You might need to bring a shovel for Stellaris: Ancient Relics, the newly announced story expansion

I will always take some more Stellaris content; this is my goto game whenever I am at a loose end of what to play.


Anyone else get a Star Trek vibe from the closing riff of the trailer music.

$173 for a video game is hard pill for me to swallow.

$173 for a video game is hard pill for me to swallow.

Choose an alternative:

a) The first version of the game released is declared "the video game" and they never add any new content to it.

b) They continue to add content to the game, but do it entirely at their own expense, never charging you extra.

c) They develop all this extra content at their own expense over the course of many years, and then release it all as "the video game".

d) They release the first version as "the game", and then future expansions are sold as standalone sequels.

$173 for a video game is hard pill for me to swallow.

Choose an alternative:

a) The first version of the game released is declared "the video game" and they never add any new content to it.

b) They continue to add content to the game, but do it entirely at their own expense, never charging you extra.

c) They develop all this extra content at their own expense over the course of many years, and then release it all as "the video game".

d) They release the first version as "the game", and then future expansions are sold as standalone sequels.

Since I'm a gamer from when games came on plastic cartridges, I would choose A. Or perhaps C. From the gamer's perspective, either of those is identical, if you aren't following their development.

Or perhaps I would choose E: make the game and all DLC free-to-play, and let the whales subsidize it by buying skins. I'm currently playing Path of Exile, entirely for free, and I can't possibly imagine this game giving me $173 worth of value. The current gaming industry is weird, to say the least.

$173 for a video game is hard pill for me to swallow.

Then don't spend $173 on it. The base game offers more than enough content to keep you busy for dozens of hours, and if you want more then wait for the inevitably deep discounts during sales.

Since I'm a gamer from when games came on plastic cartridges, I would choose A. Or perhaps C. From the gamer's perspective, either of those is identical, if you aren't following their development.

Or perhaps I would choose E: make the game and all DLC free-to-play, and let the whales subsidize it by buying skins. I'm currently playing Path of Exile, entirely for free, and I can't possibly imagine this game giving me $173 worth of value. The current gaming industry is weird, to say the least.

Then I have good news for you: Paradox's model fits you perfectly. Wait seven or eight years until development has stopped and buy the "complete edition" at 40€, giving you option C.

As far as I am concerned, considering the hundreds of hours that I happily spent with Stellaris so far, I still got far more enjoyment for money than the largest part of the other games in my library.

$173 for a video game is hard pill for me to swallow.

Yeah, yeah, someone always says something like this. Then someone else points out that in terms of $ per hour played, it's still a great deal compared to most games. And that the notion you have to buy all the DLC to get a decent game out of it is greatly exaggerated; I myself have, I dunno, around half of them?
Then there's usually some back and forth. Maybe we could skip it this time? Edit: Oops, already too late!


Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 14 May 2019 at 4:24 pm UTC

make the game and all DLC free-to-play, and let the whales subsidize it by buying skins

That would royally piss off 99% of Paradox fans and that's a conservative estimate.

Please, the world is already full of free-to-play shovelware, leave Paradox alone. If a DLC looks too expensive, simply not buy it.


Last edited by callcifer on 14 May 2019 at 4:23 pm UTC

$173 for a video game is hard pill for me to swallow.

Yeah, yeah, someone always says something like this. Then someone else points out that in terms of $ per hour played, it's still a great deal compared to most games. And that the notion you have to buy all the DLC to get a decent game out of it is greatly exaggerated; I myself have, I dunno, around half of them?
Then there's usually some back and forth. Maybe we could skip it this time? Edit: Oops, already too late!

Ah yes, I see it now. I became aware of this business practice at another web site and another Paradox title. I checked this one and baulked at the price. But, then, people pay thousands on Star Citizen. Perhaps the personal economic decisions of video game purchases is not an interesting topic of discussion.

As someone who actually plays Stellaris: The price + DLC really doesn't concern me. You don't need all the packs and we're talking packs that add often huge additions a couple times a year. Considering how much people spend, all the time on other games, it's really not much if you already enjoy it.

As others said, the base game by itself has a lot going for it too, you don't need the expansions.

Then I have good news for you: Paradox's model fits you perfectly. Wait seven or eight years until development has stopped and buy the "complete edition" at 40€, giving you option C.

Never happened with EU or any other Paradox game.

The base game offers more than enough content to keep you busy for dozens of hours

Dozens, dozens! Dozens of hours of mostly waiting because there is little happening in the base game.

That would royally piss off 99% of Paradox fans and that's a conservative estimate.

Except that the same critique comes from Paradox fanbase quite often.

As someone who actually plays Stellaris: The price + DLC really doesn't concern me.

Thats nice that it doesn't concern YOU. But it might concern others. I paid $20 bucks for Civ 5 and played it 800 hours. Stellaris can never came close to this, especially when it came in half-released state and it seriously needed major revamp. And I don't care if other people spend $60 bucks for FPS that they play for 2 hours. Or $174 bucks for game that they play for dozens hours.

Then I have good news for you: Paradox's model fits you perfectly. Wait seven or eight years until development has stopped and buy the "complete edition" at 40€, giving you option C.

Never happened with EU or any other Paradox game.

Ready for you:
https://www.greenmangaming.com/games/europa-universalis-iii-collection/

In a few years you will find the same for EU4 and CK2, once development has stopped.

Then I have good news for you: Paradox's model fits you perfectly. Wait seven or eight years until development has stopped and buy the "complete edition" at 40€, giving you option C.

Never happened with EU or any other Paradox game.

Ready for you:
https://www.greenmangaming.com/games/europa-universalis-iii-collection/

In a few years you will find the same for EU4 and CK2, once development has stopped.

Thats EU3, thats before the new DLC policy. Tell me when it happens to EU4, HoI4 and Stellaris.

Thats nice that it doesn't concern YOU. But it might concern others. I paid $20 bucks for Civ 5 and played it 800 hours. Stellaris can never came close to this, especially when it came in half-released state and it seriously needed major revamp. And I don't care if other people spend $60 bucks for FPS that they play for 2 hours. Or $174 bucks for game that they play for dozens hours.

Yes, I made it clear it didn't bother ME. I can do capitals too, see, fun right?

I have double the hours in Stellaris that I do in Civ V and I also have all the Civ V expansions.

They're extremely different games and I'm a self-confessed massive space nerd, so yeah I really don't have a problem with a favourite game getting long-term support and interesting expansions. Happy.

Half released state? No. It was a complete game, that could be finished and it was fun. I (and others) wanted a lot more from it, but it no way was it incomplete at release. This is what gets me, people trying to sow mistrust in situations like this, because it didn't do everything they wanted right away.

I'm looking forward to this one - though I might wait for a few reviews before I work out if it's a "buy immediately", "buy later", "buy on sale" or an "ignore unless it's literally £0.50p". The previous Story Packs have been good on the whole, and I think they've all been less than £10 new, which is about the same as 2-3 pints of beer at the pub.

I have mixed feelings about Paradox's DLC schemes. Some of them have felt a little thinner than I'd like, or have had one really nice feature that's "DLC locked" amongst a bunch of stuff you don't really care about... but on the whole I'm pretty happy with most of it. I've had years of fun from their games, and a new DLC generally makes a new playthrough and a new story - and at an age where getting a few hours to myself is often a luxury, my #1 and #2 most played on Steam are both Paradox games (CK2 and Stellaris).

Just to add my two cents to the Stellaris debate, when I bought the base game, I got the playtime I usually get out of a full game, in my very first session (yes, I forgot to sleep). Also, I usually keep all my play sessions to <45 mins, so that's quite an achievement for a game.

As others have said, the base game is very much worth your time on its own and if you do end up wanting more, these DLC are lovely options, especially as you can just pick the ones that provide the parts/themes you want more of (e.g. this one if you're a Stargate fan).

Oh, interesting! Sounds kinda like the system in Civ V: Brave New World where you excavate relics from archaeological sites. I actually proposed implementing something like Civ V: BNW's culture victory system last year (because I find it to be really fun and interesting trying to collect and organize sets of artifacts and great works); time to read up on this new expansion and see how similar it sounds. :D

- Many updates completely changing the game rules; yes, I know, it is an improvement, but in practice I had to restart to enjoy it.

Honestly, restarting is pretty much a game mechanic. Once you are the most powerful empire on the map, there is really nothing else left to do - the fun is in everything you do to get to that point :) I have high-triple-digits hours in Stellaris and never once "completed" a playthrough.

- Many updates completely changing the game rules; yes, I know, it is an improvement, but in practice I had to restart to enjoy it.

Honestly, restarting is pretty much a game mechanic. Once you are the most powerful empire on the map, there is really nothing else left to do - the fun is in everything you do to get to that point :) I have high-triple-digits hours in Stellaris and never once "completed" a playthrough.

Well, there are one or two things. Once I'm powerful I like to build a few megastructures just to rub the other empires' noses in my superiority. But yeah, actually getting to the win is pretty dashed optional for me too.