• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.

Stellaris Dev Diary #187 - Post-mortem

Zaztl’s time had come. The Ritual of Elevation was soon to begin, and as she was inching ever closer to her own final destiny, she wondered “Is this perhaps the start of a new life?”. She couldn’t help but to latch on to hope in her moment of dread, but she also knew the futility of the question.

No Jeferian would ever know the answer to that question.

Shumon ins-Beth was born, the newest individual to join the Pasharti species.


---------------

1602149714895.png


The result of dark experimentation by the Jeferians - the former owners of the planet Taralon - the Pashartians are the ultimate parasites. Originally a semi-sapient creature dwelling in the depths of Taralon's mountains, the Jeferians uplifted and augmented them to act as a subservient slave race. However, their uplifting was rather too effective, and they unleashed a monster. Horrified at the capabilities of their creation - which included the ability to absorb other sentient species and turn them into Pashartians - the Jeferians tried to shut down the experiment. However, a small group of uplifted Pashartians escaped.

Over the years, they bided their time, managing not only to evade capture, but also gradually increase their numbers and develop a technological base to rival the Jeferians. Eventually, the Jeferians noticed that something was amiss, but by then they were powerless to resist.

Soon the Pashartians had seized control of the planet, unleashing violent pogroms on their erstwhile oppressors - all the while further increasing their numbers. Now poised to take to the stars, the Pashartians stand ready to pursue what they see as their solemn duty - the conversion of all lesser life forms to their likeness.


---------------

Hello everyone!

Two weeks ago we announced the Necroids Species Pack, and today we’ll be giving you more information about the gameplay aspects. But first, I’ll take the opportunity to link the trailer once again, in case you missed it.


For Necroids we wanted to add some new gameplay that would be available to many more different types of empires and species. Unlike Lithoids, these Civics and Origins will not require you to use a Necroid portrait. For Lithoids we felt like it made sense, but in this case we didn’t want to impose any limitations on your imagination and creativity.

Necroids gameplay includes:
  • Necrophage (Origin)
  • Memorialist (Civic)
  • Death Cult (Civic)
  • Reanimated Armies (Civic)

1602149745689.png

Necrophage is a new Origin that means that your primary species has a very hard time to procreate by themselves, but is instead dependent on transforming other Pops into themselves.

1602149789054.png

Necrophage Trait - live long and consume

1602149798241.png

Chamber of Elevation - when regular Uplifting isn’t enough

1602149808856.png

Necrophytes - Hey, what does the necro part of my job title stand for anyway?

---

In addition, there is also the Reanimated Armies civic that we showed in DD #185. This civic replaces the Military Academy with a Dread Encampment, and can recruit Undead Armies that are unaffected by morale.

1602149830251.png

Reanimated Armies - the ultimate in recycling.

1602149838710.png

Dread Encampment Building - wouldn’t want to get caught dead here

1602149846240.png

Undead Army - it’s not wight how they work them to the bone, but they don’t complain

1602149857376.png

Necromancer job - some say it’s a dead end job, but they’ve made a grave mistake
(Note: Above image includes the bonus from Ground Defense Planning)

This civic has a few restrictions - no pacifists, and it conflicts with Citizen Service since it replaces the Military Academy. Some subtle differences exist between Soldiers granted by Military Academies and the Necromancers from Dread Encampments - they’re Specialist tier and provide more defense armies, provide some research benefits, and will summon additional defense armies under Martial Law instead of increasing Stability.

---

That is all for this week! Next week we’ll take a look at the art process and all the effort that goes into creating the Necroid portraits!

We’ll be eagerly reading your responses, and remember that...
1602149867977.png

Jeff sees all
 
  • 154Like
  • 145
  • 16
  • 7
  • 4Love
  • 1Haha
Reactions:
It's possible to talk and not make promises while still acknowledging the problem, though. This has been discussed in other threads, and the consensus seems to be very much to be that "we're trying to do x, we can absolutely not make any promises about the results, here's what it is: [...]" would still be better than having radio silence on the issue.

They said this in the last dev diary though. Confirmed they want to fix the issues, but the issues are so big they don’t want to touch them with this patch.
 
  • 6
  • 2
Reactions:
Everything great but this should be a origin for hive mind xD
Especially that in suggestion subforum, there was ideas for hive mind civics, and one of them was weirdly close to this origin.
I feel like PDX stole this idea from the owner...
 
  • 5
  • 5
Reactions:
The origin sounds cool and hard to play. Will the converted pops change their ethics to the ruler empire after being necrophaged? Or do they conserve their identity?
 
  • 1
  • 1Like
Reactions:
  • 9Haha
  • 3
  • 2Like
  • 2
  • 1
Reactions:
Uh. This isn't gonna work out very well with the current system. You can only 'grow' one pop at a time in the game right now. So how's that supposed to work with Necrophage? In the early game, you'll have the issue of maintaining alien pops vs Necrphage with a lot of micro. In the late game, you'll never realistically be able to convert even a fraction of all the pops you'll lord over. It might be slightly better if you could 'build' Necrophages and still have regular pops 'grow' on the side...

Seems very meh.
no, you can have the xeno scum grow on planets while they get converted into necrophages like how assimilators or synths can transform pops.
with the huge growth penalty necrophage pops will almost never get chosen to grow since its so high a malus. and setting aliens to grow instead of your main species will still be faster if it comes to that

not sure about the late game conversion, but if its a similar speed to driven assimilators then it won't take too terribly long to fully convert a planet and can be faster by spreading them out over a few worlds

does seem interesting but ultimately a gimick you play now and then instead of an actually good civic
 
  • 2
Reactions:
Well, will we players make such mistake when uplifting sapient species?
Or will this tragedy happen to pre-FTL civilizations?
Imagine you stopping the zombie disaster breaking out on a primitive planet, with Powered Armor and Laser, that's so cooooool!
 
  • 4Love
  • 3Like
Reactions:

But, well, admit that this state is kind of disturbing and doesn't really make people more confident about the future of the game. The typical "we're aware of the issues and working on it, (since 2 years now) just buy our DLCS" is a bit outmoded here.

Just tell us about the stuff, precising that it is work in progress and not sure thing may give your customers some faith back.
 
  • 37
  • 1Like
  • 1
Reactions:
My Issues:
1. Parasites should have the option of keeping the host art (Goa'uld look human, the brain slugs in Futurama just stick on... it's only Mindflayers/Xenomorphs/Zerg that burst out of the host destroying it entirely... and even then those races are not uniform with a single portrait, the end result always depends on the host)
2. Parasites should be different based on the traits of the host (Mindflayers for example make Ulitharid, Mozgriken, Mindwitness etc. depending on host traits, Xenomorphs make Predalien, Runners, etc. Zerg make dozens of wildly different creatures controlled by a hive mind. Goa'uld inhabiting Unas hosts are very different to those inhabiting human hosts)
3. Parasites fit the theme of an organic ship set / Hive mind focussed DLC, not a death-themed, Gestalt-ignoring one. (I'd want organic ship designs if I was trying to make a Mind flayer with nautiloids, Xenomorphs/Zerg with queens and brood pits and similar features)

Parasites feel tacked-on without the features they would need to work to replicate ANY existing fictional parasitic race. So what doesn't work:
1. Can't make Goa'uld aesthetically or mechanically (can't keep the host picture and traits, for Human and Unas hosts)
2. Can't make Mind flayers (the Mind flayers seem like the perfect match of the origin with existing works, but you can't make the Ulitharid, Mozgriken, Mindwitness (different forms based on the nature of the host) etc. nor the organic technology like bioships or the organic constructs that define Mind flayers.)
3. Can't make Xenomorphs (no Queen/hivemind mechanics, no variants based on hosts that Xenomorphs need)
4. Can't make Zerg (As above. No hiveminds. No organic ship set)
5. Can't even make the brainslugs from Futurama (no ability to modify existing species icons - like sticking a slug on them like a hat, glowing eyes for Goa'uld or even a different colour or uniform for the rest)

Solution: Customization options for the origin/civic/trait (depending on how it's done)
1. Option to keep host portraits (for things like Goa'uld)
2. Option to pick portrait based on host type (Humanoid portraits convert to a different portrait than plants or lithoid hosts)
3. Option to keep or modify host traits (Mindflayers, Zerg, Goa'uld, Xenomorphs etc. produce different strains with different hosts)
4. Options for Gestalt empires (like Zerg)
5. New mechanics (see the Forgotten Queens mod for ideas)
 
  • 6Like
  • 6
  • 1Love
  • 1
  • 1
Reactions:
I like the idea of a parasitic species. There is already such a portrait in the game and I always wished something game mechanical would be done with them. But the implementation doesn't seem that great. And as others have said, why not hive mind parasites? That would fit perfectly.

What I really don't like is the fantasy necromancer and undead army stuff. That is enough to not buy the DLC. Undead and parasites are also very different things and forcing them together is bad thematically
 
  • 7
  • 2Like
  • 1
Reactions:
  1. So does this mean that necrophages have to keep invading in order to expand to other planets? Or do necrophages get colony ships, and just take a really long time to populate a new planet?
  2. Once a necrophage invades a populated planet, do the natives become slaves? Or are they livestock? I guess a better question would be: do they passively produce food, or do we feed them?
 
  • 1
Reactions:
Make Stellaris into real D&D

Don't we already have space dragons?

*takes notes* Community wants to hollow out the ether drake and ride it :D
 
  • 7Like
  • 1
  • 1
Reactions: