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Stellaris Dev Diary #144 - Megastructures, Habitats and Minor Artifacts

Hello everyone!

First of all, I’d like to follow up on last week’s dev diary by sharing some more things we’re trying out with Megastructures (and habitats!).

After all of that, we also have something new to talk about!

Let’s start from the beginning – which of course leads us to the Mega-Engineering technology itself.

As always, numbers may not be final and temporary things may be sighted.

Mega-Engineering
Mega-Engineering is still a rare technology, but will now be more likely to appear as you build more Habitats and Citadels. This means it is way more likely to appear if you are performing actions in the game that would lead you towards the route of building larger and more powerful structures.

Master Builders
The Master Builders ascension perk no longer unlocks mega-engineering or adds size to habitats, but instead increases the number of megastructures you can simultaneously build by +1. What about increased habitat size you ask? Well, keep on reading!

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Habitats & Voidborne
Habitats are no longer locked behind the Voidborne ascension perk but is rather a technology that branches off from the Star Fortress technology. Habitats now have a default of 80% habitability. We’re also experimenting with that some of the habitat’s districts will depend on which planet they are built over. In case you build one above a planet with mining deposits, this could happen:

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Voidborne ascension perk now increases habitat size by +2 and increases Habitat habitability by 20%. This should mean it becomes more of a choice for specialization, rather than feeling it is a non-choice.

As a final note on habitats, it might be worthwhile to reiterate my thoughts that I eventually want to add different levels/sizes to habitats. It is however not something for the immediate future, but a little further down the road.

Ring Worlds
We didn’t quite like how Ring Worlds ended up feeling like a vast farm, so we’re making some changes. Instead of being a size 50 with regular districts, we’re changing it to a size 5 with a unique type of districts – segments. A Ring World, as you know, has 4 planets. Each planet can now build 5 segments, which are very powerful districts with many jobs and a lot of housing.

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Minor Artifacts
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Some of you might recognize the icon for what was supposed to become arcane technology, that partially got into 2.2. It was something that I was personally working on, but that didn’t work out as I had imagined it, and that I didn’t get enough time to finish with other things taking priority.

In the next upcoming DLC, you will be able to come across Minor Artifacts. “Minor Artifacts” is a broad term that includes any smaller and nameless artifact left behind by ancient civilizations. They are never gained passively every month, but will rather have to be found.

What are they used for, I imagine you asking? Well, the basic functionality is that they can be consumed in so-called artifact actions. There are a bunch of different actions that can be performed by consuming Minor Artifacts, with varying effects for each.

Some of these actions will be locked behind a technology, which some may also recognize.

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Arcane Deciphering allows you to consume Minor Artifacts for a random technology-related bonus.

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That’s it for this week! Happy Easter everyone! Next week we’ll be back again :)

P.S. Attaching an Easter present

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In the next upcoming DLC, you will be able to come across Minor Artifacts. “Minor Artifacts” is a broad term that includes any smaller and nameless artifact left behind by ancient civilizations. They are never gained passively every month, but will rather have to be foun

Any chance the techs linked to this could be boosted by the Archeologist trait, instead of the normal research traits? It would give that trait something to do in the mid and late game, and it sounds like it would fit thematically. Most of the exploration traits have that problem, but I feel that it is particularly bad for Archeologists, as (last I checked) that trait is ever only useful six times in an entire playthrough.
 
I really like how Voidborne and the other megastructure APs are less of an obvious choice now. It means other perks become more attractive at the same time.

But 20% habitability is really not that great given how many +5% techs there are. Or you might have extra habitability from traits already
 
But 20% habitability is really not that great given how many +5% techs there are. Or you might have extra habitability from traits already

Unless the +5% habitability tech's don't apply to a habitat, because they're not planets. That could work.
 
Are you kidding me with these Ringworld changes?

They are Ringworlds they are supposed to feel vast.

I mean really from 50 to 5? How is that not a completely unwarranted nerf, regardless of how powerful the districts are?

I mean a habitat has 6 and each Ringworld segment has 5. I mean abstraction aside why does the much smaller habitat have more space then a single Ringworld segment?

Maybe I'm missing something but I'm floored by this change?

Why are we turning the great Ringworlds into slightly better habitats. They are supposed to feel vast not like 4 Habitats strung together.
50 districts mean 50 empire sprawl, so a full ring world would give you 20 empire sprawl instead of 200.

I like those specialized districts (research, industrial) that I'm seeing. That will put ring worlds on the level of ecumenopolis (actually, with districts that are twice as powerful), as it allows you to mass produce without a big investment of rare resources. A couple of ideas:
  1. I think it would be better to have foundry districts rather than industrial districts. In the late game, I always need way more alloys than consumer goods. Also, gestalt empires do not need consumer goods at all, and they are still allowed to build ring worlds, right? I wonder if it would be possible to have more than 4 types of districts available for a planet, if so you can make both industrial and foundry districts available for ring worlds and problem solved.
  2. No energy districts? As said, if there was a way to have more than 4 possible districts, adding energy districts would not be a problem.
  3. Though I like the idea of super districts (the ones you show are 10x bigger than the usual), I feel like having only 5 districts available is a bit constraining. Maybe having 10 districts that are 5x bigger than normal is a better compromise, for the shake of flexibility. It also puts them on the exact same level as arcology districts, which seems reasonable.
 
My guess is that Habitat Habitability will now be separate from Planet Habitability, at least in the techs.

I mean, otherwise this doesn't even make sense.


That will put ring worlds on the level of ecumenopolis (actually, with districts that are twice as powerful)

They're twice as powerful but Ecumenopolis has at least twice the number of districts, going all the way to 28.
 
You still have to upgrade every step in sequence, if that is what you mean.



Looking into doing that, yeah.

Maybe allow multiple construction ships to work on it simultaneously?
 
I really like how Voidborne and the other megastructure APs are less of an obvious choice now. It means other perks become more attractive at the same time.

But 20% habitability is really not that great given how many +5% techs there are. Or you might have extra habitability from traits already
Maybe the habitability techs are going to get nerfed in some way, or replaced by other things? A planet decision that reduces the housing provided by districts in return for boosting habitability could work, I think.
 
What is the point for -20% penalty for habitability in habitats? It will be countered by research options alone. +20% from Voidborn will be quite useless in most. Rise it to -40%, or make bonuses from research not to affect for artifical environments at all.


Agreed.
I wish they would add pollution to the game so that habitability wouldn't be a empire wide value which is soon irrelevant after some traditions and society tech but something you had to balance for each planet.
It would also make city planets more different from ringworlds.
 
1) I like this although I still think base megastructure build limits should be connected to the number of pops you have. A 2000 pop empire should naturally be able to build more in parallel than a 20 pop empire, even if the latter has Master Builders.

2) 80% seems like too high of habitability for habitats to me. I would make it more like 60% and the perk is stronger? I know your numbers are not final but that's my gut reaction.

3) Will there be a finite number of artifacts in the galaxy, or will there be a way to acquire more once all the natural means of acquisition have run out?
 
They're twice as powerful but Ecumenopolis has at least twice the number of districts, going all the way to 28.
A full ring world would have 4x5=20 districts that are equivalent to 40 arcology districts. If expansion traditions also give +1 districts to ring worlds, then that would be 48 arcology districts. That's the number of districts you would get from two 23-sized ecumenopolis. These 2 ecumenopolis would cost 40000 minerals (+24000 minerals to build up the 48 residential districts required, -21600 if we discount the 24 residential arcologies that result from that) and 400 influence. The ring world costs 55000 alloys and 300 influence.

55000 alloys are definitely more difficult to come by than 42400 minerals. I feel like ring worlds should provide more for that price.
 
Habitats & Voidborne
Habitats are no longer locked behind the Voidborne ascension perk but is rather a technology that branches off from the Star Fortress technology. Habitats now have a default of 80% habitability. We’re also experimenting with that some of the habitat’s districts will depend on which planet they are built over. In case you build one above a planet with mining deposits, this could happen:



Voidborne ascension perk now increases habitat size by +2 and increases Habitat habitability by 20%. This should mean it becomes more of a choice for specialization, rather than feeling it is a non-choice.
Make Voidborne +4 and habitats might move up significantly in value. ;)
 
I'm not quite sure about the ring worlds, I get the idea, but can't you find a middle between 50 and 5 districts? 5 seems very limited and will make it look like a buffed habitat.
 
Each district is 10x as powerful as planetside districts. So that's still 50 districts basically, but with the sprawl of 5. So no nerf.

I'm not quite sure about the ring worlds, I get the idea, but can't you find a middle between 50 and 5 districts? 5 seems very limited and will make it look like a buffed habitat.
 
Minor Artifacts cannot be traded between empires nor on the galactic market.

A balance change I might mention is that I want low habitability to be significantly more punishing than it is currently.
 
Voidborne ascension perk now increases habitat size by +2 and increases Habitat habitability by 20%. This should mean it becomes more of a choice for specialization, rather than feeling it is a non-choice.
As others have noted the 20% habitability can be obtained through tech, could Voidborne allow more types of buildings to be built on habitats instead (housing and research labs in particular).

What is the thinking about removing energy districts from Ring Worlds? My Synth empire needs them so bad.
 
A balance change I might mention is that I want low habitability to be significantly more punishing than it is currently.
And making the adaptability traits matter way more? Are you guys considering getting rid of most/all of the habitability techs too, to push you to terraform?