Stellaris II: I, For One, Welcome Our New Robot Fungus Hivemind Overlords

[Kaptin Keen]

I get weird, minor and laughable bugs in this game, pretty much constantly. For instance, for the time being, whenever I'm federation leader, I get the 'Ship Repaired' notification every time I build a ship. Twice.

[GloatingSwine]

I get weird, minor and laughable bugs in this game, pretty much constantly. For instance, for the time being, whenever I'm federation leader, I get the 'Ship Repaired' notification every time I build a ship. Twice.

That one's fixed in the 2.1.2 beta.

[Kaptin Keen]

So ... when playing 'tall' (which I'm sure I'm not doing correctly anyways), should I just start grabbing all the planets I can once I start getting mostly repeatables? I've beat the pretoryn, and the two awakened empires seem to be gearing up to war against each other. I'm not sure they can - after the endgame crisis?

Prethoryn was fun this time around. Having decided to only build corvettes, I wasn't as strong against them as I usually am, and for once I had to put up with other races killing more of them than I did. But then, over time, as AI empires suicided into huge prethoryn fleets over and over again, things started to work in my favor. In the end, I still killed more than the entire rest of the galaxy combined. And it was actually a long, fun battle this time around. Well - fun except for the frustration of watching my federation partners take over command of the federation fleet I built, and suicide it into giant swarms of prethoryn.

That one's fixed in the 2.1.2 beta.

Oh neat. I always feel like the bugs I experience are unique to me =)

[GloatingSwine]

So ... when playing 'tall' (which I'm sure I'm not doing correctly anyways), should I just start grabbing all the planets I can once I start getting mostly repeatables? I've beat the pretoryn, and the two awakened empires seem to be gearing up to war against each other. I'm not sure they can - after the endgame crisis?

If you're at that point in the game and want to stay "tall" (and aren't just restarting because the game is already won) it's time to stuff every available system that doesn't have unique resources in with ringworlds.

Prethoryn was fun this time around. Having decided to only build corvettes, I wasn't as strong against them as I usually am, and for once I had to put up with other races killing more of them than I did

Congratulations on getting the Prethoryn to spawn at all. I'm at 1700 hours played now and I've only seen them 3 times.

Corvettes are actually pretty effective against Prethoryn. 90% evasion, picket computers, and scourge missiles and then camp hyperlane exits. You'll take minimal casualties because all their weapons have crap for tracking.

[Kaptin Keen]

If you're at that point in the game and want to stay "tall" (and aren't just restarting because the game is already won) it's time to stuff every available system that doesn't have unique resources in with ringworlds.

Ringworlds aren't going to be a thing - I picked different ascension perks. Also, I'm not restarting just yet because one of those AE's is actually strong, and might be fun to tango with.

Congratulations on getting the Prethoryn to spawn at all. I'm at 1700 hours played now and I've only seen them 3 times.

Corvettes are actually pretty effective against Prethoryn. 90% evasion, picket computers, and scourge missiles and then camp hyperlane exits. You'll take minimal casualties because all their weapons have crap for tracking.

I get them all the time. I've seen the contingency once, and the ... energy guys? ... maybe twice. Everything else has been prethoryn. Maybe if you play 'good guys', you get the prethoryn =D

[The Glyphstone]

I only saw about 5 crisis across all my games, but 3 were Contingency and 2 were Unbidden.

[Kaptin Keen]

Turns out that AE wasn't that strong. Sure, they had a good deal more fleet power than me, but ... well, they barely scratch me. Not built to fight corvette swarms it seems.

That prethoryn queen one might get - that takes a long bit of waiting, right?

[Silverraptor]

Turns out that AE wasn't that strong. Sure, they had a good deal more fleet power than me, but ... well, they barely scratch me. Not built to fight corvette swarms it seems.

That prethoryn queen one might get - that takes a long bit of waiting, right?

I waited 114 years having the prethoryan scourge confined to 1 system waiting for the queen to spawn. Then rushed in when it did spawn, cleared out any last defender ships in system, send science ship, get research to 78% done, forget that the fleet I had was on aggressive and it automatically went and bombarded their last planet, kill the prethoryan crisis, canceling the queen event.

That is still a sore moment in my life.

[Kaptin Keen]

I waited 114 years having the prethoryan scourge confined to 1 system waiting for the queen to spawn. Then rushed in when it did spawn, cleared out any last defender ships in system, send science ship, get research to 78% done, forget that the fleet I had was on aggressive and it automatically went and bombarded their last planet, kill the prethoryan crisis, canceling the queen event.

That is still a sore moment in my life.

Oh you need to keep them alive? Well, there goes that motive for keeping the game going =)

[Kaptin Keen]

New bug I haven't seen before: A wormhole I can't travel through.

Ah well =)

[tonberrian]

I almost always get unbidden. I've never gotten Preythorn, and I really haven't played until endgame since the Contingency was released. Never managed to trigger the old AI either.

[GameMaster_Phil]

I think I read somewhere that the end game crisis is dependent on the researched technologies. If there are many robots or synths, the probability of the Contingency increases. If there are many psionic empires and Jump Drives researched, you get unbidden. But that may have changed in a patch. I never had unbidden as of yet. Lots of killabots though.

Best bug I found: Indestructible AE Titan in my system breaking mah fleets . Fortunately, restarting the game fixed that one. Oh and in a federation war my allies started, there was no attrition gain for my side. And as we all know, federation allies never end a war early. I always have to decline the wee idiots trying to mess with the Awakened Empire, which damages my reputation.

[GloatingSwine]

I think I read somewhere that the end game crisis is dependent on the researched technologies. If there are many robots or synths, the probability of the Contingency increases. If there are many psionic empires and Jump Drives researched, you get unbidden. But that may have changed in a patch. I never had unbidden as of yet. Lots of killabots though.

It is. Unbidden is more likely the more empires have Jump Drive or Psi Jump Drive, and increases if any empire has the Wanderlust event happen (very rare).

Contingency increases the more robotic pops (synth or machine empire) exist in the galaxy.


Contingency weight goes up super fast though, so it's happening super commonly. (Also the thing that determines contingency starts building up from the start of the game, the more materialist empires or machine empires spawn the longer they have to boost it)

[Kaptin Keen]

I don't have the ... whatever it's called, the Machine Empire expansion. Maybe that's why I get the prethoryn all the time.

[Kaptin Keen]

Latest in my string of weird little bugs: I don't get to research mob kills - like, pirates, crystal entities, all those little things.

Unsure if anyone but me finds these things amusing, but ... well, I do =)

[Drasius]

It is. Unbidden is more likely the more empires have Jump Drive or Psi Jump Drive, and increases if any empire has the Wanderlust event happen (very rare).

Contingency increases the more robotic pops (synth or machine empire) exist in the galaxy.


Contingency weight goes up super fast though, so it's happening super commonly. (Also the thing that determines contingency starts building up from the start of the game, the more materialist empires or machine empires spawn the longer they have to boost it)

Weird, I play Materialist empires almost exclusively (and am heavy on the bots), and am very heavy on machine empires since they were released and have never gotten the contingency once. I might have to fire it up again (see comments earlier in the thread about why this is going to be a mistake) to see if I can get 'em to spawn.

[Kaptin Keen]

So - how much time has anyone spent messing around with the Mardak Vol on Peridayda? Thus far I know what if you build a starbase in the system, the Vol show up and are fairly bossy about things.

Can I invade the planet? Does that turn out poorly?

[factotum]

So - how much time has anyone spent messing around with the Mardak Vol on Peridayda?

I have literally never heard of that, what is it?

[Kaptin Keen]

I have literally never heard of that, what is it?

Well - it's a gaia planet hidden behind a force field, onto which a barren planet surface has been projected. When the force field is broken down, a 'peaceful race of mammals living in symbiosis with a fungal lifeform' is revealed.

These are the Mardak Vol. Mardak is the fungus thing.

The Vol are not pleased. They will show up, and solve the problem of Mardak existance with fire. Lots of fire.

But curiosity killed the cat, no? So I want to keep the Mardak alive. Also, to beat the Vol fleet, and plunder it's goodies. This I cannot do however, they're too strong. I also want to co-exist peacefully with the Mardak Vol, which will almost surely end badly, but will be fun =)

[Kish]

From the wiki:

Paridayda

One anomaly in the galaxy might be called called The Vechtar Zavonia when successfully investigated, describing a planet called Paridayda and a species called Mardak Vol. Choosing the option to search for the planet will start a special project. Finishing it will create a neighbor system and point to a Barren World inside. Choosing to investigate further when entering the system will start a special project to investigate the planet with a science ship. Finishing the special project takes 60 days and will reveal the planet as a size 25 Gaia World with the Iron Age Mardak Vol civilization.

20 days after the system has been claimed a species called the Vol will arrive with a fleet to purge the Mardak Vol. Accepting will replace the Mardak Vol pops with Toxic Wasteland Tile Blockers. Refusing will have the fleet attack the system.

[Kaptin Keen]

From the wiki:

Yes. That's what I know already. What I'm asking is if there are other outcomes than that one.

[factotum]

I've never had that event in any of my games. I did have an event where there was a world which was phasing between Gaia world and something else, but sounds like that one isn't related.

[Kish]

Yes. That's what I know already. What I'm asking is if there are other outcomes than that one.

Other outcomes? I'm puzzled by the question. Fleet shows up to commit genocide, you get in their way or you don't; why would there be an outcome that isn't either "they commit genocide" or "you fight them to stop them committing genocide"? Are you thinking you should be able to reason with them somehow? Far as I can tell, their sole purpose in the game is to genocide the Mardak Vol.

[Sholos]

I had that event in my last game, actually, and the fleet peaced out saying they'd return later. They never came back.

[Kaptin Keen]

Other outcomes? I'm puzzled by the question. Fleet shows up to commit genocide, you get in their way or you don't; why would there be an outcome that isn't either "they commit genocide" or "you fight them to stop them committing genocide"? Are you thinking you should be able to reason with them somehow? Far as I can tell, their sole purpose in the game is to genocide the Mardak Vol.

I you read my first post about this topic - there is one option right there: Ground invasion. Others might exist. Is there something about being able to run off with pops if you have the right expansion? So what happens if you grab a Mardak Vol, and run for it?

I'm deeply sorry to have influcted this puzzlement upon you. Feel free to simply not answer, if it's causing you anguish. I'm curious. If you're not, don't waste time on it.

[Sian]

In my game they came when I just about had my army in position to conquer the planet, at which point they just told me to genocide them, which I agreed to do, letting me settle the tasty planet at my leisure.

Now I have several hundred pop, and that planet has just about all my farms.

[Kaptin Keen]

The continuing saga of weird, minor bugs:

I have low Influence income. So I went to the Factions tab, picked the largest one - 52% of my population, no less - and saw that they'd like me to protect pre-sapients. Alright, there aren't really any left, so ... we can do that.

I go to policies, I flick the switch, I go back.

I swear to god, in the meantime that little policy point had just ... vanished. Instead, they'd like me to incorporate enclaves. Something I could do, sure, given all the time in the world.

Dammit game!!!

[Sian]

The continuing saga of weird, minor bugs:

You must have some weird kind of Techbane ... you keep running into the weirdest, most obscure bugs in any game you run into, that no one else really encounter ... and that without even trying to break or abuse the game in any significant way

[Kaptin Keen]

You must have some weird kind of Techbane ... you keep running into the weirdest, most obscure bugs in any game you run into, that no one else really encounter ... and that without even trying to break or abuse the game in any significant way

I think everyone runs into them, but either doesn't notice, or don't care. Stellaris is unique, though, in how many small glitches it has.

Edit: Nothing to do with Stellaris: This morning, I needed to wash some clothes for the gym - so they have time to dry, before going after work. So I throw them in, eat my cereals and so on. By the time I'm ready to hit the showers, the machine says it's 4 minutes from finishing the wash. So, knowing the machine, I think to myself it has zero concept of time - I can easily finish my bath before it's done. So I wash, dry off, get dressed, shave - all that jazz. Done with that, I check the machine. It's now 5 minutes from finishing.

So Stellaris isn't the only example of stuff glitching around me. Maybe I really do generate some sort of reality-altering field. Welcome to the Twilight Zone =)

[Caelestion]

So, did you have a shower or a bath?