Stellaris Dev Diary #282 - Announcing First Contact

[TheGrinningMan]

Calling it now: Minamar Specialized Industries will be a fixed factor, but not a full civilization. They'll be an enclave like the Shroud-Touched Coven. More aggressive, though: they'll hold territory like the Marauders and Caravaneers, and send ships beyond those borders, possibly sparking diplomatic tension or haggling if a target for "enlightenment" is in a civilization's borders. They'll be specialized in buying and selling slaves, as well as likely some stuff involving primitives. They'll be tough, as all enclaves are, but they won't expand, so an empire in the late midgame will be able to take their vengeance. The new ships we're seeing will simply be their custom ships, akin to how Fallen Empires and Caravaneers get ships that don't follow the modular structure of playable empire ships.

There might be a risk of them being a new midgame threat, shaking off their enclave status and going full Khanate.

 

[NilsFabian]

Why? How? It's the randomness that kills immersion. The fact that Commander Shephard was Commander Shephard is what gave Mass Effect immersion.

I wish there was more randomness in my playthroughs all my neighbors are xenophobic and/or militarists... Talk about being boxed in and under threat

 

[Spaceman78]

On the one hand I'm excited about cloaking. On the other hand, looking the past at how intel and espionage were implemented, I'm a bit careful. Let's us see where this goes.

 

[Calvax]

Calling it now: Minamar Specialized Industries will be a fixed factor, but not a full civilization. They'll be an enclave like the Shroud-Touched Coven. More aggressive, though: they'll hold territory like the Marauders and Caravaneers, and send ships beyond those borders, possibly sparking diplomatic tension or haggling if a target for "enlightenment" is in a civilization's borders. They'll be specialized in buying and selling slaves, as well as likely some stuff involving primitives. They'll be tough, as all enclaves are, but they won't expand, so an empire in the late midgame will be able to take their vengeance. The new ships we're seeing will simply be their custom ships, akin to how Fallen Empires and Caravaneers get ships that don't follow the modular structure of playable empire ships.

There might be a risk of them being a new midgame threat, shaking off their enclave status and going full Khanate.

I did notice that the ship that seems to act as an observation station seems suspiciously large, like it's a mobile enclave or something. I'm intrigued to learn more, but whatever they are I hope there are some interesting and varied interactions if you don't play with the origins. E.g. can they spawn in a regular game and you trade with them for the primitives in your borders, or defend your primitives against them etc.

 

[ashbery76]

Stealth is good if the A.I understands how to use it or it's just another player exploit.

 

[MK1980]

Cloaking sounds interesting, especially if it's not just strategic map invsibility but also tactical.

Torpedo boats becoming basically submarines for example. Could give a late game niche to that hull type.

 

[FleetMaster]

Cloaking sounds interesting, especially if it's not just strategic map invsibility but also tactical.

Torpedo boats becoming basically submarines for example. Could give a late game niche to that hull type.

Give Me a Ping, Vasili. One Ping Only.

I wonder if cloaking devices will use up more energy for ships and make players think more about their ship layouts. Firepower vs Stealth.

 

[NilsFabian]

Wonder how the cloaking is going to work. Like Star Trek. If cloaked you can't attack if uncloaking you are vulnerable...

Also I forsee the usual double techks, Cloaking +1, Detection+1 maybe with some expansion due to ascensions?

 

[Knotz]

Ie the cloaking related to ships or planets though? Cuz I feel like planets would be a natural pick for a pack about first contact (and hiding from the horrors lurking in space).

 

[Electricfox]

I hope there's cloaking on ships!

 

[G S Palmer]

I hope there's cloaking on ships!

If you look on the Steam page you can see a picture of a partially invisible ship.

 

[Rafss]

Also I forsee the usual double techks, Cloaking +1, Detection+1 maybe with some expansion due to ascensions?

If you tie that to encryption/decryption techs, these would be much less useless! And a little more incentive to take the also useless subterfuge tradition

 

[NilsFabian]

If you tie that to encryption/decryption techs, these would be much less useless! And a little more incentive to take the also useless subterfuge tradition

Wouldn't this be too easy? Using the en- and decryption tech for cloaking as well?
It could be that there would be no need for detection tech, this could be tied into the sensor tech for detecting cloaked ships, coupled with a special cloaking tech.
Add in some extra starbase modules for extra detection bonus

 

[A2ch0n]

If you tie that to encryption/decryption techs, these would be much less useless! And a little more incentive to take the also useless subterfuge tradition

Wouldn't this be too easy? Using the en- and decryption tech for cloaking as well?
It could be that there would be no need for detection tech, this could be tied into the sensor tech for detecting cloaked ships, coupled with a special cloaking tech.
Add in some extra starbase modules for extra detection bonus

I find the idea of using codebreaking/encryption for cloaking/detect really good! An empire with a focus on espionage and secrecy will naturally have a better cloaking tech (and detection) than those without. In exchange could any upgraded starbase have a passive detection based on the empires codebreaking (if a certain sensor tech like tachyon sensors is researched) even without a additional module.

And each ship with a cloaking device has cloaking on a level similar to encryption but need in addition a certain module with high energy cost. But i admit that i really hope that cloaking is not simply a tech, but a ascension perk or a civic that unlock it. If every empire had that tech it would feel wrong in my opinion.

My primary wish would still cloaked espionage ships with fitting sabotage capabilitys against fleets, planets and megastructures, similar to a science ship doing a research or archeology (with less time, depending on targets strengths). I'm curious for the next DD. Maybe we get some informations.

 

[Harkinian's Dinner]

Ideal way for cloaking mechanic to function in my opinion:

-You can build a late-game megastructure that cloaks the entire system it's in, the same way nebulae work, except it also works against the sensor array.

-You can attach a cloaking auxiliary component on ships, which draws an obscene amount of power - balanced so that a corvette with the component won't be able to have weapons or shields at all unless you have dark matter power, while larger ships have to forgo most of their weaponry and shields.

-This should have the effect of making cloaking mostly a defensive, scouting and precision strike tool, avoiding the potential pitfall of powerful fleets suddenly appearing out of nowhere to mess you up, which would not be fun. You can hide your doomstack from other players, but only when it's sitting in the specific system you built the megastructure in. If you want to use a cloaked fleet as your main fleet, you'll need absolutely overwhelming superiority over the opponent to the point where you'd be better off just building a regular doomstack and curbstomping them.

 

[tanny]

I presume Minamar specialized industries is a new, likely megacorp, likely fallen empire.

 

[NilsFabian]

I find the idea of using codebreaking/encryption for cloaking/detect really good! An empire with a focus on espionage and secrecy will naturally have a better cloaking tech (and detection) than those without. In exchange could any upgraded starbase have a passive detection based on the empires codebreaking (if a certain sensor tech like tachyon sensors is researched) even without a additional module.

And each ship with a cloaking device has cloaking on a level similar to encryption but need in addition a certain module with high energy cost. But i admit that i really hope that cloaking is not simply a tech, but a ascension perk or a civic that unlock it. If every empire had that tech it would feel wrong in my opinion.

My primary wish would still cloaked espionage ships with fitting sabotage capabilitys against fleets, planets and megastructures, similar to a science ship doing a research or archeology (with less time, depending on targets strengths). I'm curious for the next DD. Maybe we get some informations.

I can see your logic of tying the Cloaking into the en- / decryption mechanic, but I'd like to offer two opposing arguments.

1) Using the encryption tech as a measurement for cloaking offends my inner Monk. Encryption is something I do with my computer not your sensors. (A bit weak I know but still)
2) Cloaking is not just for espionage, I hope that the cloaking level would also tie into primitive mechanics as implied into the trailer. While it might be enough to paint your observation post black while observing Stone Age primitives, you need more than that to hide your space infrastructure and your colony on Trappist IV in order to hide your presence from the prying eyes of the early space faring primitives on Trappist III.

So yes I am more in favor for a distinct tech path for cloaking apart from the other espionage techs.
Having said that, I love your idea to use the cloaked ships to wreck direct heavoc behind enemy lines. Although I fear that this wouldn't fly and we will probably see an expansion on the espionage front for this kind of fun.

-You can attach a cloaking auxiliary component on ships, which draws an obscene amount of power - balanced so that a corvette with the component won't be able to have weapons or shields at all unless you have dark matter power, while larger ships have to forgo most of their weaponry and shields.

I like that idea, but rather going for an auxiliary component, go for complete section. So if you want your corvettes to be cloaked, Use the cloaking section layout. One slot for the active cloaking device and the other slot for a single small weapon.

 

[Koopatin]

clocking will be science ships only so we never again have to stop exploring. even in enemy territory! let me ruin enemy territory with bad events!

 

[kwheeler]

I hope cloaking means increased tactics and not just scouts. Scouts would defeat the point of Espionnage almost entirely.

Or end up being an enhancement to espionage. Say, there might be some new agents that especially effective, but you have to arrange to transport them into orbit of a particular world to get their extra-special new effectiveness.

Also, if cloaked scouts could do things like be assigned to "follow" particular enemy fleets--with a percent chance of being discovered and fired upon each month they do so, it might let you keep an eye on particular fleet movements, for instance.

 

[kwheeler]

clocking will be science ships only so we never again have to stop exploring. even in enemy territory! let me ruin enemy territory with bad events!

That's what I'd like to see too. At some point in the midgame, you develop the ability for science ships to cloak, and that gives them a new combat role once everything in the Galaxy has been explored.