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Stellaris Dev Diary #286 - Fear and Archaeotechs in First Contact

Hello everyone! I am PDS_Iggy, and I’m here to tell you all about Fear of the Dark!

This new narrative origin for First Contact focuses on a people divided. After a planet in your solar system blew up, fear and xenophobia spread to such a degree that a large portion of your population decided to flee your homeworld. Their goal? To hide from the rest of the galaxy.


Incoming Transmission:​

You mean, “The sane individuals of our species took the only prudent action possible when being attacked by an alien force capable of destroying planets!
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This split in your population is reflected in the effects of the origin. With a sizable section of your empire living on a neighboring world, your research alternatives and choices for leaders are reduced. Yet, even more inquisitive than a regular empire, you will have no difficulty discovering more anomalies as you explore the void.

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No doubt you’ll return from your galavantings the next time we reach a breakthrough! Our scientific research is one of the few way we can even hope to delay you from dooming us all. Once you lead the aliens back to our home, it will all be over.

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Additionally,Fear of the Dark starts with quite a unique system, one that will have you starting with binary planets - your ‘cousins’ are living just a rocket jump away. (a Sol start will have them placed on Mars).

It will be up to you to make the best of this situation. Your partner planet can be a powerful ally, yet they are also very skittish. Ensure that they don’t torpedo your entrance on the galactic stage.

Perhaps you will stop treating the alien threat so lightly when our upcoming study of ‘the Divider’ is finished. Just you wait. We won’t be hunted.



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Whatever happens, remember that you are one people and you are stronger together. Oh, and your partner planet has cloaked ships.


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Now off to MrCosmogone and his wondrous archaeo-technologies for this patch's custodian update!



Did you ever think, as you pass by an old laser cannon in a glass case, that not everything belongs in a museum? That perhaps, the Irassian tractor beam could be used for your cause instead of gathering dust?

Well, so do I. And if you own Ancient Relics, I have good news!

Excavated dig sites will now sometimes generate minor artifact deposits that can be exploited by orbital stations, or by colonizing the planet.

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There could always be more trinkets to find!

Your income in minor artifacts can then be put to good use with the new archaeo-technologies that will unlock buildings, starbase modules and ship components, all costing minor artifacts to build.
There are several ways to acquire these archaeo-technologies. Completing the Secrets of the [PRECURSOR] special projects will now give you a research option to unlock some unique archaeo-components:
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The power of a precursor in the palm of your hand.

Several of our dig sites can now grant you access to one of the new technologies. This is a very reliable way of acquiring them.

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Get to work, Oxygal, I want this research on my desk by the end of the week!

All these new technologies are found in the society field, in an all new “Archaeostudies” category which is all about fitting ancient tech into your machines and weapons. Discovering these archaeo-technologies by yourself is a long and hard process, but luckily, you can be assisted by dedicated researchers who share your interest in ancient things.

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They largely just make old things go boom.

Should you decide to pick the Remnants origin that starts you on a relic world, you will now start the game with the Faculty of Archaeostudies unlocked and replacing your starting research lab.

And if this still does not quench your thirst for specialization in archaeo-technologies, if you still want to dig deeper, we even have a new ascension perk for you!

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For all you history lovers!



With increased minor artifact generation, the scale of the existing economy needed to be increased, but we also took this opportunity to now display artifacts in the topbar alongside the other strategic resources.

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Bigger numbers mean better game, right?

And while you still can’t buy them on the market, you can trade them to other empires!

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It belongs in MY museum!

I don’t really have the space here to show you ALL the things, but here, have a tease.

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Archaeotitan go brrrrrrrr

Oh and one last thing before we wrap things up. I might have made a Devolving Beam for colossi, to return those pesky humans from the UNE back to their origins:

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Return to Monke!

8rA6Cq62fXkJkMccZdGfylOhAhq4l0nX32rI_9cwX0vKVEqAAOUdct0_K4LlI7f4PN_nh695KKAzuHd7n2ek6iGXswUu9Bl-dZWll9tSXAD-pFuiFRuf9u2AkYC-AJwJ6eoKyqjhO5ruMoSOQhRAuaI

They’ll make good pets.
 
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I'm thinking devolve, colonize, uplift as a way of gaining a planet with all the pops, long and convoluted as it may be.
It seems like an efficient way to conquer organic planets as Rogue Servitors.

Normally your economy is likely not strong enough to sustain 80 extra bio-trophies, but using the devolving beam on the planets, and then only uplifting once your economy is ready for it, would be a good way to handle it.
 
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I am VERY interested in the Baol Organic Plant, I've been running an Agrarian Idyll/Catalytic Processing empire recently because I really enjoy the RP value and this seems like it'll make a wonderful addition.
Assuming it works on anglers/pearl divers in the same way that Agrarian Idyll does, it will make the economy explode. And pearl divers will be weird; they'll consume 3 food, but produce 2. With enough modifiers they'll become food-positive.
 
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If there are new technologies, will it come with the possibility of a archeotech megastructure or new megastructure tiers? An Ascension Perk is a big move that blocks out other options. We already have the Art Installation modified by Minor Relics, I can see other megastructures becoming enhanced through precursor technology.
 
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I think it'd be cool if Sol's Divider were the Moon instead of Venus.

The destruction of the Moon would freak out humans so much more than the destruction of Venus.
I agree that the Moon would freak out humans more, but the problem is the moon were destroyed it would probably cause earth to spiral outward from its current orbit, and then everyone on earth would freeze to death, would it not be so?
 
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It seems like an efficient way to conquer organic planets as Rogue Servitors.

Normally your economy is likely not strong enough to sustain 80 extra bio-trophies, but using the devolving beam on the planets, and then only uplifting once your economy is ready for it, would be a good way to handle it.
As a Rogue Servitor, I like the way you think.
 
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I’m really looking forward to the minor artifact changes, I felt it was always unbalanced that the Rubricator was the only way to use the MA edicts to their full benefit.

Are there any plans to make sectors/vassal releasing somewhat more customizable? Maybe like EU4 client states, and/or being able to switch systems between two valid sectors within range. Really any small change would make the vassalization aspect a lot more fun and less tedious.
 
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The ancient tech is going to make archeology feel a lot more expansive now. I'm really digging this concept.
Jokes aside, given that the minor artifact costs have been rebalanced, I assume The Rubricator is also going to be rebalanced to give more than 30 minor artifacts now?
 
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A thought - What happens to the Faculty of Archaeostudies once you turn your relic world into an Ecumonopolis? Does it still generate Minor Relics? Former Relic Worlds have a Former Relic World modifier that states that there are still ruins around to study.
 
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«I've seen things you people wouldn't believe... Attack ships on fire due to a lousy combat system off the shoulder of Orion... I watched FCR-redeemer glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain... Time to resist.»

The evil aliens hidden in their observatory behind the dark side of the moon, have infiltrated Paradox so that humanity never has a balanced and coherent fleet combat simulator, and most importantly, that it works.

Join the resistance, subscribe to hope, have it in your hands again the power of Stellaris, do not let your moments of glory be lost again as when you updated to 3.6.

Resist with FCR of these dark times, fight for a humanity with a Stellaris with a future.

(Without acrimony, simply doing dishonest commercial advertising against a rival product) :p
 
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With the new research building, since you're only allowed to have 1 per Empire, will it have upgrades alongside your normal research lab upgrades?

Also, do Relic worlds still lose their 8 researcher jobs after you turn it into a Ecumenopolis?

@kwheeler
I agree that the Moon would freak out humans more, but the problem is the moon were destroyed it would probably cause earth to spiral outward from its current orbit, and then everyone on earth would freeze to death, would it not be so?
Nah, the mass of the Moon would still be orbiting around Earth, impacts would bee a much bigger concern. And Earth outmasses it significantly anyway, we'd be affected, orbital wise, but not nearly that badly.
 
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Assuming it works on anglers/pearl divers in the same way that Agrarian Idyll does, it will make the economy explode. And pearl divers will be weird; they'll consume 3 food, but produce 2. With enough modifiers they'll become food-positive.
The modifiers shown should only affect "farmer jobs". Pearl divers are considered an "artisan job", so they shouldn't benefit from it at all. Anglers should though.
 
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I see in the screenshot that digsite stages still seem to give the same 1-10ish minor artifacts they do now. Will this be readjusted for the higher costs/production of artifacts (along with the rubricator, remnants blockers, the Merchants of Numa trade deal, and the various anomalies that give an artifact)?
 
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On the other hand, I am very amazed by the advances that you give of the new DLC, I will buy it without a doubt.

Thank you for your arduous work for keeping our favorite Stellaris game at the top.
 
And if this still does not quench your thirst for specialization in archaeo-technologies, if you still want to dig deeper, we even have a new ascension perk for you!

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For all you history lovers!
How far does this Ascension Perk go? It reminds me of a number of other mods that use precursors as a base (i.e. Cache of Ancient Technologies, Zenith, etc.). Would we be able to reverse engineer Fallen Empire ships as well with this? Like the White Stars of Babylon 5, Magnatars of the Expanse, and other sci-fi reverse-engineering of ancient technologies?

Will this perk have some sort of interactions with Fallen Empires? Considering their Awakening background is them going back to get their ancient caches of technology as a civic.
 
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I agree that the Moon would freak out humans more, but the problem is the moon were destroyed it would probably cause earth to spiral outward from its current orbit, and then everyone on earth would freeze to death, would it not be so?

I'm no astronomancer, but I'm pretty sure that's not how that works. It would be damned awful, the debris and tidal effects would be literally apocalyptic, but my laymans understanding of orbital mechanics tells me the only way the earth will spiral outward is if something accelerates the earth-moon system in precisely the right direction. Any astrologers in the audience please feel free to correct me.
 
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So - fear of the dark. Does it introduce a split system ownership mechanic? So if normal primitives reach space they dont instantly die anymore, once u decline their demand to hand over the starbase? And the Ketlings will finally spawn more often, as their systems not necessarily need to have be unclaimed anymore?
 
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Would it be possible to research precursor tech even if you get beaten to their homeworld?

Like, at the moment it's almost a total waste of time to invest in their event chains if someone happens to get to, say, Fen Habbanis or Irassia first. A nice consolation prize might be the ability to still reverse engineer some of their lesser archaeotech, assuming you followed the event chain as far as "we've discovered the location of their homeworld."
 
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