Stellaris

[OJsDad]

on the galaxy map, there is no way to find the pre-FTL planets,  you need to go through them system by system.

Figured this one out.  If you go into Contacts, the non-FTL planets you've found are listed there.  You can filter just on them.  It would help if I went and tried some diplomacy.

As soon as I posted this, I found a primitive planet.  They don't show up in your contacts list. 

[JudgeDredd]

JudgeDredd, it's strange that you haven't fought anything with an empire that size. I only own three systems but so far have fought pirates and wandering space creatures. At one point one of the space creatures started attacking a mining station. A pirate fleet entered the system to do the same thing and they ended up fighting each other! I still lost my mining station.  :(

You can see on my map there are some exclamation marks in parenthesis. Those are "aliens" I have stumbled across and I didn't have the fleet power to deal with them. Since posting the above, I have also fought some aliens that attacked (and turned?) my mining station. I lost the mining station to them, killed them then destroyed the mining station. I do not know if you can take them back...so I just blew it up.

The "disappearing" scientists could have been deaths...I wasn't keeping track of names...but I wasn't notified. Is it possible, when researching something else (from the situation log for example), that a scientist was pulled from the Research process and I just didn't realise?

So things have heated up somewhat. I am now at my max ships so I have to work out how to do that. I also have to look at expanding. So far, it's been automatic. My "sphere" has grown itself. But now all the systems left to investigate are outside my big blue zoc and so I need to look at what to do to expand. I have now also created a sector.

[Tuna]

I'm still enjoying it and both my boys are still enjoying it. I also think it will only get better with time, this is a purchase that I'm glad I made!  O0

[jamus34]

on the galaxy map, there is no way to find the pre-FTL planets,  you need to go through them system by system.

Figured this one out.  If you go into Contacts, the non-FTL planets you've found are listed there.  You can filter just on them.  It would help if I went and tried some diplomacy.

As soon as I posted this, I found a primitive planet.  They don't show up in your contacts list.

They do show up on the other tab though (races maybe) as I have a primordial species show up on one of the planets

[Huw the Poo]

Otherwise, there is very little to gain from having a sector. 

Eventually you will have dozens of planets, and managing them all would be an utter nightmare.  That's the benefit of sectors. :)

The "disappearing" scientists could have been deaths...I wasn't keeping track of names...but I wasn't notified.

They weren't deaths, then, because you definitely do get a notification for every leader death.

Is it possible, when researching something else (from the situation log for example), that a scientist was pulled from the Research process and I just didn't realise?

Yeah, this sounds much more likely.  When you're selecting a leader it will tell you his status.  If you're filling a new slot and don't want to use a leader who is already employed, select one that says "available" in green text.  If there isn't one available, click "recruit", recruit one, then select him.

[JudgeDredd]

Yeah. Despite my post, I don't regret the purchase...yet. I'll have to see how things progress. They have already heated up since my post (rather bizarrely)

Like others though I thought it was going to be deeper...I haven't, as yet, noticed a great deal of depth. I didn't want anything WitP though.

I'm not sure I'm a huge fan of how research is implemented. There's things I want to build/upgrade and I can't because I'm missing some research element...but you only get 3 research options, so it's not like I can choose what I need. Now, I'm not suggesting I should be able to build something before I should be able to - but being able to see where abouts that is likely to occur would be handy. Currently, unless I've missed the obvious, you only get shown your 3 options.

If I could see where the thing is I want to research is in the track, I could perhaps make an educated guess on how I want to progress with research. Currently, I'm locked into a choice of 3 and when I select one, for all I know it could be taking me down the wrong track.

But I digress. The game has been good enough thus far to keep me interested in a genre I've never really taken too (although MOO did so recently)...and it's also picked up lately...so we'll see.

[bbmike]

I agree. Time will tell. I'm hopeful that DLC will make this epic.

[Jarhead0331]

I'm forcing myself to play. It has picked up somewhat and I am finding some enjoyment. I'm going to stick with it for awhile.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

I quite enjoyed the early stages of the game when you're exploring and building up for first colonies.  I have to agree that I do not like the way sectors are handled very much.  They rob you of too much decision making and they don't provide you with near enough feedback.  They really need to work on this more and give you more oversight, more info, and more involvement in decision making.

I also agree that diplomacy needs to be added to.  Going with what Jarhead said earlier, I'd like to see a system in place that presents you with more options to choose from during the diplomacy phase.  Perhaps they could set up a diplomat point bank system and the further the option is from your society's core values, the more it will cost to select (and possibly add to internal unrest).

Still intrigued enough by the game to want to keep playing but I find myself limiting my empire to 5 planets just so I don't have to cede control to the AI.

[Rayfer]

Had a scientist disappear. It turned into a quest of sorts to find him (which I haven't yet succeeded in doing). He apparently developed a new space craft modification and flew off to somewhere I have yet to find. This game has all sorts of random events that pop up from time to time. Quite well done.

[Tuna]

I mentioned before, every other Clausewitz (sp) Engine game I could never get into, I would just look at the screen and stare. This game right away. My boys love CK2 Vicky 2 and EU IV, so I've been bugging them to tell me which one it is similar to. My oldest told me the 'middle/end game' is most like those others. So maybe I will hit a 'staring' point.

But again.. very happy with my purchase so far, and since there is three of us playing in this household, we got our money's worth already.

[Tuna]

Had a scientist disappear. It turned into a quest of sorts to find him (which I haven't yet succeeded in doing). He apparently developed a new space craft modification and flew off to somewhere I have yet to find. This game has all sorts of random events that pop up from time to time. Quite well done.

Lol.. I did a lil 'cheat' today.. My Science Ship was under attack by some aliens with no military fleets near by to come rescue. I hit Pause and boogied to my Research lab and replaced one of those scientist with the one in the ship. LOL lost the ship of course but averted total disaster (influence points are too precious)!

[OJsDad]

In my current game I'very maxed my influence points at 10000.

[mikeck]

, Maybe I'm the asshole here. I've asked before and I get answers like "watch "let's play on YouTube "but is there a manual or something? I can't figure out what the hell I'm supposed to be doing and there's no manual anywhere. Is it really an excuse for producing a game this big without a manual?

[jomni]

, Maybe I'm the asshole here. I've asked before and I get answers like "watch "let's play on YouTube "but is there a manual or something? I can't figure out what the hell I'm supposed to be doing and there's no manual anywhere. Is it really an excuse for producing a game this big without a manual?

Shame on them.  HOI I and II had a great manual with more than 100 pages.