Stellaris Dev Diary #95: Humanoids Species Pack

[Bluegrass Geek]

FTL travel invoke actually anything beyond natural. Some theory exist but are just extrapolation from curent physic theory.
Like i said before don't mix Common space opera with Science fiction.
Science fiction is based often on current knowledge but add some fictionnal element ( magical or physic ).

Don't tell everyone else what counts as SF.

 

[StJimmyRocks92]

I mean, like, argueably one of the biggest scifi franchises out there centres around (often a bit too much, if you ask me) magic space samurai with laser swords.

Just a warning, if you call Star Wars science fiction on the internet you better prepare for someone to get very angry and go “AKSCHULLY, IT’S FANTASY IN A SPACE SETTING”

 

[PalmettoExplorer14]

@Wiz do you plan on adding powered armor outfits for the different species? I remember that you and @cKnoor thought about it and suggested that later on you might add powered armors to the portraits.

 

[naovar]

Don't tell everyone else what counts as SF.

Did I ?
No i point just SF as not real limit except your immagination ...

I think some Asimov short stories have mind powers in them, and the entire premise of Stranger in a Strange Land was, if I recall correctly, 'if you have enough sex, you get magic powers'.

Are you going to go ahead a tell me Asimov or Heinlein aren't science fiction enough for you?

With your bare faces hanging out?

No?

Didn't think so.

The Mule in Fondation cycle is one of the greatest ennemy of the Seldon Plan. He have mind control ability ...

 

[Fade2Gray]

I see that Space Orks are included. Now I can truly satisfy my desire for WWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHH!!! in Stellaris.

 

[TheAtreides84]

Yep. Uninspired for the most part: rubberhead humanoids, or copy/pasted earth animals. We only have a few that are a little bit more creative than the others. Stellaris was supposed to be "the mysteries of the unknown" and what do we found? An animal zoo and rubberhead humanoids... You speak about mysteries, aliens and unknown lifeforms! By the way what's the game you are speaking about? I'm quite interested to see the design of the species you talk about.

I think both Endless Space games displayed some interesting ideas., with amoeboid and biomechanic aliens. Apart from the minor races, which are mostly in same mold of Stellaris.

 

[Tim_Ward]

The Mule in Fondation cycle is one of the greatest ennemy of the Seldon Plan. He have mind control ability ...

So did the Second Foundation, though Asimov had a quasi-naturalistic explanation for their abilities which amount to just being very good at manipulating people with body language, I can't remember if the Mule/the Gaians worked on the same basis.

I do remember that the entire thing was legit more handwavey than psykers in 40k though.

 

[Tavior]

Or the one I have as my profile pic.


I don't know my big problem with the current portraits is that 50% of them seems to have 4 or more eyes.There is a as far as I can tell little reason for more than two eyes, once you have two you have depth perception.

The prize for having the most number of eyes might belong to the chiton, a type of marine mollusk that can have up to 1000 eyes!

Source: https://www.quora.com/What-animal-has-the-largest-number-of-eyes

Sorry I just had to burst your bubble.

Although it is pretty cool in that it is made of the same stuff as it's shell and only can see up 6.5 feet away at the most. So it might make some "evolution" sense to have many back up in case you lose some armor/eye.

 

[ashbery76]

close to half of games started is with some variant of humanoid

How many started with plain old human? I am betting most.I think humans like playing humans but still want alien looking alien to eat,enslave etc,

 

[Seb_Jean]

I think both Endless Space games displayed some interesting ideas.

Most species in Endless Space, except Amoebas and Harmony, are variants of humanoids species or machines. It's not that different from Stellaris.

 

[Anynos]

Sold!
I wasn't expecting whole pack of portraits, but I'm more than happy to see ships very similiar to this of star wars (which designs i love ). Also it's nice to see that you're listening to player's criticism and suggestions. @Wiz may I ask on which sci-fi universes you were basing when designing humanoid shipset?

 

[Kreliann]

What exactly would be your definition of 'supernatural' in a sci-fi game? Because 'looks like it could be in a fantasy universe' is certainly not a good one.

any advanced enough technology is indistinguishable from magic
-CLARKE

 

[paul8111]

wow nice... new ship models are really needed
would be fantastic, if a future ship designer would allow us to design our own unique ships, so there would be no two same ship hulls in a game

 

[Strager]

I approve. Hopefully we see a lot more of these packs in the future.

 

[Papiermacher]

The pack looks very nice and I like more humanoids in the game. I find it very telling and interesting that more than half of all games start with one of the already existing humanoid species. @Wiz can you provide some more statistical data about this? A ranking from the most to the least popular species?

I would guess that such a list starts with actual humans, followed by "Klingons/Cardassians" and "Vulkans", and then a very broad field of cuties and cockroaches. In my early games I sometimes confused the Empires. Psychologically it is harder to remember a plant without a face than an anthropomorphised reptilian. Would be great to know how it is!

 

[bmt17]

Just a warning, if you call Star Wars science fiction on the internet you better prepare for someone to get very angry and go “AKSCHULLY, IT’S FANTASY IN A SPACE SETTING”

Say what you will about Star Wars, I never really saw the appeal myself but at least their ship designs are mostly reasonably practical looking instead of looking like giant flowers like you see in a lot of scifi.

 

[TheDungen]

Source: https://www.quora.com/What-animal-has-the-largest-number-of-eyes

Sorry I just had to burst your bubble.

Although it is pretty cool in that it is made of the same stuff as it's shell and only can see up 6.5 feet away at the most. So it might make some "evolution" sense to have many back up in case you lose some armor/eye.

You do realize insect eyes are different than our eyes right? They wouldn't function if they weren't the way they are. And they still generally come in two clusters for exactly the depth perception reason, like in the case of flies.
That creature has eyes all over it's body I am talking about having two sets of eyes in a face on a head which can turn, there is no reason to have that, the extra pair is redundant.

 

[Wonazer]

> ...close to half of games started is with some variant of humanoid.

Ok, data is beautiful and you must share more!

What other data are you collecting on our habits?

 

[TheAtreides84]

Most species in Endless Space, except Amoebas and Harmony, are variants of humanoids species or machines. It's not that different from Stellaris.

 

[DaStormDragon]

Don't let me start on this, but working scientists have been polled multiple times about the likelihood of psionics and never more than 10% rated it as impossible, with at least 1 in 4 judging it likely (these are the most skeptical results recorded)

(https://books.google.it/books?id=ouqAuOwpamIC&pg=PA218&lpg=PA218&dq=poll+scientist+esp+likely+possibility&source=bl&ots=6yom5dgOos&sig=soOjJ8GLi6YBJkxdf6kZ64TvFek&hl=it&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiLr7qeodXXAhWRb1AKHUWHBs4Q6AEIQDAE#v=onepage&q=poll scientist esp likely possibility&f=false)

Meanwhile FTL travel is actually in open contrast with current physics. If you would base the game on the likelihood of something being real, esp would come way before warp.

Except Warp Drive, the problem is just the amount of energy needed
Also wormholes are allowed by our best understanding of the laws of physics, just we have no idea how they would be generated


Moving on from FTL plausibility, would get the pack for just space dwarves and the voice packs (disciplined soldier, friendly british, pissed-off atheist (me))