Cordeos

Stellaris: Iron Victoria Europa Kings in space!

Recommended Posts

I haven't followed it closely but I know the devs were aware of that problem and tried to make it more accessible as a priority.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

They have talked about this being their most accessible game ever, but until I actually play it I don't really know what that means.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think that's a pretty low bar when phrased that way.  :P

Exactly, it could be anywhere from one less menu that CK2 to an actually accessible game.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

For those who have been following this game, how does it look in terms of accessibility for people who are terrible at learning strategy games? I've been interested in getting into games like Crusader Kings since hearing the Thumbs talk about the adventures of Ragnar a few years ago, but when I tried to play myself, I just struggled to get started. Does Stellaris seem any better at teaching new players how to play it?

So far all previous attempts to play a Paradox strategy title (namely CK2) had me bounce off the interface so hard I'm currently accelerating past Jupiter. Possibly.

However I've pre-ordered Stellaris after watching the increasingly seminal "All Hail Blorg" series of you tube videos paradox have done leading up to release. That has taught me a great deal about playing the game - I hope. The interface certainly looks a lot more user friendly, and the systems felt fairly intuitive. I'll let you know what it's really like once I've got it downloaded and installed.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So far all previous attempts to play a Paradox strategy title (namely CK2) had me bounce off the interface so hard I'm currently accelerating past Jupiter. Possibly.

However I've pre-ordered Stellaris after watching the increasingly seminal "All Hail Blorg" series of you tube videos paradox have done leading up to release. That has taught me a great deal about playing the game - I hope. The interface certainly looks a lot more user friendly, and the systems felt fairly intuitive. I'll let you know what it's really like once I've got it downloaded and installed.

http://www.destructoid.com/review-stellaris-358688.phtml

 

"As for Stellaris, the complexity falls somewhere in between Civilization and Crusader Kings. Luckily, it has a brilliant tutorial approach that is sure to help newbies and veterans alike get acclimated to the various systems at play. Rather than have a dedicated tutorial option, where players go through a stilted and guided version of the game, Paradox has integrated the tutorial into the main game."

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Just got my preorder Stellaris keys registered with Steam, although it won't be available for another 8 hours. Looking forward to hitting it cold and learning the ropes this week.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Does anyone know if it has any semblance of multiplayer and if so what's it like, good/bad? Just curious because it might be fun to get my brother interested. We could hotseat a regular game but multi would probably be better.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

http://www.destructoid.com/review-stellaris-358688.phtml

 

"As for Stellaris, the complexity falls somewhere in between Civilization and Crusader Kings. Luckily, it has a brilliant tutorial approach that is sure to help newbies and veterans alike get acclimated to the various systems at play. Rather than have a dedicated tutorial option, where players go through a stilted and guided version of the game, Paradox has integrated the tutorial into the main game."

 

Awesome. That and the Quick Look pretty much have me sold.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Does anyone know if it has any semblance of multiplayer and if so what's it like, good/bad? Just curious because it might be fun to get my brother interested. We could hotseat a regular game but multi would probably be better.

 

Up to 32 person multiplayer, one computer per player. How stable it is, I guess we'll see.

 

Edit: For those folks in applicable time zones, you can initiate downloads from your web browser as long as you have Steam running at home. I'm looking forward to having the game already installed when I walk in the door after work.

 

Edit2: Download should be available at 18:00 CEST, which I think is 1pm Eastern, 10am Pacific.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Up to 32 person multiplayer, one computer per player. How stable it is, I guess we'll see.

 

Edit: For those folks in applicable time zones, you can initiate downloads from your web browser as long as you have Steam running at home. I'm looking forward to having the game already installed when I walk in the door after work.

 

Edit2: Download should be available at 18:00 CEST, which I think is 1pm Eastern, 10am Pacific.

How big of a download is it?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Oh, that's not bad. Good thing I guess, since my work apparently blocks logins to the Steam community site, even though I can login to the store site.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Downloading 1.6GB with install size of 3.5GB or so. Nice after-workout stretch for my network connection after downloading 46GB or so of Uncharted 4.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So far all previous attempts to play a Paradox strategy title (namely CK2) had me bounce off the interface so hard I'm currently accelerating past Jupiter. Possibly.

However I've pre-ordered Stellaris after watching the increasingly seminal "All Hail Blorg" series of you tube videos paradox have done leading up to release. That has taught me a great deal about playing the game - I hope. The interface certainly looks a lot more user friendly, and the systems felt fairly intuitive. I'll let you know what it's really like once I've got it downloaded and installed.

 

Per RPS: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/05/09/stellaris-review-pc/

And it’s brilliant. I’d expected something messier and sometimes the edges are a little too clean and tidy, without the room for chaotic simulation that is such an integral part of Crusader Kings II. Stellaris is far closer to its 4X inspirations – Sword of the Stars, Distant Worlds, Ascendancy etc – than it is to Paradox Development Studio’s historical grand strategy titles, but it’s been carefully constructed so that there is room for growth in certain areas. Diplomacy and politics both feel like satisfactory foundations rather than fully-fledged systems at present, and the nature of the event chains opens up all manner of possibilities for new stories.

 

I told Austin that I found CK2 too much but I "got" EU 4, and asked if it's a space game I could get into. He said "It's way more EU 2 than CK2 and also not as complex".

 

That could be an unfortunate or damning statement for some, but for you and me I think it's a positive message.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Per RPS: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/05/09/stellaris-review-pc/

 

I told Austin that I found CK2 too much but I "got" EU 4, and asked if it's a space game I could get into. He said "It's way more EU 2 than CK2 and also not as complex".

 

That could be an unfortunate or damning statement for some, but for you and me I think it's a positive message.

 

In a lot of 4X games complexity translates to lots of micro, I hate micro, so YAY!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The main difference is that in Stellaris you start with a single planet and slowly expand, in their earlier games you got dropped into a complex preexisting situation.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Curious what the first impressions are from thumbs. Thankfully for me I can't have the game installed before I get home, which is keeping me from impulse buying it between now and the end of work.

 

RPS and Destructoid are way into it, PC Gamer and IGN aren't.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I will definitely post when I'm done tonight, but that'll be around 11pm Pacific so it'll probably be too late for any purchasing decisions today :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

But if I don't buy a grand strategy 4X game on day 1 how will I be part of the zeitgeist?! Everything about the mushroom people will be spoiled.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The mushroom people are dicks.[/soiler]

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So far, my first impression, after about two hours, is generally positive, despite my civ being penned in by aggressive space creatures (not civilisations) in all directions, curtailing my survey ships' explorations. (I definitely don't have the military power to deal with the space creatures themselves, and I'm not spending power on military vessels until I can upgrade a bit anyway. Definitely a bit frustrating if you're going for the Science start as I am...)

 

It's definitely a "lighter" game than CK2, in terms of systems and design - it's a lot easier to see what's going on and what you need to do, although I'm still getting to grips with a few awkwardnesses of the interface (it's surprisingly hard to get to info about the leader of a ship from the ship screen itself, for example; and I've accidentally cancelled a ships' orders once without really knowing how I did it). The writing, as some of the reviews noted, is fantastic - one reason I'm grumpy about the hostile space creatures penning me in is that it limits how quickly I can experience more of that writing!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now