Stellaris Dev Diary #246 - Announcing Overlord

[Troyen]

My biggest fear is that I honestly don't really use Vassalisation that much and I like to play "nice guy" empires, so I worry slightly that this won't have a whole lot for me. Hoping I'm wrong though!

My first thought was to become an overlord of protectorates. E.g. the Human empire that reaches spaceflight almost always is stuck as a one-system empire and forced into vassalization by its neighbors; this might allow for a way to protect fledgling smaller empires without sidelining them for the rest of the game.

Out next month?

Tentatively late May. The Stellaris team is now on a roughly 3-month patch schedule. Assuming there are no unexpected setbacks.

 

[grandadmiralbob]

Nerf the Otto............sorry wrong thread. Looks cool!

 

[Rock Lord]

Overlord desires exploration of indigenous species. Ichor harvesting is now a lower priority.

 

[klingonadmiral]

Where Xenophile content?

 

[SirBlackAxe]

Speculation time!

• The specialist vassals look like you'll be able to set vassal designations/'contracts' to tribute you fleet capacity, resources, or research.
• Origins
  1. Start as a tributary or as the vassal of an empire with the Feudal Society civic, likely with a contract clause preventing you from being integrated.
  2. I'm going to say this one is the Hive Mind origin, and involves starting with a reworked Synchronicity Unity of Self tradition. Possibly giving you a way to create new hive minds as vassals.
  3. Pretty clering starting with the new planetary ring orbital structure.
  4. Obviously subterranean, but given the context of the expansion might involve either you being a subteranean civilization on another empire's planet or starting with a separate subterranean civilization on your own homeworld.
  5. My wild guess for this one is a System-States start for democratic/oligarchic authorities that works like a cross between common ground and feudal society.
• Enclaves
  1. Not much to work with in the first one. Maybe something diplomatic?
  2. Guessing this one is something like a gateway network controlled by a bunch of different enclave stations, who can charge you to travel between them.
  3. Those look like construction ships to me. Maybe an enclave you can hire to build habitats for you? Possibly also that new planetary ring or megastructure build speed / capacity.
• Structures (only the first is specifically called a megastructure, the other two are just referred to as 'constructions')
  1. I agree with the consensus that this is probably a one-way gateway that doesn't require a terminal on the other end. Basically a jump drive projector. Due to the mention of 'projecting your power', I'm gonna guess that it might also increase your max influence from power projection.
  2. The planetary ring seems like a way to merge a habitat with the colony on the planet it's orbiting via space elevators. Could either be an add on for the base planet that works kind of like a branch office by giving you a new planet tab for more districts and/or buildings, separate colonies that use instantaneous auto-resettlement between each other so that they basically share the same pool of pops, or a simple size/district increase. I think there's a good chance this one isn't empire-unique, although I could see it being limited by planetary ascension.
  3. "A network tying the galaxy together with your capital at the center" sounds like maybe you'll be able to build a terminal-egress style gateway hub that will allow you to route traffic through your capital system. Not sure how that would benefit you though, unless maybe it allows you to tax ships and/or trade routes passing through? Perhaps also involves the much-requested ability to build gateways in your subject's territory.

 

[steptioit08]

I literally ask a couple dds ago and I was told no kind of military like update

 

[Harkinian's Dinner]

Well, this is definitely not what i was expecting. Not that i don't necessarily like the concept of the expansion, but i fell like one centered around internal politics and soft power projection would have been way more interesting.

I feel like the removal of Culture Workers is emblematic of the fact that soft power is foreign to the direction of the game. There's scant few ways to explore the cultures of the empires in the game and no way to export it to other empires as a means to expand your influence, even though that's a crucial part of empire building in the modern day and in a lot of sci-fi settings.

In older Civilization games, you could nonviolently conquer other empires through sheer cultural assimilation, which was very cool and served as an alternate axis of expansionist gameplay to direct warfare. I'm not sure that exact system would be fun in Stellaris, but I definitely want to see more focus - both in gameplay mechanics and flavor - on the neglected cultural aspect of the game. At the very least give us back Culture Workers or an equivalent, so that we can make cultural center planets!

 

[FleetingRain]

Five new Origins will arrive in Overlord (including one for Hive Empires).

It's Fanatical Befrienders, right? RIGHT???

 

[sreckom92]

At first I thought it was a giant headphone for the planet from the top image....
That'd be a cool background image for a Stellaris music pack.

 

[Emperor great love]

Anyone else waiting for Aspec?

 

[klingonadmiral]

Not much to work with in the first one. Maybe something diplomatic?

Looks like a space Kaaba to me, while the ring of spikes at near the walls brings Stonehenge to mind. Space Cultist enclave.

 

[CometBliss]

Does that mean we cannot have tributes anymore? Or that if tributes cannot afford to pay taxes they don't funnel into the overlord's pocket?

 

[blahmaster6k]

Where Xenophile content?

I would consider Federations to be primarily Xenophile content considering it's about making friends with other empires and forming federations together.

 

[ZomgK3tchup]

This is exciting.

The orbital ring megastructure is exactly what I want to build up my planets.

The new origins, including what looks like a Chosen One or God-Emperor origin, sounds fantastic. One of them also looks like a subterranean origin, which is equally awesome.

Finally, a reworked vassal system is one of my top wants. While I don't expect a CK3-style system, I really hope we can have vassals of vassals and mechanics for deeper vassal gameplay. Losing all your vassals when you get subjugated by an AE has never been fun.

 

[Metztli]

I mean it looks cool but will there be more internal struggles and mechanics coming with the DLC ?

 

[CorpusIurisCivilis]

My question is, Can I emulate the Star League and have a gigantic Federation of Empires that put their trust in rulership and military force projection in me? Can I be the King of Kings in Space

 

[Skyfus]

Looks like someone went to the Amplitude school of expansion trailers.

Very, very happy to see subject stuff touched upon because it was feeling quite outdated. Regardless of new civics, it should also really spice up the Scion origin (which I haven't gotten round to trying yet). As a fan of starbases, I'm also quite hyped about more ways to defend what's mine.

Take your time with this one, I'm optimistic and excited.

 

[pmchem]

In the current game, when you vassalize an AI on a higher-than-default difficulty level, they lose their economic bonuses. This often leads to economic collapse of the vassal (maybe slightly helped by Offe's recent fixes). At the very least, the vassal is noncompetitive as an ally vs. the other AIs in the galaxy.

I hope Overlord handles this situation better, so that vassals are more useful.

 

[yarpus]

While I do understand that DLC is probably already agreed upon in regard of its content I really do hope that we will see some additional changes to diplomacy. Currently diplomacy is a very passive endevour. Sign a pact, call it a day. Also most of pacts are largely insignificant due to how low impact they are aside from defensive pacts. Commercial Pacts and Research Pacts could use some minor tuning to make them worthy. Possibly more "interactive".
As for example: Research Pacts could provide a discount for technologies that another empire already knows.
Another part that I hope will be addressed will be Corporations. Personally I wish they could be closer to Civ V Venice where they are actively discouraged from conquest so they could rely on subjects instead. But for some reason Subsidiaries are weaker than Tributaries.
Last but not least, I hope that vassals with retain their AI bonuses.

 

[Methone]

XENOPHILE - I say the whole galaxy must learn of our peaceful ways!

FANATIC MILTARIST - ... by force!

Can't wait to see it. Really intrigued by the Benevolent Overlord for my Honorbound Warrior bugs.