Stellaris Dev Diary #349 - A Storm is Brewing: Announcing Cosmic Storms

[Getty]

This isn't super riveting, but could be interesting. I hope the storms are frequent enough (and powerful enough) to have meaningful gameplay.

Quite frankly I'd rather have some more "global" features added to the game and refinement of the game loop than have another astral threads gimmick to deal with. (even though Astral Threads turned out to be substantially better than I expected).

This might be a sort of Galactic Paragons "lite'", and I am fine with that.

 

[HFY]

I hope the storms are slow-moving enough that they become a kind of galactic terrain for war strategies.

 

[Thiend]

It takes the smallest amount to of effort to get regeneration on armor or hull. I can't remember a game where I did not have one or the other.

So shields have inherent regeneration means nothing when armor or hull can get it with relative ease.

It takes almost no effort to get some at all, but it's literally impossible by any means to get even close to as much.

I'm not opposed to more things penalizing armor to contrast with those that penalize shields (and there may be some here, we don't know yet) but shields regenerate to full almost immediately from depleted and armor/hull regenerate to full... eventually? It helps, but it's a lot less regeneration than you might think, especially compared to shields.

I'm most interested by the gameplay implications of weaponized storms to potentially help defensive gameplay, although we'll see how it is in practice.

 

[Foxosaur]

Will there be new premade empires as part of this dlc?

 

[Anaximatter]

It would be an horrendous missed opportunity if you didn't have an event for media conglomerate megacorps during one of these storms, where their in the field (astro-?)meteorologist gets blown away.

Looks great, looking forward to it.

 

[Dsingis]

I'm not gonna lie, this, together with the tooltip you've shown, sounds like a royal pain in the bum to keep track off. Not only do I have to keep looking at what planet has what weather effect now and for how long, some of these are straight up an annoyance, like the +devastation thing you showed. Based on purely what you've shown and said so far, this sounds like "annoying micro - the expansion".

 

[mrt1212]

Oh look, yet another mechanic in the game to make shields an inferior pick than armor. Stellaris is sci fi. Why aren't there Nebulae that neef armor. Or zroni armcrackers that nerf armor.

Before, it was reasonable that every messes with shields because shields regenerated. But now that armor and hull can regenerate just as easily, everything still messes with shields. There is one ONE system in the game that I know of, that messes with armor. It's so unfair.

Just as easily, when though? The early game where you don't really have armor and hull regen by leader or an ameoba carcass would be pretty weird and brutal if we got storms targeting Hull or Armor, at least until we figured out you don't want to be anywhere near a pulsar in a storm for being completely naked by the pulsar and storm.

 

[Sete]

Anything to avoid reworking ground combat.

 

[Troyen]

Can I still buy Season 8 Expansion Pass?
I don't see option for this on steam.

You're right. For some reason on Steam (NA at least), the Season 8 Expansion Pack looks unavailable for purchase, which is different than other Paradox season passes.

However, I think it's available on Paradox's store directly ($40) and that comes with a Steam key: https://www.paradoxinteractive.com/games/stellaris/add-ons/stellaris-season-08

 

[Holiness]

It takes almost no effort to get some at all, but it's literally impossible by any means to get even close to as much.

Sure. But shields have so many things working against them it's stupid. Nebula, stars, Starbase upgrades, and events all just randomly will screew over a shield base fleet.

I never made an armor based fleet and had to go, I guess I won't attack that system because of the 'terrain' or Starbase upgrades.

 

[DarkSafire]

All I saw was space cat, rest is inconsequential.

 

[mrt1212]

I'm not gonna lie, this, together with the tooltip you've shown, sounds like a royal pain in the bum to keep track off. Not only do I have to keep looking at what planet has what weather effect now and for how long, some of these are straight up an annoyance, like the +devastation thing you showed. Based on purely what you've shown and said so far, this sounds like "annoying micro - the expansion".

Hehehehe, but that's the Stellaris UI to its core, a new DLC mangled by the UI is the most reliable storm in existence.

 

[mrt1212]

It takes almost no effort to get some at all, but it's literally impossible by any means to get even close to as much.

I'm not opposed to more things penalizing armor to contrast with those that penalize shields (and there may be some here, we don't know yet) but shields regenerate to full almost immediately from depleted and armor/hull regenerate to full... eventually? It helps, but it's a lot less regeneration than you might think, especially compared to shields.

I'm most interested by the gameplay implications of weaponized storms to potentially help defensive gameplay, although we'll see how it is in practice.

Other side of the coin on opportunities. I already am stoked to try out a Pirate Haven variant that rides around in the storms around the galaxy for raiding purposes. If the Storm Devotion Civic can be taken after start, I am absolutely going for it no matter what the hell it does so I can be a stormriding pirate, absolutely 100%

 

[Cleaving3]

Secret change: the instant you declare war, a storm will start in the most inconvenient location possible

 

[Idle America]

Cosmic storms? What's next, cosmic diseases?

Hint, hint?

Maybe the possibility of bio-weapons spiraling out of control?

Hint, hint?

Maybe a new Crisis type that isn't an invading enemy, but the Black Death or Spanish Flu on a galactic level?

Hint, hint?

All jokes (HINT, HINT?) aside, I am once again well and truly psyched for what you guys are cooking up! Any chance of some new space shanties for sailing the stormy stars?

 

[mrt1212]

Cosmic storms? What's next, cosmic diseases?

Hint, hint?

Maybe the possibility of bio-weapons spiraling out of control?

Hint, hint?

Maybe a new Crisis type that isn't an invading enemy, but the Black Death or Spanish Flu on a galactic level?

Hint, hint?

All jokes (HINT, HINT?) aside, I am once again well and truly psyched for what you guys are cooking up! Any chance of some new space shanties for sailing the stormy stars?

Shhhhh, shhhhh, you're going to make me reveal my wanton desire for Message in a Bottle to be an archeological chain where you find 4 sites total that creates a Pirate Relic through the different songs you find, and gives a Pirate Doctrine in policies upon completion, shhhhh!

(the Pirate Relic points you towards arcane and mystical booty once every 10 years to get with the Raid CB because the Raid CB has junk direct rewards despite being very good on the whole, the Pirate Doctrine lets you ignore your own branch offices for declaring war and saddles you with an even worse Criminal Syndicate Malus than you start with cause that's tricky BS. Yes, I am making shit up to suit myself, IM RIDING THE STORM BABY. Also it creates a gameplay loop for Archaeoengineers with Minor Artifacts where the booty will largely be those which can then be applied to your ships to go get more and more Minor Artifacts with the Pirate Relic telling you where the cache is)

 

[Faron235]

A few questions: First, is it possible to completely isolate yourself from the entire galaxy by creating storms?
Second, after the storm is over, will it be possible to re-explore the system in which it occurred to search for anomalies?
(I apologize for any errors in the text as I am using a translator).

 

[Thiend]

Other side of the coin on opportunities. I already am stoked to try out a Pirate Haven variant that rides around in the storms around the galaxy for raiding purposes. If the Storm Devotion Civic can be taken after start, I am absolutely going for it no matter what the hell it does so I can be a stormriding pirate, absolutely 100%

Hey, just because my first thought is defensive storm use turning my territory into an untraversable hellscape... doesn't mean my second isn't shrouding my offense in one too.

I did not realize influence over what the storms would be doing (to at least some degree, extent to be seen) was on the table, and that alone has turned this from "whatever, I want the season pass so I'll take it" to "ooh, shiny!"

 

[LeandroB]

Don't want to be a downer, but is this really content to be in a DLC? Compared to the last one this one seens really lack luster.

 

[Thiend]

Don't want to be a downer, but is this really content to be in a DLC? Compared to the last one this one seens really lack luster.

Considering it's roughly 50% the price, that kinda makes sense.

Looks pretty good, but it absolutely is less, and it's priced for being less.