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Stellaris Dev Diary #229 - Aquatics Species Pack

Hello everyone!

Today we’re back to talk a little bit about the recent news that has no doubt sent ripples throughout the community by now, namely the newly announced Aquatics Species Pack!


The Aquatic Species Pack will include:
  • 15 new Aquatic Portraits
  • 1 aquatic-themed Robotic Portrait
  • Water themed Ship Set
  • Here Be Dragons Origin
  • Ocean Paradise Origin
  • Anglers Civic
  • Hydrocentric Ascension Perk
  • Aquatic Species Trait
  • Aquatic Advisor, inspired by high seas adventure fiction
  • 4 Aquatic Name Lists
Remember to w(f)ishlist it on Steam right now!

For many years now, I have been forced to play Stellaris without dolphinoids... but no more! I can proudly say that we’ve made the perhaps greatest additions to Stellaris yet!

Dolphinoids have finally been added to the game, and the future is looking brighter than ever before. Dolphinoids have been used in narrative examples during design meetings for many years, even prior to the release of Stellaris back in 2016, so I am particularly happy to see them finally becoming a reality. I hope you will enjoy playing them as much as I will!

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Tidal Wave of awesomeness.

I’m sure you’re all excited to take a look at the gameplay details, so let’s dive right in!

Anglers Civics
This new Civic will allow you to harvest the bounty of the ocean, by replacing your Farmer jobs with Anglers and Pearl Divers on your Agricultural Districts. The Anglers Civic is also available to empires with a Corporate Authority.

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Under the sea, there’s plenty of shinies to see!

Hydrocentric Ascension Perk
One of our first ideas related to the aquatic theme was to be able to mine ice and bring it back to your Ocean Worlds, to make them larger. The idea originally bounced between being a Civic or an Origin, but we realized it would make much more sense as an Ascension Perk. This is the first time we’re adding an Ascension Perk with a species pack, which in itself is also fun.

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If you live underwater, raising the sea level can be quite useful.

As you could see in the trailer, the Deluge Colossus Weapon can be unleashed to create a watery grave for your enemies! Ice Mining stations will increase mining station output in a system, as well as enable the Expand Planetary Sea decision, which will increase the planet size by 1.

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Aquatic Species Trait
We’re adding a new (zero point cost) Aquatic species trait. It doesn’t require you to have an Aquatic portrait, but it will require your species to start on an Ocean World. We hope that this covers those of you who want more freedom of choice for your species portraits, while still keeping the aquatic theme intact. The trait also gains additional bonuses whenever the Hydrocentric Ascension Perk has been selected.

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From the deep we come!

Ocean Paradise Origin
The ultimate watery start, Ocean Paradise allows you to start on a chonky size 30 planet filled with a plentiful bounty of resources. When combined with the Aquatics Species Trait, and the Hydrocentric Ascension Perk, the Ocean Paradise origin gives significant advantages to starting with an Aquatic species. You will want to keep your friends close, and your anemones closer.

You will also start in a nebula and with ice asteroids in your home system.

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Where there is water, there may be life. Where there is lots of water, there may be lots of life.

Here Be Dragons Origin
Perhaps the most unique Origin yet, Here Be Dragons starts you off in a unique symbiotic relationship with an Ether Drake. Without spoiling too much, the drake will essentially protect you while you keep it happy. The drake is not controlled by you, but can rather be seen as a guardian ally, as long as you keep it happy.

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Hostile neighbors? No problem, ol’ Hrozgar will scare them off (at least from your home system)! This unique ether drake features a unique aquatic-inspired appearance.

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That is it for this week! I hope you enjoyed this deep dive into the gameplay features. Next week we’ll submerge ourselves even deeper into the Aquatics Species Pack by taking a look at the art behind the aquatic ships and the unique model for the ether drake.

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Isn’t she a beauty? Come back next week to learn more about the art in the Aquatic Species Pack.
 
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I’m not seeing you discuss anything. Don’t see any name calling, unless mix/maxer has moved to the taboo list, and I’m pretty sure spongebob destigmatized goober a long time ago.

but if you’d like you can replace them with “power gamer” and “goofball for the lulz”
The preference used to be a system where you can pick one climate preference largely without thinking twice. Now, the devs have clearly stated the intention to abandon this. Nobody asked for certain "power level". The mechanics for other traits could be powerful, challenging, or balanced, tall or wide, and it would NOT be considered wrong.

MIN_MAX players aren't the only group that want this. Casual players, RP players, challenge players, etc... could all benefit from this.
 
The preference used to be a system where you can pick one climate preference largely without thinking twice.

AFAIK, the different climate types have had biases towards different district allocations for years (wet - agri, cold - mining, dry - generator IIRC)
 
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Anglers make no sense for hiveminds. They produce consumer goods and trade value. For both hives have no use.

The anglers part does though. And pearl divers can always make minerals instead. Hiveminds don't even have their own version of mining guilds, whilst machine empires do. This could be a perfect fit for hives with a little adaptation.
 
How new are the portraits? The one showed in the thread looked much like a reskinned version of the avian portrait "massivr#11"

I strongly suggest that you visit an optician ASAP to have your eyes examinated. None of the portraits shown in the trailer or in this thread looks like that. The alien shown in the image in this thread was based in dolphins, not birds.
 
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I strongly suggest that you visit an optician ASAP to have your eyes examinated. None of the portraits shown in the trailer or in this thread looks like that. The alien shown in the image in this thread was based in dolphins, not birds.
It could be a reskin of avian massive #11. So far every species pack has contained some reskins of earlier models. I'd be surprised if this pack didn't.
 
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It could be a reskin of avian massive #11. So far every species pack has contained some reskins of earlier models. I'd be surprised if this pack didn't.
No offense meant, but I'm not sure you know what a reskin is. Because that is definitely not a reskin. The only similarities between the two, is the color scheme, blunt beak, and blowhole/pineal eye.
Head ridge is much more pronounced in the dolphinoid, and it's chin blends into a Gular like pouch. While Avian 11 has a definitive chin. Additionally the dolphin has deeper set eyes, and actually looks like dolphin eyes, with a hint of intelligence. While avian 11 has cold, lifeless bird eyes.
The differences would be much more pronounced if we had them from separate profiles (views).
 
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No offense meant, but I'm not sure you know what a reskin is. Because that is definitely not a reskin.
Putting a new texture on the same underlying mesh is how I use it.
 
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Putting a new texture on the same underlying mesh is how I use it.
Those two definitely do not share the same mesh. There is likely similarities in the mesh, particular of the beak/mouth and forehead, but beyond that, no. There is no way those share the same mesh. Literally laid some of the differences in my above post.
Head ridge is much more pronounced in the dolphinoid, and it's chin blends into a Gular like pouch. While Avian 11 has a definitive chin. Additionally the dolphin has deeper set eyes...
There are more differences, these are just the most obvious ones.
 
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Will other species pack quality up to this one? because this one really adding more origins/special trait/other role player aspect.
 
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Those two definitely do not share the same mesh. There is likely similarities in the mesh, particular of the beak/mouth and forehead, but beyond that, no. There is no way those share the same mesh. Literally laid some of the differences in my above post.

There are more differences, these are just the most obvious ones.
The mesh isn't actually what you can see, the mesh is how the movement programming (not the right term but it has been ages since I did graphics programming so sue me) interacts with the things you can see, The picture can extend beyond the mesh or the picture don't have to cover the mesh.

I would guess that a lot of these portraits use the same mesh and programmed movements.
 
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One thing I am hoping for with this pack... is crab people.
Give me hard shells and pincers, and I'll be happy.
Some of the arthropods are fairly crab like.
 
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Yeah I had a look, they don't quite go far enough for me. No pincers, no crab people.
Very well, let's hope you get your wish. I am here hoping for Orca people so... Nothing say fanatic purifier like Killer Whales.
 
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The mesh isn't actually what you can see, the mesh is how the movement programming (not the right term but it has been ages since I did graphics programming so sue me) interacts with the things you can see, The picture can extend beyond the mesh or the picture don't have to cover the mesh.

I would guess that a lot of these portraits use the same mesh and programmed movements.

Never even had one so I had to rely on the internet. Which basically made it sound like a mesh was just a grid that built the skeleton of the animated object.
That said, my two guesses just depended on what counted as a different mesh. Do different angles make a different mesh or not. I went with the "Probably?" approach.
My second guess what that all the portraits were the same mesh, and the person I was quoting had no reason to complaining since all of the portraits were the same mesh, and hence just reskins in their eyes. For me a reskin is when you just change the colors, and don't alter the patterns.
So good to know! Wish I knew graphic people, and not just coders.

Yeah I had a look, they don't quite go far enough for me. No pincers, no crab people.
Taste like crab, talk like people?