Hello Console Edition Community!
I’m back again to talk about more of the changes coming in the free update that will launch alongside [redacted]! Today we’ll be going through some of the changes to Pop Growth as well as touching on Organic Pop assembly, and then talk about the new First Contact mechanics.
Let's get into it!
Pop Growth Changes
In the next update to Stellaris: Console Edition, biological pop growth will follow a curve based on the number of pops on the planet, and the theoretical Carrying Capacity of the planet the pop is growing on. Carrying Capacity is determined by the total amount of free housing on the planet, as well as the number of unbuilt and unblocked districts on the planet.
The amount of Pop Growth required to create a new pop is now increased by the total number of pops in the empire. This value can be adjusted to your preference during Galaxy Setup. Warning: Increasing the number of pops in the galaxy may have a negative effect on performance.
The overall objective is to reduce the total number of pops in the galaxy but to keep production more or less the same as in the previous version. To this end, the number of jobs per building tier has been adjusted to follow a 2/4/6 progression as buildings are upgraded (as opposed to the old 2/5/8 progression), and the base output of these jobs has been increased. In addition, pop requirements for upgrading Capital buildings have been reduced to 10/25/50 from 10/40/80.
Alongside these changes, new colonies no longer receive a pop growth penalty, with the Colony planetary designation giving stability, amenities, and happiness (in regular empires).
We’ve also changed a few buildings to have new or additional features, such as the Spawning Pool and Clone Vats, which have had their Pop Growth modifiers replaced with the new Organic Pop Assembly. This new source of pop growth fills the same slot on the planet as Robotic Pop Assembly, so generally, you’ll want to pick one or the other. (Clone Vats also picked up a food upkeep cost to represent simple materials to break down.)
First Contact Changes
Exploration has always been at the heart of Stellaris, and the exploration aspect is one of the things that sets us apart from other games that follow similar themes. First Contact previously has always felt like a flat mechanic. You make contact, you research the contact, you get the contact. There was no opportunity for any of the popular sci-fi tropes that make First Contact something that is special and interesting, and the source of countless sci-fi narratives.
In the Policy menu, you can set your First Contact Protocol, choosing between Proactive, Cautious or Aggressive. Your choice here will determine whether you can do things like wars before communications are established, and will also affect things like how quickly a hostile race can establish communications with you.
First Contact Sites
When you first encounter an unknown ship in space, a First Contact site will be created. These First Contact sites operate much like Archaeology Sites that you might be familiar with from the Ancient Relics Story Pack.
Also available in the outliner and radial menus!
After assigning an Envoy to work the First Contact site, the site will begin to progress. The events that trigger after beginning a First Contact site are determined by your empire type, as well as the empire type of the empire you’re attempting to establish contact with.
During First Contact, you will be given choices that may have long-term implications for your relationship with that empire.
Sometimes things won't go according to plan, and there will be miscommunications or setbacks during First Contact. There are also events that the other side of a First Contact site trigger, some of which are.. Unpleasant.
And finally, the effects of the establishment of communications event has also changed. But I can't show you those yet.
That’s all for this week! Be sure to join us next week when we’ll be telling you about more Quality of Life improvements, Console-specific improvements, and some more free features coming in the next update for Stellaris: Console Edition!
I’m back again to talk about more of the changes coming in the free update that will launch alongside [redacted]! Today we’ll be going through some of the changes to Pop Growth as well as touching on Organic Pop assembly, and then talk about the new First Contact mechanics.
Let's get into it!
Pop Growth Changes
In the next update to Stellaris: Console Edition, biological pop growth will follow a curve based on the number of pops on the planet, and the theoretical Carrying Capacity of the planet the pop is growing on. Carrying Capacity is determined by the total amount of free housing on the planet, as well as the number of unbuilt and unblocked districts on the planet.
The amount of Pop Growth required to create a new pop is now increased by the total number of pops in the empire. This value can be adjusted to your preference during Galaxy Setup. Warning: Increasing the number of pops in the galaxy may have a negative effect on performance.
The overall objective is to reduce the total number of pops in the galaxy but to keep production more or less the same as in the previous version. To this end, the number of jobs per building tier has been adjusted to follow a 2/4/6 progression as buildings are upgraded (as opposed to the old 2/5/8 progression), and the base output of these jobs has been increased. In addition, pop requirements for upgrading Capital buildings have been reduced to 10/25/50 from 10/40/80.
Alongside these changes, new colonies no longer receive a pop growth penalty, with the Colony planetary designation giving stability, amenities, and happiness (in regular empires).
We’ve also changed a few buildings to have new or additional features, such as the Spawning Pool and Clone Vats, which have had their Pop Growth modifiers replaced with the new Organic Pop Assembly. This new source of pop growth fills the same slot on the planet as Robotic Pop Assembly, so generally, you’ll want to pick one or the other. (Clone Vats also picked up a food upkeep cost to represent simple materials to break down.)
First Contact Changes
Exploration has always been at the heart of Stellaris, and the exploration aspect is one of the things that sets us apart from other games that follow similar themes. First Contact previously has always felt like a flat mechanic. You make contact, you research the contact, you get the contact. There was no opportunity for any of the popular sci-fi tropes that make First Contact something that is special and interesting, and the source of countless sci-fi narratives.
In the Policy menu, you can set your First Contact Protocol, choosing between Proactive, Cautious or Aggressive. Your choice here will determine whether you can do things like wars before communications are established, and will also affect things like how quickly a hostile race can establish communications with you.
First Contact Sites
When you first encounter an unknown ship in space, a First Contact site will be created. These First Contact sites operate much like Archaeology Sites that you might be familiar with from the Ancient Relics Story Pack.
Also available in the outliner and radial menus!
After assigning an Envoy to work the First Contact site, the site will begin to progress. The events that trigger after beginning a First Contact site are determined by your empire type, as well as the empire type of the empire you’re attempting to establish contact with.
During First Contact, you will be given choices that may have long-term implications for your relationship with that empire.
Sometimes things won't go according to plan, and there will be miscommunications or setbacks during First Contact. There are also events that the other side of a First Contact site trigger, some of which are.. Unpleasant.
And finally, the effects of the establishment of communications event has also changed. But I can't show you those yet.
That’s all for this week! Be sure to join us next week when we’ll be telling you about more Quality of Life improvements, Console-specific improvements, and some more free features coming in the next update for Stellaris: Console Edition!
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