Stellaris thread, reviews, and opinions!

Irwin John Finster

Irwin John Finster

Sonny, I Watched the Vault Bein' Built!
So on a whim I bought Stellaris, the new Paradox grand strategy space game which is released today. If anyone else is playing it, please post about your experiences, opinions of the game, and advice for new players. This is actually my first Paradox strategy game (Europa Universalis IV looks great, but I simply haven't had enough free time to learn it).

I've been playing Endless Space and Endless Legend as well as Civilization series but never a Paradox strategy game, which have a reputation for complexity. Between this and Endless Space 2 coming out soon it's a great time for space strategy games.

I will be posting my own thoughts/review when I get into it.

Cheers!
 
I'm patiently waiting until the bloody thing unlocks for me.

I never liked Endless Space; it was a fine strategy game, but I couldn't shake the feeling that they were just begrudgingly letting me play in their own little universe; they had a story to tell, and they wouldn't let me spoil it, no matter what. Case in point, receiving story missions about species I hadn't even included in the roster of players.

Stellaris looks really good, though; I'm not really a history nut, so I've always dreamt of a Paradox GS game with a sci-fi setting. The first thing I'm going to do is rush the shit out of the technologies so I can start the robopocalypse and essentially suicide bomb the galaxy, just to spite my enemies.

I didn't know Endless Space 2 was coming out, but I'm not exactly stocked for it.
 
i know this game gonna be great, but it also somewhat "lackluster" compared to previous paradox games.

right now there's no espionage, unconventional start (space pirate, hive fleet, or nomadic empire) and even leader intrigue. i reckon it could be just paradox policy to make the game more accessible at launch and those feature above will gonna be added as dlc. cant judge, because i myself rarely play space strategy other than galactic civ 3

Anyway, that's coming from my most skeptic, if not,cynical glasses. this games is just gonna be enjoyable that even i will gonna be skipping the new doom (btw, the new gameplay from gtx 1080 shows huge lot faster gameplay; closer to the original)
 
Last edited:
Brivoo said:
I'm patiently waiting until the bloody thing unlocks for me.

I never liked Endless Space; it was a fine strategy game, but I couldn't shake the feeling that they were just begrudgingly letting me play in their own little universe; they had a story to tell, and they wouldn't let me spoil it, no matter what. Case in point, receiving story missions about species I hadn't even included in the roster of players.

Stellaris looks really good, though; I'm not really a history nut, so I've always dreamt of a Paradox GS game with a sci-fi setting. The first thing I'm going to do is rush the shit out of the technologies so I can start the robopocalypse and essentially suicide bomb the galaxy, just to spite my enemies.

I didn't know Endless Space 2 was coming out, but I'm not exactly stocked for it.
Click to expand...
Endless Space was their first game and while I agree with your points I still love it for its absolutely beautiful aesthetics and lore. There was some missed opportunity though with things like elections and espionage and other things. Endless Legend made serious improvements and introduced some RPG mechanics with the quest system and made for a really interesting game for me as well. So of course I am personally excited for Endless Space 2 and I think it is going to blow the new Master of Orion out of the water, although I hope the new Master of Orion is good too.

They were interviewed and showed some very early pre-alpha/alpha type of footage from Endless Space 2 in case you're interested. What it shows is some new features such as election mechanics, but it appears to be very limited pre-alpha footage:

eissa said:
i know this game gonna be great, but it also somewhat "lackluster" compared to previous paradox games.

right now there's no espionage, unconventional start (space pirate, hive fleet, or nomadic empire) and even leader intrigue. i reckon it could be just paradox policy to make the game more accessible at launch and those feature above will gonna be added as dlc. cant judge, because i myself rarely play space strategy other than galactic civ 3

Anyway, that's coming from my most skeptic, if not,cynical glasses. this games is just gonna be enjoyable that even i will gonna be skipping the new doom (btw, the new gameplay from gtx 1080 shows huge lot faster gameplay; closer to the original)
Click to expand...
I agree, the lack of espionage and other features is concerning. However, Endless Legend released espionage and other features later, and Civilization 5 released a lot of updates and expansions that made the game perform reasonably well, so I am optimistic that Paradox will do the same.

I'm optimistic that the Stellaris DLC/expansions will be worth it and make a good game even better.

I'm going through the tutorial as the Blorg Commonality and so far the game has impressed me with its humor. It is very charming, but I am only in the first few minutes of gameplay.
 
Last edited:
Seeing as there is a linux version for this game, i'm a bit interested, but there are a few concerns.

How does this game compare to Galactic Civilizations?
Are paradox games playable enough without the dlc content?

I'm really not a fan of dlc whoring they have done with their previous titles and as i don't buy dlc content this seems like a valid concern..
 
AskWazzup said:
Seeing as there is a linux version for this game, i'm a bit interested, but there are a few concerns.

How does this game compare to Galactic Civilizations?
Are paradox games playable enough without the dlc content?

I'm really not a fan of dlc whoring they have done with their previous titles and as i don't buy dlc content this seems like a valid concern..
Click to expand...
Before buying the game I did some research and came across the numerous forum posts about the DLC practices of Paradox, but I liked the stream that their developer did of the game enough to jump in and buy it anyway. I will post my opinions of Stellaris when I have played a substantial amount, because if it is anything like their other games it is going to take some time to actually learn and get into it.

Europa Universalis with all the DLC is something like $100 and its several years old I believe, so it's definitely a valid concern. That said, if you look on the Steam reviews for that title most people have over 500 hours and some even have 6,000 hours in that game, so it must be doing something right.
 
Irwin John Finster said:
Before buying the game I did some research and came across the numerous forum posts about the DLC practices of Paradox, but I liked the stream that their developer did of the game enough to jump in and buy it anyway. I will post my opinions of Stellaris when I have played a substantial amount, because if it is anything like their other games it is going to take some time to actually learn and get into it.

Europa Universalis with all the DLC is something like $100 and its several years old I believe, so it's definitely a valid concern. That said, if you look on the Steam reviews for that title most people have over 500 hours and some even have 6,000 hours in that game, so it must be doing something right.
Click to expand...

Will wait for your opinion then.
 
AskWazzup said:
Seeing as there is a linux version for this game, i'm a bit interested, but there are a few concerns.

How does this game compare to Galactic Civilizations?
Are paradox games playable enough without the dlc content?

I'm really not a fan of dlc whoring they have done with their previous titles and as i don't buy dlc content this seems like a valid concern..
Click to expand...
well, if you compare it to gal civ its curb stomp battle for...stellaris

just one simple example, you got only one method of FTL in Gal Civ while in stellaris you get at least 3 method (with some mid-late game make it to 5)
 
I created a fascist technocracy with a slave-driven economy. My species is a race of crab-like geniuses who live for ages but aren't very fond of moving away from home (which is somewhat counterintuitive to the whole "space age colonization" thing), which turns out to have been rather advantageous because there was very little science yield in my starting region. Luckily, I drew the uplifting tech and arctic colonization pretty early, allowing me to grant sentience to a nearby populace and promptly enslave them (being collectivists, my guys allowed it). I modified them to be rapid breeders and then set them off to work in the mines; various events also lead them to be xenophiles and collectivists, meaning they loved both aliens and slavery.

My guys now free to pursue more cultural and intellectual goals, I immediately set my sights on a nearby empire that had been (justifiably) wary thus far. Their people were perfect slave material, being both adaptable AND strong, and their planets contained plenty of resources useful to me. After waging a long, drawn out and bloody war I eventually triumphed and snatched two of their world from them, immediately placing all of the inhabitants in shackles and moving in some of my own guys to administrate, I thought that I basically had it made.

I was wrong.

One of the planets was so chock-full of obstacles to the colonization process it was basically nothing but a drain on my resources; when they demanded independence I wasn't too cross in giving to them. However, it did mean that all that effort went int conquering only a single planet and now it seems I may be facing a very bloody civil war as two militant factions compete for the planet to rejoin its former empire and become independent, respectively, while I try to regain control.

TL;DR slavery is both fun and effective!

10/10 would enslave again
 
-___-

m3N9qa.png
 
I lol'd at that IGN review. I'm not yet far enough into Stellaris to make a well-informed opinion of the game, but what I have played so far has been *puts on sunglasses* Stellar! IGN Italia gave the game 93/100 and IGN Sweden gave it 77/100. IGN America is its usual clickbait "journalism."

Stellaris is definitely better than a "D-" 6.3/10 rating. I think that whole "review" is meant to be clickbait by giving it a low score and getting people stirred up. That is what "journalism" has devolved into - writing clickbait articles to get ad revenue unless of course you are a major AAA that simply buys 99/100 review scores.

Keep in mind that IGN gave Fallout 4 a 95/100 "Amazing" rating.

Once I get far enough I'll post my full opinions on Stellaris, but from what I have played so far I feel that it was absolutely worth the $40 in my personal opinion. I really like their approach to the space strategy genre so far - it is a breath of fresh air after the standard tech trees and turn-based grind or all the other games in this genre. Having it real-time with the pause button like FTL makes it a more involving experience. Also, the procedural generation of races works well for this game. However, I have not yet experienced the mid-to-late game which appears to have its own unique approach, and I am curious to see what Paradox does with its DLC for this game because there are some missing features traditionally seen in these games (espionage) but there are also a lot of good features in the game.

Here's a very positive review of the game that I enjoyed:

It definitely feels like Paradox has actively tried to fix a lot of the problems that characterize the standard 4X strategy game, and in the process has made a great hybrid Grand Strategy 4X game.
 
Last edited:
I don't play a lot of 4x and never played a grand strategy game before. I enjoy strategy gaming, but tend to get bored when the micromanaging gets out of hand. But I do love the idea of exploring space, and so I thought I'd check out Stellaris.

Been pretty damn hooked for hours now. I barely know what I'm doing but so far, it's fun. I thought I'd create the "greys" and my idea what they could be if they did exist. Kinda sad that they didn't include such an iconic portrait, but there's one reptilian that's close enough... A little worried that everyone I've met so far seems to hate me, and I'm not intending to build a militaristic empire whatsoever. I just want to explore and unlock all the secrets of the universe.

Anyway, the atmosphere of the game is amazing and probably what draws me in the most. It's beautiful, the music is great, and the little pieces of storytelling does a lot. I also like that it's real-time, as turn-based on a large scale gets really tedious after a while.
 
aenemic said:
I don't play a lot of 4x and never played a grand strategy game before. I enjoy strategy gaming, but tend to get bored when the micromanaging gets out of hand. But I do love the idea of exploring space, and so I thought I'd check out Stellaris.

Been pretty damn hooked for hours now. I barely know what I'm doing but so far, it's fun. I thought I'd create the "greys" and my idea what they could be if they did exist. Kinda sad that they didn't include such an iconic portrait, but there's one reptilian that's close enough... A little worried that everyone I've met so far seems to hate me, and I'm not intending to build a militaristic empire whatsoever. I just want to explore and unlock all the secrets of the universe.

Anyway, the atmosphere of the game is amazing and probably what draws me in the most. It's beautiful, the music is great, and the little pieces of storytelling does a lot. I also like that it's real-time, as turn-based on a large scale gets really tedious after a while.
Click to expand...
4X games have always had the problem of too much micromanagement of individual planets/cities when you expand to a certain point. Stellaris appears to have a system in place to prevent this with its Sectors, but I haven't gotten far enough to try it out yet.

I ended up making the Blorg Commonality as the developers did in their amusing stream. We are Solitary and Repugnant, but have the Venerable trait. I've been fortunate enough to come across one very friendly race who, like us, only wants to make space friends. However, I'm also next to a group of despotic slavers who thankfully like us since we stay out of their affairs. These weird bird-lizard Capitalist/Materialists find us repugnant however, and refer to us as "Shrooms." I think we may have to preemptively make them our "friends"...by force! With my 1st Friendship Force fleet and friendly UV Lasers.

I too enjoy the atmosphere, music, and storytelling/quests in the game. It definitely makes the game feel alive and involving.

Illuminati Confirmed! said:
I might give it a shot if it gets cheaper, but historical content is pretty much a must for me when it comes to grand strategies.

Is it a mana/blob-simulator like EU4?
Click to expand...
I really can't say because I haven't played EU4, but so far I haven't had that experience in Stellaris. I think Paradox has actively tried to prevent that problem, but I do not know as I'm not far enough into the game.
 
Paradox Statement on the Reception of IGN's Recent Stellaris Review

Statement on the Reception of IGN's Recent Stellaris Review
We very rarely (if at all) comment on individual reviews. We feel that we should be involved only up to the point of showing/providing our game to reviewers and then allowing them to have a free hand with their articles from there. However, unfortunately in this case it seems we should make some comment on Rowan Kaiser's recent review of Stellaris; or more accurately, the reception of it.

Firstly we'd like to address Rowan's suitability to review the game. Contrary to a lot of opinions we've seen posted, Rowan is a very logical choice by IGN. Although, yes, we would disagree with the lower-than-liked score that he eventually awarded us, he does have experience of our previous titles and has over the years provided his professional opinion on those, too. It would make sense that IGN would make use of his experience to review Stellaris.

The second and perhaps the most important topic is a supposed conspiracy suggesting that Rowan would have a personal vendetta against us or our games due to his/our relationship with other game critics. This is categorically NOT the case. Those named in said conspiracy (including Rowan) are professionals in their field and we are absolutely confident that such feelings would never colour review content.

Finally, we'd like to go on record and say that we value the freedoms of critics to make any review they see fit. It's best for the consumer and, ultimately, best for us. Although we may in some cases disagree or be disappointed by a review, this doesn't detract from the fact that reviewers should have absolute freedom to give their own opinions of a game, free from external duress of any kind.

We have no hard feelings to Rowan, and we would really appreciate it if others wouldn't elect to have them on our behalf! You can likely count on seeing Rowan's name on reviews of our games in the future, for better or worse. We trust his integrity absolutely and he will certainly receive review code from us in the future.
Click to expand...
 
Brivoo said:
What's the problem with Total Biscuit? I don't really follow.
Click to expand...
He was involved in the "gamer-gate" fiasco, one of the people who was actually pushing ethics instead of the morons responding to being accused of sexism by being sexist assholes. He was also extremely critical of the "all gamer are sexists" people (who are also morons), so some of their followers appear to have assumed he was sexist.

He get's a lot of shit thrown at him in general since he holds pretty strong opinions (to the point where he blocked youtube comments, and eventually deleted his reddit account). He's a great reviewer (although he calls them "first impressions") though. PC focused, consumer first. And he called FO4 "post apocalyptic far-cry," so that's a plus.
 
Vergil said:
Been playing it more a little while now. Reminds me of what I wanted out of Spore's Space Age mode.
Click to expand...

I named my species after my main Spore guys. Ironically, they both got wiped out in a similar way; pissing off an overwhelmingly powerful technocracy and poor financial planning.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top