# Stellaris - 4X/Grand Strategy Hybrid from Paradox **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 14, 2016, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stellaris-4x-grand-strategy-hybrid-from-paradox/749001 "2016-03-14T18:59:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stellaris-4x-grand-strategy-hybrid-from-paradox/749001/141 "2016-10-19T11:56:11Z")
It should be out tomorrow. Yeah the new story content form the guy who wrote a lot of the Sunless Sea sounds really cool. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stellaris-4x-grand-strategy-hybrid-from-paradox/749001/142 "2016-10-19T13:45:16Z")
Yeah, I misread the update notes. It’s tomorrow for both. > [@Kinthalis](#): > > And it looks like I was right, this isn’t coming out until Thursday. I don’t know what’s going to happen to my marriage when both this and Civ VI come out, but it ain’t going to be pretty. My advice: ask Stellaris about having an open relationship, and still see Civ on the side. That should keep you fulfilled. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stellaris-4x-grand-strategy-hybrid-from-paradox/749001/143 "2016-10-19T15:38:56Z")
> [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > My people are collectivists and fanatic materialists. Everything’s amazing, but nobody’s happy. Space South Korea, then ? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stellaris-4x-grand-strategy-hybrid-from-paradox/749001/144 "2016-10-19T17:20:37Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > Patch notes are extensive to say the least: > > [Heinlein 1.3 - Full Patch Notes | Paradox Interactive Forums](https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/heinlein-1-3-full-patch-notes.975458/) Speaking of which, the fanmade “[Translation of the patch notes](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stellaris/comments/584wjt/patch_13_heinlein_notes_what_they_actually_mean/)” is pretty funny. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stellaris-4x-grand-strategy-hybrid-from-paradox/749001/145 "2016-10-19T19:18:48Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Speaking of which, the fanmade “[Translation of the patch notes](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stellaris/comments/584wjt/patch_13_heinlein_notes_what_they_actually_mean/)” is pretty funny. Funny! ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stellaris-4x-grand-strategy-hybrid-from-paradox/749001/146 "2016-10-20T14:20:28Z")
It’s out!!! And I’m stuck at work ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stellaris-4x-grand-strategy-hybrid-from-paradox/749001/147 "2016-10-26T20:40:35Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > I’ll try it out after the first hot-fix. 😉 And the first hot-fix to Heinlein is available in beta. Time to start it up! Has anyone been playing? How’s it going? ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stellaris-4x-grand-strategy-hybrid-from-paradox/749001/148 "2016-10-27T00:21:11Z")
The new standard habitable planet setting is brutal. Really hard to expand sometimes, and it’s easy to wreck your economy early on trying to grab territory with frontier outposts. The antagonists for the early game, mostly the non leviathan monsters and pirates are also brutal now. Super buffed, tough to dislodge from your territory without some beefy ships. Haven’t played a game long enough to encounter an FE, never mind experience the war in heaven yet. But I’m liking it! ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stellaris-4x-grand-strategy-hybrid-from-paradox/749001/149 "2016-10-27T12:49:20Z")
I love and hate this game. I think it needs some major modifications to become truly fun to play - right now, it’s just kind of a grindy exercise in the form of a 4X game, and that form is enough to compel me to play for hours at a time. My biggest problem right now : Paradox’s system for wars is dumb. I had a tiny little three-planet empire amidst my vast territorial holdings. They were belligerent, and I wanted to crush them. (Specifically, I wanted to ‘liberate’ them into a new empire that I could make a protectorate out of, because the ‘realistic’ happiness modifiers Paradox has coded in make conquering planets untenable.) Three planets. So I start the war. Oops! Getting them to cede or liberate all three requires a warscore of 110, so it can’t be done! So sorry, says the game. You’ll actually have to do TWO wars, ten years apart, to swat this gnat. So now we extrapolate to the mid and late game. My enemy empires usually have a dozen systems. So to crush them, we’re talking 4 wars? 5? With a ten year mandatory cease-fire between each? It’s fucking ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stellaris-4x-grand-strategy-hybrid-from-paradox/749001/150 "2016-10-27T16:01:52Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > So I start the war. Oops! Getting them to cede or liberate all three requires a warscore of 110, so it can’t be done! So sorry, says the game. You’ll actually have to do TWO wars, ten years apart, to swat this gnat. > > So now we extrapolate to the mid and late game. My enemy empires usually have a dozen systems. So to crush them, we’re talking 4 wars? 5? With a ten year mandatory cease-fire between each? It’s fucking ridiculous. It’s supposed to scale with the size of the empire, so that it’s easier to take more planets from larger empires. Cease-fire periods are not too hard to change in CK2. When I get a chance, I’ll see about changing them in Stellaris. By the way, I always run with mods in Paradox games. Some from the workshop, some of mine own tinkering. Currently, I’ve increased the maximum number of leaders to a large number, because I see no reason that an empire controlling one or more worlds would have any limit on that number. Still have to pay for them. I’ve also dramatically slowed the pace of population growth. I don’t like planets filling up quickly. It also slows down the game pace, since empires are more resource-limited. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stellaris-4x-grand-strategy-hybrid-from-paradox/749001/151 "2016-10-27T20:09:48Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Cease-fire periods are not too hard to change in CK2. When I get a chance, I’ll see about changing them in Stellaris. I think it’s as simple as changing this line in common\defines\00\_defines.lua : TRUCE\_YEARS = 10, – Truce last for X years To make it a mod (so it doesn’t gett overwritten by a game update), in your mod folder create a file, “mod\my\_mod\common\defines\my\_mod.txt” and add the line NDefines.NGameplay.TRUCE\_YEARS = 10 – Truce last for X years Note the lack of a comma. Change the 10 to whatever you like. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stellaris-4x-grand-strategy-hybrid-from-paradox/749001/152 "2016-10-28T13:40:43Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > It’s supposed to scale with the size of the empire, so that it’s easier to take more planets from larger empires. Cease-fire periods are not too hard to change in CK2. When I get a chance, I’ll see about changing them in Stellaris. > > By the way, I always run with mods in Paradox games. Some from the workshop, some of mine own tinkering. Currently, I’ve increased the maximum number of leaders to a large number, because I see no reason that an empire controlling one or more worlds would have any limit on that number. Still have to pay for them. > > I’ve also dramatically slowed the pace of population growth. I don’t like planets filling up quickly. It also slows down the game pace, since empires are more resource-limited. I appreciate the insight, and I do run with mods - most importantly, the one that reduces Frontier Outpost upkeep to zero. It became especially important in 1.3 with the reduced availability of planets. Another problem I have noticed that seems to have cropped up in 1.3 is idiotic behavior by my Empire’s citizens. So, I colonize a new world. I set up my initial production queues. It builds stuff. A few months later, I get a warning that one of my planets has starving people! I check into it… Every available space on the new colony is filled with people. More than a dozen pops all migrated at the exact same time to a planet that could not produce the food to sustain them. And they’re pissed, forming factions to try and make an independence movement, because there’s no food. Goddamn morons. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2016, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stellaris-4x-grand-strategy-hybrid-from-paradox/749001/153 "2016-11-10T13:37:31Z")
I picked up Stellaris plus Leviathans a few weeks ago. I thought I’d love it, since CK2 and MOO/MOO2 are some of my favorite games. So far, it’s OK but I’m not impressed. My first game I did on Iron Man mode. Which was a mistake, since one of the big event chains is broken and only fixable by console. I also made some strategic mistakes, wasting a ton of influence on outposts, and ended up with a peaceful 5-planet empire with nowhere to expand. So I gave up on that game. My second game is a lot better so far. The empire had some good expansion opportunities early on, and I didn’t worry about antagonizing neighbors in the early game land grab. But once the expansion was done, I wasn’t sure what to do… so I started a war with a weak neighbor for a planet and better control of hyperspace lanes. Which I won easily enough, though I made the tactical mistake of allowing the enemy to rebuild a space station. So now I have a planet full of unhappy conquered aliens. Woo. What should I do next? I’m nearly out of good worlds to colonize, my science vessels have almost completed their exploration of the galaxy. I’ve discovered a Leviathan and started its event chain, but it’s on the opposite side of the galaxy so I’m not sure if it’ll lead anywhere interesting. There is definitely a lot of tedious micromanagement for planet development. And it’s not interspersed with a lot of entertaining content, either. The exploration and event chains are OK, but the really interesting stuff is infrequent. Diplomacy seems pretty dull and shallow. At the moment it seems to have all the fiddly technical details of other Paradox games, without the personality. At least in CK2, you had all sorts of intrigues and drama to fill the time during the ages of peaceful growth. I’ll keep playing my current game, to see if it gets more interesting. If not I’ll try a new game with more challenging start conditions. Maybe more conflict in the early game will spice things up. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2016, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stellaris-4x-grand-strategy-hybrid-from-paradox/749001/154 "2016-11-10T18:03:07Z")
Like all Paradox games, Stellaris requires a good dose of configuration/modding to make it fun to play. Start a new game more tuned to your liking. Turn off clustered starts for more open space at the start. Adjust the size and shape of the galaxy, and the number of empires, advanced empires, and fallen empires. And accept that some games simply end with your empire being crushed. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2016, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stellaris-4x-grand-strategy-hybrid-from-paradox/749001/155 "2016-11-11T12:22:56Z")
Oh, I understand that losing is fun – some of my favorite memories of CK2 are failed rebellions against the Holy Roman Emperor. That’s why I went straight to Iron Man mode in Stellaris (which would’ve been fine if there weren’t bugged quest chains). Any favorite scenarios or starting configurations? More open space at the start seems like it’ll just prolong the tedious early game colonization phase. Maybe I should role-play my ethics more seriously, rather than just taking them as a serious of modest bonuses and restrictions… ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2016, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stellaris-4x-grand-strategy-hybrid-from-paradox/749001/156 "2016-11-11T14:55:55Z")
Lately, I’ve been playing with four-armed spiral galaxies, maximum number of empires (one-third of them advanced) and maximum fallen empires. No clustered starts, and twice or more the standard number of habitable planets. Hyperdrive only, because I like the extra “geography”. That gives some space for most empires to get established before hitting limits. I’ve also tried half the maximum number of empires, and no advanced or fallen ones in an elliptical galaxy with warp-drive only. That gives more of an open “new-world” feel, as opposed to an “old-world” like my usual. I always fix the FTL method for each game. I don’t like how they’re balanced against each other, but they’re all fun. Another hot-fix was released yesterday. The game is in a good state now. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2016, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stellaris-4x-grand-strategy-hybrid-from-paradox/749001/157 "2016-11-11T17:39:54Z")
I’m having a great game at the moment. The galaxy is essentially divided into three parts. To the south is my empire. There’s two medium powers next to me that I’m in the process of absorbing. To the northeast is an awakened xenophobic fallen empire. They crushed the heck out of everybody and they’ve killed the two other fallen empires. To the northwest is a major power, a semi-major power and a bunch of little states that have formed a federation. The fallen empire is by far the most powerful force in the galaxy. They have a 3 or 4 100K fleets. I’m the second most powerful with about 150K total. The federation are not pushovers with maybe a combined fleet strength of 100-130K. Right now, I’m consolidating my power. Integrating all of the vassals I’ve acquired. Building up my naval capacity and my fleets. The final war\* is coming and it ought to be a blast. - - I say final war because if the fallen empire loses they’re done even though they would lose maybe 8 systems out of the 30-40 they hold. If they can’t win at full strength, they will never win from a weakened state and so after that it is nothing but mopping up. The same is true for me and federation. This is the last stand, everything is about equal and the winner will take it all. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2016, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stellaris-4x-grand-strategy-hybrid-from-paradox/749001/158 "2016-11-11T21:31:17Z")
After a little more reading, I now realize that plain old conquest is a poor prize from warfare. Once I get my recently conquered planet under control, I think it’ll be time to start a Holy Crusade to make all my neighbors tributaries or vassals. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2016, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stellaris-4x-grand-strategy-hybrid-from-paradox/749001/159 "2016-11-11T22:54:28Z")
> [@lazybratsche](#): > > After a little more reading, I now realize that plain old conquest is a poor prize from warfare. Once I get my recently conquered planet under control, I think it’ll be time to start a Holy Crusade to make all my neighbors tributaries or vassals. The best thing to do is to liberate 1-2 planets. Especially 1 in the early game. The newly liberated planets will have your ethics and if they’re signifcantly weaker than you they will become your vassal. So let 20-30 years go by and the most of the population will diverge to your ethics due to the planet being their capital. The assimilate it and your good to go. The drawback to this is the time frame required. For example, right now I’m just cede planets because I need the energy, minerals and most importantly spacedocks to raise my naval capacity so I can face off against the monster that is the awakened fallen empire. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2016, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stellaris-4x-grand-strategy-hybrid-from-paradox/749001/160 "2016-11-12T05:09:57Z")
Well, I lost. The Fallen Empire demanded my surrender and I told him to pound sand. He then came over with 700K worth of ships and destroyed my puny fleet of 300K. He ended up taking several systems. They weren’t particularly good or important but it is clear I will never be strong enough to take on the fallen empire. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stellaris-4x-grand-strategy-hybrid-from-paradox/749001.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stellaris-4x-grand-strategy-hybrid-from-paradox/749001.md?page=9)