Stellaris

[solops]

JH, I would be very interested to hear what happens when the AEs and late game threats hit you.

[CJReich46]

I have a habit of restarting. I don't know why.

Anyway, in my current running game I decided to take the UN guys.

2201-  I send the USS Galileo out on its maiden voyage, success! Resources found at neighboring system and better yet it's a cul-de-sac.

Send the Worker to build the new mining stations. Mining stations built. Resources flowing in.

USS Galileo departs to explore the system to our galactic north, and finds Alpha Centauri. RED ALERT! RED ALERT! It's infested with Ameboids! Bye-bye USS Galileo. But the scientist made it out in the escape pod...

Back at Earth...RED ALERT RED ALERT THIS IS NOT A DRILL...MULTIPLE HOSTILES ENTERING SYSTEM...

Ameboids invaded the system, and we had to fight them off. The 1st Fleet got wiped. Sol Station barely hanged on through the assault and then they left. Repairs to Sol Station began quickly defense stations built as soon as materials were available.

Thus began the 5 year Crisis. From 2204-2209.

During which the first tradition was discussed, and agreed upon: SUPREMACY! NEVER AGAIN! and so the fleets went on a Ameboid hunts, pretty much that's what they've been doing aside from pirates. Gained tons of research for regenerative armor and flagella breeding program.

First contact was a Fallen Empire (yay....) and as expected they were in full on jerk mode.

I have yet to establish the first colony, but I have an entire series of systems like a dog leg near Sol. So I can settle two of them at my whim.  The one thing I have been having problems is mineral production. 

But the first destroyer classes - Dusseldorf, Honolulu and Edinburgh are online, and operational. All three classes have had action against the massive pirate spawn which led to a series of major clashes notably over a system with probably the largest amount of minerals I have seen in one system. I think its about 15 minerals?  Plus our research into a particular crystal has yielded some massive deposits easily secured.

Still no first colony though.

I think I left that one at 2260-70s.

[OJsDad]

2.0.1 patch has been released.

https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/dev-team-stellaris-2-0-1-patch-released-checksum-fb8b.1073428/

Thanks again for all your valuable feedback on 2.0/Apocalypse. Any update this size is going to have a lot of moving parts and we've been taking the time since release to target some high-value fixes. In the interest of getting them in to your hands sooner, I'm doing a 2.0.1 hotfix right now.

REST ASSURED, WE ARE NOT DONE WITH POST-LAUNCH SUPPORT FOR 2.0

Every patch balances completeness with speed, there are more fixes coming when we have time to implement and test them.

Here's the contents of this patch:

Fixed processing/grid amalgamation/livestock purge types being broken
Fixed a bug where a fleet split from its parent would forget the previous hyperspace jump and get stuck in systems with FTL inhibitors indefinitely
Fixed several out of sync bugs in multiplayer
Fixed some missing/broken localization in various languages
Fixed upgrading ships wrongly having their XP deleted
Fixed some UI visibility issues on certain screen resolutions
Fixed misleading costs displayed for building mining/research stations
Fixed Admirals being unassigned from a fleet during combat
Fixed FTL inhibition effect not being removed when you downgrade a starbase

Again, let me assure you that this is just a small package of severe/fast to fix things that I want to get in your hands sooner rather than later. Larger, more comprehensive support will continue in the coming days and weeks. We know how massive the changes wrought in 2.0 are, and your feedback will continue to be critical to make it the best possible experience. Thanks.

[Yskonyn]

Does that mean that 2.0 has been received with a lot of criticism on their boards?

[OJsDad]

Don't know.  I don't tend to get too wrapped up in those.  Steam is showing recent reviews are mixed. 

[Nefaro]

I have a habit of restarting. I don't know why.

I do that, all the time, with strategy games. 

Suspect it's due to all the different starting options.  Like a kid in a candy store who wants some of everything.

Was repeatedly doing that with Dominions 5 over the past month.  Finally got to a point, in one game, where I got over that restart hump.  Only to find out I probably didn't take the proper magic values to cast the national summons I wanted.   #:-)  Had just got invested in it, too.   

The trick is just to power through for awhile longer, on the current game, and see if it starts inspiring you to continue.  After sticking it out an extra couple sessions, I tend to stop thinking about what I could do for the next setup, and start getting curious about where my current game will go now that the mid-game is arriving.  It can get interesting again.   :nerd:

[Huw the Poo]

Does that mean that 2.0 has been received with a lot of criticism on their boards?

I've been monitoring the PDX forum as well as /r/Stellaris.  I'd say there's an equal amount of love and criticism.

The criticism isn't wholly misplaced.  There are issues with the fleet manager.  The speed of ships has been criticised - a criticism I'd certainly echo.  Doubts over whether certain systems are really working correctly (as evidenced by today's hotfix).  People have been providing very strong evidence that the AI cheats even on normal.

[OJsDad]

A couple of other thoughts;

I'm liking the fleet manager.  Pretty handy tool.

The Outliner has added a lot of useful information;
   a.  Looking at Fleets, I know who needs repaired and who needs updates.
   b.  Spacestations I can see who has defense platforms that need upgraded.
   c.  Planets, I can see who has building that can be upgrades, building with no one working the tile, or unemployed pops.

I really like not having to upgrade my civilian ships. 

[OJsDad]

https://twitter.com/StellarisGame/status/969226452653789184

Afterburners can no longer be installed on defense platforms, as lovely as it was to uselessly vent fuel in to space as a gesture of contempt to environmentalists

:DD

[OJsDad]

Tech Tree

[Nefaro]

Tech Tree

Looks more like a heavily trimmed Tech Hedge.

[Huw the Poo]

I'm bored of this game now.  I'd forgotten how much of a slog the mid-game is.  I guess I'll just focus on my multiplayer game.

[JudgeDredd]

I noticed the last time I played before these updates that I was bumping into civilisations very quickly. I also noticed how much bigger they were than me. This is also happening in this game and I'm not sure why - my obvious first reaction is I'm shit at it. But the other thing that always pops into my head is there's some cheat going on.

Seriously - how come every single civ I bump into is considerably bigger than me. They've been able to expand much faster than I have...where I seem to have to manage credits and resources, they don't. They could be in a better part of the system than me - much more heavy on resources and energy...but all of them? Their civs could have better modifiers for energy and resources allowing them to expand faster and grow bigger - but all of them?

I start to love the game. I like the expansion aspect. I like the speed. But as soon as I start bumping into civs I think "oh - here we go". I'll be battered soon by one of them, I'm sure.

Question - am I missing something or can you not look at where your technology tree is taking you? I only ever get to see the options presented to me.

And literally an hour after typing this, I loaded my game up and went to have a look to see if I could see the research tree and the first faction I ever came across declared war and sent a 3k stack of ships after me...I have a stack of 800 

[Yskonyn]

noticed how much bigger

Fixed that for you. Quite an inconvenient typo. :)

Have you checked the 'Advanced AI' setting in your game creation options?

[JudgeDredd]

noticed how much bigger

Fixed that for you. Quite an inconvenient typo. :)

Have you checked the 'Advanced AI' setting in your game creation options?

oops. Thx for the heads up.

I don't know if I did set/deselect the Advanced AI setting....time to do so if not.

It took 5 minutes of resuming my game for them to wipe out two starbases and my fleet. Completely defenceless now.

I'm starting another game and heavily loading the cheats for me