3.3 'Libra' update out now for Stellaris

I think the Custodian Initiative is one of the better decisions Paradox has made. I get that they have to keep cranking out new shinies to get people to continue supporting them with DLC purchases, but it's great that they can devote a bit of resources into going back and polishing up older stuff.

Some good stuff, but "A Unity system rework" I think means that weird stuff where you can no longer do much about your Admin cap and empire sprawl. I'm really not looking forward to that. At all.

Some good stuff, but "A Unity system rework" I think means that weird stuff where you can no longer do much about your Admin cap and empire sprawl. I'm really not looking forward to that. At all.

That's why I'm glad I can go back to the previous version on Steam. I can wait for them to polish the new mechanics some more.

I assumed the unity patch would only apply to new games. I was wrong. Logged into my current game and..wow. I guess I haven't been following the updates more than to know that there was some kind of unity change coming. As Purple Guy alluded, Admin Cap no longer exists but you still get penalized for sprawl. My Bureaucratic Center world and all my Admin Centers are just producing Unity now. So, yeah, I have a ton of Unity which I guess is good? I'm still trying to grasp the purpose of the change. I'm assuming there's some other way now to counter sprawl penalties but not sure what that is yet.

I assumed the unity patch would only apply to new games. I was wrong. Logged into my current game and..wow. I guess I haven't been following the updates more than to know that there was some kind of unity change coming. As Purple Guy alluded, Admin Cap no longer exists but you still get penalized for sprawl. My Bureaucratic Center world and all my Admin Centers are just producing Unity now. So, yeah, I have a ton of Unity which I guess is good? I'm still trying to grasp the purpose of the change. I'm assuming there's some other way now to counter sprawl penalties but not sure what that is yet.

You know, every time I see your avatar I find myself thinking "It comes in pints?!"

That about it changing one's current game is good to know--forewarned presumably means when I go back to my current game, I can tell it before I start to stick to 3.2.


Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 25 February 2022 at 8:23 pm UTC

At first I was very sceptical about this update, too. The dev logs didn't make sense: So many changes to what purpose?

But after playing the Beta and now the full release I have to say: The game plays not very differently. The main changes are that you can do more stuff with the "unity" ressource so religious empires are less at a disadventage now. And because you can't mitigate your empire sprawl now by just building some extra buildings (administrative centers) it's wise to not just take every system or planet right away. It adds more depth because you should think a little more how you want to expand instead of just taking every system and spaming buildings. And you have to think which ressource you want to go for first: research or unity or a mix of both.

But the most important parts of the update are the improvements to the AI and to the performance of the scripts calculating everything in the game.

And because you can't mitigate your empire sprawl now by just building some extra buildings (administrative centers) it's wise to not just take every system or planet right away.

But I want to take every system or planet right away.

And you know, effective rapid expansion is not as simple as it looks; there is some skill to it. Often in a 4X game, my favourite part is the "Expand" part. I don't want it nobbled. You're already limited by Influence, too.

I've never been into the whole "Tall" thing. Or rather, I want to go wide and build the whole damn width tall--I don't really see how that's an either/or. And I feel like the idea of changing the rules so that people can play tall is pernicious. I mean, "going Tall" in origin has to be a "taking a handicap" thing . . . people started challenging themselves, like, "Can I still win without expanding real big?" And if someone can successfully win taking that handicap, more power to them. But if they then say "I tried handicapping myself and I couldn't win then--so we must change the game so I can win when taking this handicap, and people who don't are inconvenienced" I think that's bogus. I don't mind some sliders and options so people who want to go tall can play it their way, but I don't want them stopping me from playing my way. It's like if someone challenged themselves to play chess without rooks, found themselves getting pasted in the late game, and said "We have to change the rules so rooks can't move, so I won't lose when I play without them".


Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 25 February 2022 at 10:07 pm UTC

Often in a 4X game, my favourite part is the "Expand" part. I don't want it nobbled. You're already limited by Influence, too.

I hear yah, that's one of my favorite parts too, right after "Explore". Just think of it this way: by slowing down the expansion phase for everyone, you get to enjoy more of it before the galaxy fills up and it's down to the relatively less-interesting politicking.

You know, every time I see your avatar I find myself thinking "It comes in pints?!"

Mission accomplished.