Stellaris Dev Diary #133 - The Caravaneers

[FaintestVirus]

Certainly don't have any problems with this addition. My only request is that their spawning being added to the galaxy generation menu, to be toggled on/off. For various reasons I feel like they wouldn't fit into every scenario of play, and having the option(like marauders) would be absolutely splendid.

 

[jPaolo]

"Muh space dragon" is a garbage argument. Maybe caravaneers don't break immersion for you, but you're not everyone. A toggle option hurts nobody.

 

[FleetingRain]

The toggle option is to turn off MegaCorp DLC, just like you can turn off Leviathans DLC (or Horizon Signal, as I've started to do because the event chain fired in every single game).

 

[Ex Mudder]

Certainly don't have any problems with this addition. My only request is that their spawning being added to the galaxy generation menu, to be toggled on/off. For various reasons I feel like they wouldn't fit into every scenario of play, and having the option(like marauders) would be absolutely splendid.

Agreed. Imagine them spawning in every game mod based on another franchise? I'm mostly thinking Star Trek here, because you will want Megacorps for the Ferengi and Orions, and most of the Gambling episodes I recall were DS9 one offs from the other side of the wormhole.

Don't mind them myself, but I can see how they would not fit into some playstyles, and the humor can be immersion breaking.

 

[Sir Roderick]

Agreed. Imagine them spawning in every game mod based on another franchise? I'm mostly thinking Star Trek here, because you will want Megacorps for the Ferengi and Orions, and most of the Gambling episodes I recall were DS9 one offs from the other side of the wormhole.

Don't mind them myself, but I can see how they would not fit into some playstyles, and the humor can be immersion breaking.

Like Space Dragons and Chaos Gods?

 

[Pointyearedgit]

Certainly don't have any problems with this addition. My only request is that their spawning being added to the galaxy generation menu, to be toggled on/off. For various reasons I feel like they wouldn't fit into every scenario of play, and having the option(like marauders) would be absolutely splendid.

Agreed. Imagine them spawning in every game mod based on another franchise? I'm mostly thinking Star Trek here, because you will want Megacorps for the Ferengi and Orions, and most of the Gambling episodes I recall were DS9 one offs from the other side of the wormhole.

Don't mind them myself, but I can see how they would not fit into some playstyles, and the humor can be immersion breaking.

I'm pretty sure Wiz said that they an be turned on/off in the galaxy generation settings, like the marauders and FEs.

 

[CorDeFerrum]

This is great

 

[Xephos Demonslayer]

I find the concept of casino in space pretty stupid...

I think I will have to blow this caravanner system up every game. How strong are its defenses ?

From the screenshot, seems to be about 10k, but blowing it up will leikely PO everyone in the galaxy, and someone will just offer a new system to host them (Wiz said that you could do that on a stream.) So unless you like hunting them down and killing them ad infinitum, the only real way to get rid of them is to conquer/exterminate the galaxy. Though there probably will be an achievement for killing them or something (there will almost definitely be an achievement for getting the Galatron, which means I'm just gonna cheese it and set up a game with no AI empires and just grind resources for Coinz to keep RNG'ing until I get it), so be my guest if you want to.

PULL THE LEVER!

Great reference. Great movie. Tv show wasn't so hot. Actually pretty bad when I think about it.

My2c: I don't like this DD too, I can't find it a sense, while caravan could be a nice add the space casino is not (IMHO).
I find both nearly useless or really minor addition to the game.
Yes, I know, they are part of the DLC so "just don't buy it!" but I'd give them some more "depth".

Btw: i prefer Martin's DD, they are more "rich" and detailed than others.

Personally, I have a minor dislike to them, but I agree with you that Martin has better DD's.

I'm curious, do these guys actually occupy their system or are we able to control it to get a passive opinion increase (like with enclaves if I'm not mistaken)?

Another thing, I don't think I saw it being covered but will our opinion with the caravaneers actually affect anything?

They occupy their system, it's called Chor's Compass

Instead of ask, I'll just speculate: I can't imagine they would release right in the holiday period, I assume the developers have families too, and they don't usually announce the release date one week prior. I imagine they also want to have it out for the holiday period but have a little time to handle any major bugs, so early December seems most likely. Somewhere in the 04 to 15 range. A skeleton crew would likely handle any major bugs that come up through Christmas, and they'd have a fresh slate for the new year. That puts the announcement at next week, or the week after.

That's... actually really brilliant. Thanks for the insight, and I hope you're right. Kudos, person who's gender I'm not assuming because if you assume gender everyone hates you.

They are.

And they are Wiz's fullfillment of a old promise in a dev stream a couple months back. Someone on Twitch jokingly asked whether Stellaris was going to add Lootboxes (afaik it was around the whole Star Wars fiasco?). Wiz's response was something along the lines of "No. Definitely no. Or actually, we may just add them as a joke." (loose memory protocol)

Wiz always delivers. Looking forward to the Space Unicorns.

Still waiting on confirmation for those, but that's some great memory on your part

5 years and 120 playthroughs later . . .

One of these days, I'm gunna get that Galatron achievement, one of these days . . . *clicks button* . . . OH, THAT COULD HAVE BEEN IT. Just a few more, just a few more . . . BLOODY UNBIDDEN STOP TAKING MY ENERGY WORLDS, I NEED THE GALATRON ACHIEVEMENT!!!

just do what I'll do: set an ironman game up, decent galaxy size, no ai empires, FE's, marauders, or primitives, 0.5x crisis strength find the caravanneers, and grind until you get it. Stellaris is unique in paradox games in that it lets you make setups like that which make normally difficult achievements easy, if tedious. I've been doing this for a while, but my luck is terrible, because despite playing the only empire in the galaxy as spiritualists with Psi jump drives for over 8 games, I've STILL gotten the Contingency 7 times, and the time I got the scourge the special project bugged out and I couldn't get the Preythorian achievement. Come to think of it, besides that one Scourge game, I've only gotten the contingency since 1.8 (and prior to that would always spawn next to someone who wanted me dead)... I might be trying for that galatron for a LONG time...

Will you be able to find things ingame to open the loot boxes?

(Please please please don't tell me that this is going to be the "loot boxes" in the same fashion as other games with microtransactions required to open them. Paradox would never do us dirty like that, right guys?)

It's a joke towards micro-transactions, "in game premium currencies," and a satirical snub towards loot-boxes in general.

 

[Pointyearedgit]

Though there probably will be an achievement for killing them or something (there will almost definitely be an achievement for getting the Galatron, which means I'm just gonna cheese it and set up a game with no AI empires and just grind resources for Coinz to keep RNG'ing until I get it), so be my guest if you want to.

Of course galatron has an achievement, and we all knew it had to be this before the diary lol.

From this Reddit post

Spoiler

MegaCorps achievements:

Galatron? Looks like we'll have to wait a bit to know more about that!

The classic "build these megastructures"

"Fully operational", so repairing them works

Hive-Mind achievement!!

Seems like something you'd want to do anyway, so an easy achievement for the MegaCorporations

And the trade-related achievement

 

[Xephos Demonslayer]

Of course galatron has an achievement, and we all knew it had to be this before the diary lol.

Didn't know about this. Thanks for posting it. Most of these look pretty easy. How much do you want to bet that the galatron literally only gives you the achievement and nothing else? Especially considering the description for it? I'll die laughing if that's the case.

 

[LeSingeAffame]

Maybe it's time, that you should change your model in which you get your money from your ongoing game-development since these "caravaneers" really feel like your typical (exclusive, separated, not really fleshed-out, not really necessary and forced) feature to have "something" to sell for your newest DLC, altough I would rather pay for something like the "free" planetary rework ...

Meanwhile and similar to the marauder-empires, it would be neat to have an option to turn this (+ enclaves, too ?) off.

Do you really think it should be a good idea to PAY for the overhaul of the MOST BASIC MECHANICS of the game?
Because, excuse me for the language, but that's a freaking stupid idea.

 

[FlavourBeans]

Why do I get the feeling that half the people grumping about this right now are going to be in an uproar two or three months from now when the reliquary prize they consider absolutely vital to their meta gets rebalanced or reworked.

 

[Kaydos]

Is there any chance of Mega-corporations being able to sell these 'sealed boxes of loot' to other players, be they human or ai? I think they are definitely something any corporation eager to exploi... I mean engage their customers in a meaningful way would be interested in.

 

[Vanhal]

I noticed this with Enclaves. The novelty factor wears down pretty fast.

They don't need novelty, they are simply useful. Who knows, maybe the caravaneers will be useful too.

 

[Butlerian]

A toggle option hurts nobody.

A toggle option hurts devs who are trying to balance the game, and so indirectly the people who like to play properly balanced games, a lot.

 

[Kayden_II]

So, you don't liked of what you saw in this game dev diary? so don't buy the damn DLC!

So, I can buy the ecumenopolis, the slave-market, the MegaCorps, but I don't have to take these caravaneers ? ...
If "yes" then OK, but if "no" then stop to use this "argument" ...
Meanwhile, it's still the best option to have a possibility to turn this off ...

Do you really think it should be a good idea to PAY for the overhaul of the MOST BASIC MECHANICS of the game?

Why not ? - Like the implementation of completely new features, it's a part of the game-development and far more important than such a new feature like these caravaneers ...
In fact, it's a death-spiral in regards to the quality-aspect of a game, that the newest DLC Y has not only to sell itself (through forced features like these caravaneers) since it has also to support / rework / overhaul etc. pp the base-game and all the previous DLCs as well for "free", so that it's even more difficult to do the same things for DLC Z since in addition, it has also to deal (for example) with these DLC-Y-caravaneers.

 

[Ksyr]

Why not ?

Because then the developers have to maintain several versions of the game. If some people buy "DLC 2" and it contains important game mechanics then the developers have to make two different versions of the next DLC. "DLC 3a" for those who have "DLC 2" and "DLC 3b" for those who don't have "DLC 2". For the next DLC they have to make even more versions.

The important stuff that will be built on in future versions should go in the patch. Fluff and QoL goes in the DLC.

 

[Dr. B]

The toggle option is to turn off MegaCorp DLC, just like you can turn off Leviathans DLC (or Horizon Signal, as I've started to do because the event chain fired in every single game).

Yeah, I have the Horizon Signal event turned off as well, but because I find the event too far-out for my taste, and I could not resist the urge to (ab)use the OP potential. In short, it breaks my immersion. For others, it probably helps and is great, good for them.

But cant turn off MegaCorp without losing all the other nice stuff, so it doesnt help if you just dont like space roulette in your grand strategy.
I am undecided about this myself, seems silly, but easy to ignore. Got to see it in action in the finished version to judge.

 

[Pointyearedgit]

Yeah, I have the Horizon Signal event turned off as well, but because I find the event too far-out for my taste, and I could not resist the urge to (ab)use the OP potential. In short, it breaks my immersion. For others, it probably helps and is great, good for them.

But cant turn off MegaCorp without losing all the other nice stuff, so it doesnt help if you just dont like space roulette in your grand strategy.
I am undecided about this myself, seems silly, but easy to ignore. Got to see it in action in the finished version to judge.

Forget the slots, the 3 roaming fleets offer you cool random deals. Should add to replay value, who knows what you'll get? I would advise just not playing the slots, and talking to the traders.

 

[Minuro]

So, you don't liked of what you saw in this game dev diary? so don't buy the damn DLC!

Seriously, I am tired of people complaining about minor things! Be happy for PDX not being like EA and not trying to scam us for money.

What is a forum for? I think it serves to expose both positive and negative opinions.
Cover all the negatives under blanket of: "if you do not like it, do not buy it", it does not make any sense. Because it destroys the purpose of the debate.
About what Kayden said, I think he's partly right. The mechanics of the caravaneers still seem strange to me in a game like this, and I would be willing to pay for something different.