I do love free liquor
Yeah the sci fi is what brought it to my attention. And thank god the menus look like they were designed with some thought to convenience.
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Stellaris - Paradox Dev Studios new sci-fi grand strategy game
- Thread starter Lingitiz
- Start date
Yeah the sci fi is what brought it to my attention. And thank god the menus look like they were designed with some thought to convenience.
I'm excited that this game is going to be able to bring more people into the GS fold! I think the biggest hang-up for a lot of people is just how scary these games look. Easing people into it is definitely a smart move on Paradox's part. I have a feeling this game is going to be a big success for them and really help with the sales of their other games as well! Sci-fi was the perfect vehicle for them to do it too.
More_Badass
Member
Starting small with a single planet and building up galaxy wide politics is the other thing that cemented my interest.
Quill18 was one of the first people I followed for game programming tutorials and advice. He's such a cheerful dude, and he really knows his stuff.
Poodlestrike
Banned
I saw a little Quill stuff when he did his early hands on, and I like dit, but of the streamers, who would people recommend?
LurkerPrime
Member
Oh, man. Scott Manley does killer Kebal stuff, I think I have to watch his video.
Thanks!
LurkerPrime
Member
Stellaris has prefab planet names? Paradox has really thought of everything.
goty
goty
perturbator
Neo Member
I am unreasonably excited for this game, it's kind of ridiculous. Haven't had this feeling in quite some time.
After the flop that Beyond Earth was, and every single 4X being incredibly samey (Master of Orion reboot included), I definitely needed a game of this depth to rejuvenate my interest in the genre.
I've only dabbled on the surface of Victoria II and CK II, so I haven't had a real Paradox experience yet. I'm all in on this one though, just a few more days.
Also, if you head over to your Paradox account (https://accounts.paradoxplaza.com/profile/game_keys) you should find your two keys for playing that mini game they had running. Project Augustus and Symbols of Domination.
After the flop that Beyond Earth was, and every single 4X being incredibly samey (Master of Orion reboot included), I definitely needed a game of this depth to rejuvenate my interest in the genre.
I've only dabbled on the surface of Victoria II and CK II, so I haven't had a real Paradox experience yet. I'm all in on this one though, just a few more days.
Also, if you head over to your Paradox account (https://accounts.paradoxplaza.com/profile/game_keys) you should find your two keys for playing that mini game they had running. Project Augustus and Symbols of Domination.
I would recommend quill. He is very cheerful and good at explaining stuff. I've watched some of his EUIV stuff before, and I've always enjoyed it.
That main menu screen by the way. Simply gorgeous.
Yeah, I was actually telling a friend a few years ago that I think what Paradox needed to do to get people into their games was make one that was a 4x game with symmetrical starts that turned into a GS game. Though I assumed a fantasy or alt-history, ala civ, setting would be how they would go about doing it. This is definitely a smart move on their part, and I'm really excited to be able to share one of my favorite types of games with a lot of my non-history friends for the first time. I've personally convinced 3 people to pre-order and a few others to think about picking it up after launch.
I do hope if Stellaris proves successful they'll revisit the formula with historical games. Civ needs a competitor.
ThoseDeafMutes
Member
The asymmetrical starts and real world grounding are the biggest appeals of the older series tbh. I don't think Pdox is big enough to work on CK, EU, Vic, HoI, Stellaris and also add new historical 4x games to the mix while supporting them, and I'd rather they didn't try personally. After Stellaris, Victoria 3 is a no brainer.
John Dunbar
correct about everything
since the blorg stream apparently isn't representative of the final game, do any of the let's plays so far show any early ai empires that cannot be steamrolled at will?
Octavianus
Banned
Definitely Quill. Dude get's really excited about videogames but never annoyingly so like some other youtubers/streamers (you'll never hear him screaming into the mic for no appearent reason) and he's genuinely fun to listen to and he's often pretty informative.
He's the first videogame youtuber I listened to that I didn't want to stab.
And I also like Scott Manley for much the same reason.
Arumba is alright too. Only thing I kinda dislike about him is that he seems to be a sore loser at times, he has a habbit of balming the game he's playing for his own mistakes
I only watched the first part of Quill's stream, but there is a setting controlling how many of the ai opponents that are "more advanced". Does not really answer your question, but seems we get some control over that from the outset at least.
The same for me. I've face slammed Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis and Hearts of Iron on several occasions but never really managed to breach the initial wall. To me the more calm start and slow build-up in Stellaris was a big selling point (plus the sci-fi etc. cause man do I love me some sci-fi empire building).
John Dunbar
correct about everything
in europa universalis at least if you pick france or the ottomans, you can have as slow a start as you want. ain't nobody going to fuck with you if you're those guys.
Cameron122
Member
Man I want to play this game more than any other at the moment.
May make the races from the boardgame Twilight Imperium as well
May make the races from the boardgame Twilight Imperium as well
If you have the time and mind to sink into a game it should be Crusader Kings 2.
It is very deep game with roleplaying mechanics which is a superb way to connect with your charachter instead of spreedsheet the game.xlsx.
I have this small story from our GAF MP game:
I was playing as a Viking, middle of modern Sweden where I quickly took out the competition and created the nation of Sweden. I proceeded then to take out neighbouring lands (Norway, FInland) just to become emperor (oh and inbetween I of course raided the low lands for cash from one of the other GAF players). I even landed an Emperor title on the way and formed the organized religion of Norse (more or less becoming God-Emperor).
It feelt good.
Then one day, I got a woman as ruler (third time in a row)... sure this isn't SO bad, people dislike you more and it is harder to get a good companion to have children with... also I was the last of my dynasty so it was a bit stressfull since if she died I would lose the game.
So after a long search after a husband my bloody empress felt that 'Hmm, nah, I am lesbian'...
It went more sour after that happening...
EDIT: Shouldn't have used 'decision' since being gay isn't a decision...
It is very deep game with roleplaying mechanics which is a superb way to connect with your charachter instead of spreedsheet the game.xlsx.
I have this small story from our GAF MP game:
I was playing as a Viking, middle of modern Sweden where I quickly took out the competition and created the nation of Sweden. I proceeded then to take out neighbouring lands (Norway, FInland) just to become emperor (oh and inbetween I of course raided the low lands for cash from one of the other GAF players). I even landed an Emperor title on the way and formed the organized religion of Norse (more or less becoming God-Emperor).
It feelt good.
Then one day, I got a woman as ruler (third time in a row)... sure this isn't SO bad, people dislike you more and it is harder to get a good companion to have children with... also I was the last of my dynasty so it was a bit stressfull since if she died I would lose the game.
So after a long search after a husband my bloody empress felt that 'Hmm, nah, I am lesbian'...
It went more sour after that happening...
EDIT: Shouldn't have used 'decision' since being gay isn't a decision...
JustSomeone
Member
After a story like that, all i can say is that I better choose an hermaphrodite or an asexual race in Stellaris!
Mr. Luchador
Member
CKII with Game of Thrones mod is my favourite thing ever!
Probably should give that a try next time, I've always picked Sweden for... uhm... reasons. Starting as one of the bigger and more powerful empires feels like its gonna be a heck of a lot more initial management though which is why I never tried.
ClosingADoor
Member
In EU4, you might want to look at Portugal to start out. They are buddies with Spain if I remember right and you can just learn the basics by colonizing America and fighting in Northern Africa a bit.
Sweden is difficult, because you need to get rid of Denmark first to get independence.
And Muscovy, so much Muscovy. But yeah, Portugal is the easiest and most versatile start, while still having reasonably few areas.
John Dunbar
correct about everything
unless the commonwealth forms an alliance with sweden and they both hate you. expand too much to the south and the ottomans might join the party as well.
Red Arremer
Member
Paradox's own DDRJake is streaming Space Ryukyu. He's apparently been at it for over 5 hours.
Sweden is actually a really bad start for beginners, since you have to be familiar with the mechanics of overlords and subjects at the very least. And while they do pack a punch, they're surrounded by nations they can't easily expand into; while Norway, Denmark and possibly Novgorod are easy pickings, once you're through those you'll be facing England, Muscovy/Russia, and/or Poland-Lithuania, all of which are strong opponents that might make it hard for you to get a hold of the ropes. And of course directly south of Denmark there's the HRE which is a pain in the ass to go through.
I suggest to begin with the Ottoman empire. They will allow you to get a hang of the basics very easily, since they're such a powerful nation and in such a good position to expand easily due to having several small nations around them they can eat. Try things out with them, don't be afraid to save-reload/restart your game a few times until you feel you understand how things work, how things react, etc.
Once you've got a hang of the basics, I do also suggest Portugal. They are in the prime position to basically do everything: Conquer in Europe, Conquer in somewhere else but Europe (Africa), not conquering at all and focusing on Colonization. You can stay entirely neutral within the European goings on or throw yourself into the midst.
Muscovy too is a very solid choice like that. Once you've taken out your nearby smaller rivals such as the hordes and Novgorod, you can either involve yourself in Europe or colonize Siberia and overthrow the weaker Asian nations.
I heavily suggest against France, actually. While they're really powerful, they're surrounded by enemies, and if you're a beginner and don't know much about the game, you're going to get bent over by them. It's really difficult to manage France if you're not familiar with mechanics like aggressive expansion and such.
Also, watching streams/YouTube let's plays can be quite enlightening.
Sweden is actually a really bad start for beginners, since you have to be familiar with the mechanics of overlords and subjects at the very least. And while they do pack a punch, they're surrounded by nations they can't easily expand into; while Norway, Denmark and possibly Novgorod are easy pickings, once you're through those you'll be facing England, Muscovy/Russia, and/or Poland-Lithuania, all of which are strong opponents that might make it hard for you to get a hold of the ropes. And of course directly south of Denmark there's the HRE which is a pain in the ass to go through.
I suggest to begin with the Ottoman empire. They will allow you to get a hang of the basics very easily, since they're such a powerful nation and in such a good position to expand easily due to having several small nations around them they can eat. Try things out with them, don't be afraid to save-reload/restart your game a few times until you feel you understand how things work, how things react, etc.
Once you've got a hang of the basics, I do also suggest Portugal. They are in the prime position to basically do everything: Conquer in Europe, Conquer in somewhere else but Europe (Africa), not conquering at all and focusing on Colonization. You can stay entirely neutral within the European goings on or throw yourself into the midst.
Muscovy too is a very solid choice like that. Once you've taken out your nearby smaller rivals such as the hordes and Novgorod, you can either involve yourself in Europe or colonize Siberia and overthrow the weaker Asian nations.
I heavily suggest against France, actually. While they're really powerful, they're surrounded by enemies, and if you're a beginner and don't know much about the game, you're going to get bent over by them. It's really difficult to manage France if you're not familiar with mechanics like aggressive expansion and such.
Also, watching streams/YouTube let's plays can be quite enlightening.
I don't think Portugal is a great choice for a newish EU4 player, yes it is relatively safe (though Morocco can be more than a nuisance in some cases), but at the same time you are very limited in what you can do due to the fact that your only European neighbour is much stronger than you, and anything you take from Morocco is wrong religion (which you can't convert for a while, and will thus give you corruption) and wrong culture. Meanwhile, if you don't expand in Afro-Eurasia, the colonies you found in the new world will absolutely free themselves soon enough as they become stronger and stronger.
As a new player, Ottomans are the way to go imo. You get a bit of everything (except the colonial American mechanics normally) and the difficulty level is as low as it gets.
As a new player, Ottomans are the way to go imo. You get a bit of everything (except the colonial American mechanics normally) and the difficulty level is as low as it gets.
The best thing about Portugal is that it teaches you mechanics, while you are still super safe and not overwhelmed with the amount of territories/armies. Portugal being small, in a good position and safe is a super unique position. You can try to be aggressive towards Morocco or expand into the Americas, but even if the Morocco fight doesnt pan out, with a spanish alliance, you are always relatively safe on your own territory. In that case you are still passively learning how to judge troop measurements and fights (as the Ottomans, you can just zerg rush).
Red Arremer
Member
I think some of the reasons you list are exactly why they're a good choice. You get land of the wrong religion/culture so you can familiarize yourself with those mechanics, etc.
That said, I'm actually not even sure if you should play on the current patch in order to learn the game's basics. With estates, territories/states, corruption, etc. adding that much more complexity to the game that might be overwhelming new players.
Which is exactly what you should do if you're completely new to the game. The Ottomans allow you to get used to how many of the super basic core mechanics work. Basic stuff like moving an army, rolling a general, coring territory, how tech works, peace deals, etc.
I agree with that. As a bad EU4 player, the starting position of France is annoying. It was easier before they patched it.
Finally pre-ordered. Hyped!
Fun fact: I once broke the game as a female norse ruler because I switched to Islam and women can't be rulers in muslim nations.
Fun fact: I once broke the game as a female norse ruler because I switched to Islam and women can't be rulers in muslim nations.
Lord Panda
The Sea is Always Right
A mate of mine has been talking about this game non-stop. I caved before his hype-wave and just preordered. Sigh, so many games.
More_Badass
Member
Trust me, I've tried so many times to get into Crusader Kings 2. Given how much I love systems driven games and "story generator" games and emergent storytelling and strategy games, I should absolutely love CK2. I really really want to. But every time, I never make it pass the tutorials or fiddling around with a country for a few minutes
It is a hard game to get into, I have played 100s of hours but still have problems understanding certain stuff.
I also tried getting Kabouter into the game... after like 5 min he said 'No, NO NO BYE NOT FOR ME'.
Mods are such weak sauces...
John Dunbar
correct about everything
i've tried to play CK2, but i just randomly end up clicking things that pop up. have no idea what is going on.
For a new EU4 player right now or as a 'grand strategy toe-dip', and assuming that such a player isn't running the expansions, I feel that playing along with Quill18's brief vanilla tutorial playlist as Castile is optimal. Good beginner nation, the tutorial is for the recent version of the vanilla game, it goes through the important core systems assuming no prior experience, it's a short series of videos, etc.
One of the players (Fraser Brown) who attended the multiplayer event has written an article about the experience: http://www.pcgamesn.com/stellaris/s...-space-turkeys-betrayal-and-murdering-kittens
Starts as a 4x type of game and moves into the grand strategy halfway through.
Starts as a 4x type of game and moves into the grand strategy halfway through.
Lister
Banned
Yes, it's a 4X game, and definitely will be familiar to you early on. As the game develops though it starts turning more into a grand strategy game, where internal and external politics play a much bigger role than they do in say Civ V.
It should be right up your alley.
CK2 was much harder for me to get into than EU4 (which I can now pretty reliably start as an OPM and be at least a regional power by the mid to late game).
I started a new CK2 game a few weeks ago though and didn't think it would go anywhere because I usually don't last long in the game and get overwhelmed by how claims work and things like that though. This time though I really gave it a shot and have been googling things whenever I am confused. The biggest thing I learned is that you should always click around nearby counties and see if you can invite claimants in those areas to your court. If you give them a county then you can press their weak claim (if the target is a kid/women/weak in other ways) and they will still be your vassal at the end I instead of becoming independent (which happened the first time I tried this whoops). That was just one of the things though, I feel like I finally have a feel about how complicated systems like claims and claimants, giving land to sons/heirs, factions, laws, keeping vassals happy but weak etc. Work but it was a struggle! Only took about 130 hours of game time haha
I play EU4 with the MEIOU and Taxes Mod and CK2 with CK2+ by the way
I started a new CK2 game a few weeks ago though and didn't think it would go anywhere because I usually don't last long in the game and get overwhelmed by how claims work and things like that though. This time though I really gave it a shot and have been googling things whenever I am confused. The biggest thing I learned is that you should always click around nearby counties and see if you can invite claimants in those areas to your court. If you give them a county then you can press their weak claim (if the target is a kid/women/weak in other ways) and they will still be your vassal at the end I instead of becoming independent (which happened the first time I tried this whoops). That was just one of the things though, I feel like I finally have a feel about how complicated systems like claims and claimants, giving land to sons/heirs, factions, laws, keeping vassals happy but weak etc. Work but it was a struggle! Only took about 130 hours of game time haha
I play EU4 with the MEIOU and Taxes Mod and CK2 with CK2+ by the way
Just about to drop money on a pre-order, I been itching to buy a space strategy game for a while.I tried the EU4 demo (as a basic idea) and like the starting aspect of a single planet and building a grand empire with diplomancy and stuff.
Never been that interested in these type of games, until I tried Civ 5 on a off chance and ending putting over 100 hours in into (which is rare for me) Stopped playing for Beyond Earth and was disappointed in that. I am more of a turn based guy but I don't mind pausing stuff. But always meaning to get a space based game but, I did'nt know which one and was impressed with paradox over Cities:Skylines (support and such).
Never been that interested in these type of games, until I tried Civ 5 on a off chance and ending putting over 100 hours in into (which is rare for me) Stopped playing for Beyond Earth and was disappointed in that. I am more of a turn based guy but I don't mind pausing stuff. But always meaning to get a space based game but, I did'nt know which one and was impressed with paradox over Cities:Skylines (support and such).
