was to add Intelligent and get rid of Sedentary. Nothing that should affect energy production. Is there some sort of happiness modifier that gets applied to pops immediately after modification?

Not that im aware of. But the game does handle species changes really oddly sometimes. Does it revert if you exit to menu and reload?

# ¿ Mar 12, 2018 17:25

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

AAAAA! Real Muenster posted:

I'm going to stop making GBS threads up the thread about it. I play a medium 4 arm spiral galaxy with 1.0 hyperlane density. I identify and rush to choke points while also trying to fill out my space so there are no unclaimed systems not protect by an upgraded starbase. The problem is the time before that fill-out is complete - the pirates spawn and before they engage the system's starbase they usually kill any mining/research stations in between where they entered the system and the defense station.
Sometimes they spawn in system A and go through system B to get to system C. On their way through B they destroy some mining/research stations then do the same in C on their way to the starbase.
After I kill the fleet I *always* follow up and destroy the pirate base. That is not the problem here.

It just sucks because that is not "pirate" behaviour and it is just a fun tax. You get punished in terms of Research and Unity if you expand too far and you get punished in system upgrades if you dont expand enough. It especially sucks because Influence is a bottleneck and so often all I get is highly-connected systems that only produce 2 energy, so I just quit the game and start a new one because it is impossible to just leave those lovely systems unlcaimed. I have to either suffer higher tech and unity costs or pirate raids.

If you have a lovely system not worth outposting in your interior, leave it open, preferably next to your fleet base, they will spawn there. The AI often seems to do just that for seemingly that purpose, leaving a single star system gap between yours and their border somewhere.

# ¿ Mar 12, 2018 18:35

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

AAAAA! Real Muenster posted:

Eh, this isnt really a reliable option. Trust me, I've tried it....it sucks more (to me).

I'm not gonna lie it seems like your problems are very unique, its always worked for me

# ¿ Mar 12, 2018 18:39

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Inevitablelongshot posted:

I receive a trio of "Escort" class ships from an Enigmatic Observer AE.

After a few battles, I'm down to 2 of them. When I hit reinforce fleet, I'm surprised to see an Escort in the build queue as I don't have the ship design and it is completely different to my empire's ship types.

When it pops out, I notice that this huge thing that looks like a piece of a space station with odd geometric symbols is now sitting at the front of my fleet.

hell yeah finally my own ship building mentality, strap an engine to a cannon

# ¿ Mar 12, 2018 19:30

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# ¿ May 11, 2024 06:59

Sloober: Apr 1, 2011

Wassbix posted:

Another change I would love is Marauders having closed boarders so your fleet manager doesn't decide to funnel all your ship through them and get killed.

Also, maybe a token reward for killing them? I wiped them out before any of them generated a Khan and there is just nothing? and their systems aren't anything special or even have a planet! Atleast the fallen empire is nice enough to give you a swag rear end planet and T5 techs when you roll over their 100k fleet.

usually one of their systems is a pretty good trove of minerals on a smaller scale than the ether drake's horde. At the time you can wipe them out though it's still just a pittance like the ether drake's. (its egg is at least fun, and you get dragonskin from it so)

# ¿ Mar 12, 2018 19:47

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