Stellaris News

Stellaris Dev Diary #352 - 3.13 'Vela' Improvements & Preliminary Release Notes

by Eladrin

Hello everyone!

The Cosmic Storms Mechanical Expansion is nearly here, so today we’ve got preliminary release notes and some of the Custodian changes.

Cosmic Storms is going to be released next Tuesday, on September 10th.
[h3]Changes to Planetary Resource Deposits[/h3]
As part of the Custodian changes in 3.13 ‘Vela’, we’ve made some changes to how some planetary deposits for rare resources are handled.

The deposits that previously gave access to Crystal Mines, Gas Extraction Wells and Mote Harvesting Traps buildings, now instead increase the number of mining districts available on the planet and, after researching the technology to extract the relevant resource, add a small amount of resource production to miners on that planet.

Additionally, we’ve buffed the Betharian Power Plant to increase the energy produced by Technician Jobs.

[h3]Penal Colonies & Thrall Worlds[/h3]
Much like how Resort Worlds were updated earlier this year, we have taken the time to revisit both Penal Colonies and Thrall worlds.

Penal Colonies now both reduce crime across your empire while giving access to unique Prison Industrial Districts. These allow you to employ worker strata pops to produce alloys and consumer goods.

Thrall Worlds on the other hand have taken inspiration from the countless examples across science fiction of elite battle thrall armies and give access to the Battle Thrall District. Armies trained on a Thrall World will start with additional XP and Battle Thrall jobs will increase the damage your armies do.

[h3]Preliminary Release Notes[/h3]
And now, on to the release notes.

[h3]Cosmic Storms Expansion Features[/h3]

Eight dynamic new storm types:
- Electric, Particle, Gravity, Magnetic, Radiant, Stardust, Shroud, and Nexus storms
New Origin: Storm Chasers
Three new Civics
- Astrometeorology
- Planetscapers
- Storm Devotion
New Ascension Perk: Galactic Weather Control
Weather Forecast Map Mode
Two new Precursors
- The adAkkaria Convention of Benevolence
- The Inetian Traders
New Technologies and Buildings
New Planetary Deposits, Modifiers and Anomalies following Storm Aftermaths
New GalCom Resolutions and Edicts
New Events and Anomalies

[h3]3.13.0 Patch[/h3]
Improvements

Update to Thrall Worlds, adding two new slave-focused districts, Battle Thrall Jobs, and improvements to tooltips and theme
Update to Prison Worlds - adding two new penal-focused districts, five new jobs, and improvements to tooltips and theme
Xenophobe ethics now swaps to providing pop assembly when appropriate
The location of empire-scope special projects will move to the new capital if the empire’s capital changes
Gestalt Empires are now allowed to decide on their land appropriation policy, and are no longer forced to populate every planet
Corvee System now gives -15% resettlement cost for Individualist Machines
Standardized volume of all advisor VO lines
War allies will be able to use wormholes, hyper relays, and gateways in each other's territory even if their borders are closed
Removed the galaxy-wide Space Storm introduced in 2.7 “Wells”

Updated the megastructure selection UI
- Improved tooltips in the megastructure selection UI
- When selecting a location for Arc Furnace stage 1, the tooltip shows the number of deposit sites in the system
- When selecting a location for a Habitat Central Complex, the tooltip shows orbital capacities in the system
- Fixed tooltip not showing when selecting a location to build a megastructure
Map icons in galaxy and system view no longer truncate the resource amount when between 0 and 1
The tooltip that mentions if a civic is locked is now red instead of orange
Enabled mouse scrolling in the research completed window
Extended the minimum width of the "Veteran Level Reached!" window in case too few options are available to choose from
Fixed some overlapping UI in the Empire Creation screens
Fixed position of "Cross-platform play" checkbox on MS Store
Updated the Map Modes UI
- The Players map mode is no longer available when observing in singleplayer
- The Players and Trade Routes map mode buttons are now disabled instead of hidden when they're unavailable
- Fixed Players mapmode not graying out AI empires in some cases
- The Unions map mode is now a regular map mode instead of a toggle

Bugfix

Fixed the placeholder icon for the diplomatic message to request to join the galactic imperium
Made AI capable of building planetary shields
The Chthonian Planet, Extensive Moon System and Carbon World modifiers will now only add their mineral deposits to the planet the first time they are surveyed instead of every time they are surveyed
Corrected tooltip and loyalty effects for the Ministry of Acquisition
Individualistic Machine empires should no longer get an event intended for Organics
Fixed the Nanite Intercessor being present in ship previews in the empire creator
Fixed cyberpunk advisor lines for council agenda ready and council agenda available notifications
Fixed fleets' cloaking strength sometimes not updating when ships' cloaking strength changes due to modifiers
Fixed juggernauts not showing the fleet bombardment button
Election auto pausing and unpausing now functions like other event pop ups
Removed the double modifiers for Defense platforms from Ancient Shield Overcharger
Removed serviles from the can_think trigger due to unintended knock on effects
If an arc furnace is built around a potential Contingency Hub, when the planet becomes their hub, the arc furnace is correctly destroyed
Fixed uncovered deposits not being removed when an arc furnace is destroyed
Colossus special project will reward the original country that started the project instead of the current planet owner
Leaders who are researching an anomaly or project or on cooldown can be assigned to the council
Roccan Resistance and Free Peoples of the Fall genders changed from indeterminate to default
The species of planetary defense armies will get updated after species modification
AI empires will select ethics required by their origin
All starbase types now explode when destroyed instead of blinking out of existence
Fixed numerous instances, such as when establishing an embassy, where the game would load the countries home planet instead of their capital
Game should no longer crash when an empire you had a trade deal with is destroyed during a war
Various Out Of Sync fixes
War allies will be able to use each wormholes in each other's territory even if their borders are closed

Modding

Implemented "on_storm_encountered" on_action when a country is affected for the first time by a new storm
Added on_storm_entered_system on-action
Added on_storm_left_system on-action, for when a cosmic storm has left a solar system
Added support for generate_random_name = yes to the spawn_planet effect
Refactored Arcology industrial districts into Inline Scripts
Replaced all "has_authority" checks with scripted triggers making it easier to add new authorities
Added the awakening_not_allowed country flag that blocks fallen empires from awakening
Added the keep_deposit_on_terraform deposit flag to make sure deposits don't go missing when you terraform
Added "visible" trigger to map modes
Added "tutorial" member to map modes
Added is_infertile trigger
Added support for displaying comma and period as hotkeys in button tooltips
Added planet_crime_floor_add modifier that sets a minimum level of crime on a planet
Added fail trigger for special projects + documentation
Added 'mod_name_affix' to create_species effect
Added num_asteroid_belts trigger to check the number of asteroids in a system
Added game rules for founder_species_uses_growth_speed, founder_species_uses_organic_assembly and founder_species_uses_assembly
Added game rule to force visibility on fleets for a specific system

[h3]Next Week[/h3]
With the release planned for next Tuesday, our next expected dev diary will be on September 19th.

See you then!

Pre-purchase Stellaris: Cosmic Storms alone or with a discount as part of Stellaris: Season 08!

Stellaris Dev Diary #351 - Storm Chaser Origin, Civics, and Precursors

by Eladrin

Hi everyone,

Today, we’ll review the Origin and Civics of the Cosmic Storms Mechanical Expansion and provide some information about the new Precursors (without spoiling everything!)

Cosmic Storms is going to be released on September 10th.

Passing it over to @PDX_Ferry and @Gruntsatwork to take over from here.

[h3]Storm Chasers[/h3]
Don’t make unnecessary journeys, don’t take risks on treacherous roads, and don’t swim in the sea! This is PDX_Ferry, braving the winds to deliver you a report on the new "Storm Chasers" Origin. For those who thrive on danger and yearn for the thrill of the unknown, this Origin was designed with you in mind.

Start your game as a civilization that has always sought out the extremes. Born on a world ravaged by relentless storms, the Storm Chasers are daredevils and thrill seekers who push themselves to the limits and beyond. They’ve grown strong and daring, turning their chaotic environment into a crucible of innovation and tenacity. But when every storm has been weathered, and every mountain has been climbed, where does an enterprising thrill-seeker turn next? The answer, of course, is the stars.

The screenshot above was taken from the new pre-scripted empire Yatunan Radicals, which starts with the Origin and a couple of storm-related Civics. While not driven to outmatch others in acts of bravery, hive minds, and machine intelligences may also want to test themselves with this Origin.

From the very beginning, your empire will be propelled into the thick of the DLC’s content, facing down cosmic phenomena that would make even the most seasoned explorers hesitate. Yet, with great risk comes the potential for great reward.

This Origin is designed to quickly get you into the think of the DLC's action. At game start, your Empire is thrown into the Stormfall situation:

With early access to storm manipulation technology and by starting in a system with unique conditions to kickstart a storm, the Storm Chasers have the first opportunity to unleash a storm. From there, the Origin's storyline includes a gauntlet of Challenges, and the chance to summon "the Big One." What's left of your civilization in the aftermath rests entirely in your hands (or tentacles!)

So be warned – this is not a path for the faint-hearted. The thrills your people have chased for centuries pale in comparison to the cosmic tempests that await you in the void. Will you harness these forces and lead your empire to greatness, or will you burn out in a blaze of glory? The choice, as always, is yours.
Do You Know What Happens to a Blorg When It’s Hit by Lightning?
Hello there xeno-freshmen, could we interest you in Astrometeorology 101?

As the first of the three new civics coming in Cosmic Storms, Astrometeorology focuses on the science behind the storms. It grants you a new building, the Astrometeorology Observatory, which in turn gives you Astrometeorologist jobs.

You can build one of those fine institutes per planet and their jobs are similar enough to normal researchers with a slight focus on physics. However, their true potential shows itself only when the Observatory can behold a storm from up close.

In addition, the council position further boosts the job output by up to 20%.

What, you prefer something more societal? Maybe have a look at our second new civic then.

The spiritualistic mirror to Astrometeorology, Storm Devotion gives you access to the Storm Summoning Theater, with its Storm Dancer jobs.

In addition, those devoted to Storms also bear this mark as a new species trait called “Storm Touched”, which further boost all pops while inside of a storm. As if that weren’t enough, the Council Position for Storm Devotion reduces the upkeep of all Storm Buildings.

Storms this, Storms that, is there anything for people who’d rather not see the word Storm plastered over all of their buildings?

Absolutely, let’s talk about Planetscapers.

Planetscapers are the complete opposite of Environmentalists. They want every planetary blocker gone, natural accidents have no place in their carefully planned garden utopias.

You yearn to make all these rugged, overgrown planets into something beautiful and pristine. For some, Mastery of Nature is enough, but your need requires something more drastic, something more impressive.

As you expand, every world with natural blockers that you colonize will allow you to quickly unlock more ways to remove those eyesores.
[h3]IT IS A CELEBRATION | PAIN | RAGE | GRIEF | FEAR[/h3]
You get a Precursor and you get a precursor, everyone gets a precursor!

We have two new Precursors for you all to experience.

The adAkkaria Convention of Benevolence and The Inetian Traders, both steeped in Storm Lore, with several archaeology sites and special projects to progress through as you uncover their secrets, diggin’ deeper into what sorts of empires would meddle with storms so devastating they are notable on the cosmic scale.

So without giving out too many spoilers, from their names at least you know they were benevolent people and peaceful traders with little chance for tragedy.

[h3]Next Week[/h3]
Next week we’ll have the preliminary release notes for the 3.13 ‘Vela’ update and Cosmic Storms! It’s almost here!

See you then!

Pre-purchase Stellaris: Cosmic Storms alone or with a discount as part of Stellaris: Season 08!

Stellaris Dev Diary #350 - Storms and their Aftermath

Hi everyone,

The Cosmic Storms Mechanical Expansion is going to make planetfall on September 10th. That’s not that far away, so today we’ll be going over the Storm mechanics and their aftermath effects.

Passing it over to Gruntsatwork to take over from here.
[h3]How Do Storms Spawn?[/h3]
Hello everyone, without much preamble, lets dive right into the new storm mechanics.

Storms will randomly start to spawn a few years after gamestart.
Each Storm triggers a cooldown until the next natural storm can spawn (adjustable in Game Settings)
There is a limit to how many storms can spawn naturally in the early, mid and late-game (adjustable in Game Settings)
Those limits only apply to randomly spawned storms. Storms created by players, by event or mechanic, will always spawn regardless of any other settings
Upon being spawned, they will have a target system towards which they will move, dissipating upon reaching that goal or timing out

[h3]What Do They Do?[/h3]
While the storms through the galaxy, they will have an effect on all systems within their influence.
All Storms share 2 general effects:

Reduced chance for Emergency FTL jumps
+0.2 monthly devastation

In Addition, each of the 8 Storms has their own unique effects, here are the first 6:

While the first 6 storms are rather orthodox in their effects, the Shroud and Nexus storms are a bit special.

Shroud storms have a chance to change the systems within their influence immediately upon coming into contact, this can range from colonies, habitable and inhabitable planets, up to stars.

Nexus storms are special. They are rarer than any other storm and for a good reason, they are bad news. A Nexus storm is an opportunity… for everyone else. They wreak havoc across all worlds in their influence with a far greater intensity than the other, lesser, storms.
[h3]The Morning After[/h3]
After a storm leaves a system, its ongoing effects are removed. However, given their cataclysmic impact, there are a few aftermaths to deal with.

Each Storm leaves behind their own unique Aftermath modifier, lasting for 3 years. Those aftermaths have an intensity between 1-3, with 3 being the strongest modifiers. (The effects themselves are the same, only intensity increases.)

In addition, when a storm leaves a system, there is also a chance it will leave behind new unique Planetary Features, Planetary Modifiers and Anomalies.

Some New Planetary Features:

Example of a New Modifier:

Examples of some New Anomalies:

[h3]Protecting Yourself[/h3]
Some of those storms can get quite nasty and devastation is always worrisome, so how do you stop the storms from ravaging your planets?

We have introduced several new buildings and technologies to protect yourself or maybe squeeze a bit more use out of a storm.

Storm Attraction and Storm Repulsion are the two ways in which you can manipulate the paths in which storms move. Storm Attraction buildings and their repelling counterparts can be build on planets and starbases. Each has 1 upgrade level and grants you researcher jobs.

In Addition you can build the Storm Relief Center, to reduce some of the effects of the storms, while also buffing your base resource output while a storm is affecting your planet. Should you be able to convince the Galactic Community to pass a few storm related resolutions, those bonuses will become even more powerful.

With the Storm Relief Center you also have the option of “Hunkering Down”, a new planetary decision to reduce your devastation gain and reduce some of the storm's impact.

As you encounter cosmic storms, you will also get access to new technologies meant to reduce some of their negative effects on your economy and ships.

As your last line of defense, you can use your Planetary Shield Generators to reduce the devastation you gain from storms by -50%

All in all, a prepared player will have many options of avoiding the worst of the storms effects, while benefiting from the opportunities they offer, using them to tip the scales between themselves and their enemies.
[h3]The Weather Mapmode[/h3]
Once you have researched the necessary technologies, you will be able to use the new Weather mapmode to get a good overview of both Storm Attraction/Repulsion as well as the paths already existing storms will take.

I’m sure knowing where a storm that grants cloaking to all ships within will move is something none of you will abuse.
[h3]Next Week[/h3]
Next week we’ll be going over the Storm Chaser Origin, the new Civics, and the new Precursors.

See you then!

Pre-purchase Stellaris: Cosmic Storms alone or with a discount as part of Stellaris: Season 08!

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