Stellaris

[Martok]

Well I think I will pick up the "starter pack" bundle which comes with base game and 6 DLC (Ancient Relics, Apocalypses, Utopia, Distant Stars, Synthetic Dawns, Leviathans).

[goes to look up bundle]

An excellent choice -- seriously.  That's a lot of content at a very nice price.   

I guess my real question is what mechanics are lost without Megacorps, Nemesis, and Federations? Due to them being locked behind a DLC but still being used in the game by the AI or as a feature in your faction but you cannot use. This drives me crazy.

With MegaCorp, the only mechanics you're really missing are those of the megacorp government type itself.  The truly significant changes -- the major rework to the economy and colony management mechanics -- were in the accompanying 2.2 update, rather than the DLC. 

On balance, Federations is the DLC (out of those three) that has the most mechanics locked behind it.  Having now had some experience these past couple months with the Galactic Community and expanded federation types, it's admittedly hard to imagine playing Stellaris without them. 

The only real mechanics locked behind the Nemesis DLC are the additional espionage operations, the ascension perk allowing you to become "the Crisis", and the ability to be elected Galactic Custodian/Emperor.  The main changes to the game, however (the new spy/intel system and reworked population mechanics), are already in the base game (as of the 3.0 update). 



TL;DR -- If you're considering picking up only one of these DLC, get Federations.  It's easily the best of the bunch. 


The only reasons I picked up MegaCorp was for the additional mega-structures, and for the Ecumenapolis ascension perk.   I'm sure I'll actually try out the megacorp government type one day, but I'd be lying if I said that had terribly interested me when I got it. 

I've also realized as I've been typing this, that -- so far, at least -- the Nemesis DLC isn't as good as I'd initially ranked it in my earlier post, and so I've gone back and edited it accordingly.  Not that I think Nemesis is bad, but neither do I believe it adds enough content to justify its current price.  Definitely wait for a sale. 

[Bison]

Thanks for the feedback Martok. The real reason I am considering Stellaris over DW is the UI looks much cleaner and easier to use. Even with some of the UI increased size in DW, there is too much of it that is a pain for me to easily read.

[Martok]

You're welcome, Bison.  Agreed, Stellaris' superior UI/UX experience (compared to Distant Worlds') is a major reason why the former eventually became my go-to space 4x/grand-strategy game, rather than the latter. 

Not that I found Stellaris exactly "easy" to learn, per se.  However, its learning curve was definitely gentler than DWU's was, and that is indeed thanks in part to the UI. 

[Bison]

I succumbed and went against my dislike of the Paradox DLC model.  I decided to put Federations, Nemesis, and Megacorps on my watch list for the next sale if I enjoy the game play.

[Anguille]

I agree with Martok, Federation is the best DLC to get.

[Bison]

I will be sure to put that on the top of my list as it seems to be the most recommended here and other Stellaris discussion forums.

Obviously a lot of game left to discover, but what I will say after my initial couple of hours of gameplay. I enjoy having actual decisions available for the player to make. One of the things I really disliked about Paradox grand strategy games, is I always felt like the computer was the one actually playing the game. After a half hour of clicking various menus and screens, I discovered how to construct ships (The tutorial has proven to be almost worthless). I have three science ships out surveying systems and built a space station in a new system. My first colony ship is being constructed and a suitable planet is waiting to be colonized and developed. I never felt like my decisions progressed the expansion of my empire in EU4 in the same way for example. 

Anyway thanks everyone for helping me to take the leap and give the game a go.

[Martok]

Cheers, Bison.  Have fun exploring and expanding! 

[Barthheart]

I will be sure to put that on the top of my list as it seems to be the most recommended here and other Stellaris discussion forums.

Obviously a lot of game left to discover, but what I will say after my initial couple of hours of gameplay. I enjoy having actual decisions available for the player to make. One of the things I really disliked about Paradox grand strategy games, is I always felt like the computer was the one actually playing the game. After a half hour of clicking various menus and screens, I discovered how to construct ships (The tutorial has proven to be almost worthless). I have three science ships out surveying systems and built a space station in a new system. My first colony ship is being constructed and a suitable planet is waiting to be colonized and developed. I never felt like my decisions progressed the expansion of my empire in EU4 in the same way for example. 

Anyway thanks everyone for helping me to take the leap and give the game a go.

Now that yer an “expert” come join us in Martok’s MP game of Stellaris.   

[Bison]

Expert!?! I am pretty sure I just got invaded by an undefeatable alien armada!

And I would love to join you all in some multi-player empire building action if the days and times are workable.

[Bison]

The mechanic I am currently trying to decipher is Empire Sprawl. I think administrative buildings help some but they do not seem to add more than a couple of points.

How do I increase the maximum capacity?

[Martok]

Expert!?! I am pretty sure I just got invaded by an undefeatable alien armada!

Well jeez, don't just leave us hanging like that!  What happened?? 

And I would love to join you all in some multi-player empire building action if the days and times are workable.

You're welcome anytime, man.   

[Martok]

The mechanic I am currently trying to decipher is Empire Sprawl. I think administrative buildings help some but they do not seem to add more than a couple of points.

How do I increase the maximum capacity?

As far as i can tell, admin buildings actually *are* the main way you increase admin cap.  At least, that's the short version. 

However, there are various technologies and certain Traditions (plus an Ascension Perk) that increase your admin cap in various ways.  Some do this directly (Tradition ABC increases admin cap by 5%), while others do this indirectly (Technology XYZ increases the number of bureaucrat jobs per admin building by +1), etc.  Keep your eyes peeled for those, especially if your empire sprawl significantly exceeds your current admin cap. 


Another thing you should definitely do -- if you're not doing so already -- is designate a planet or two as Bureaucratic Centers (see attached screenshot).  This will improve the output of bureaucrats on those planets, thereby increasing your admin cap.  Then just make sure to construct mostly admin buildings on those planets to maximize this output modifier as much as you can.  A properly developed Bureaucratic Center can take care of a significant percentage of your empire sprawl. 

There are no doubt additional tips & trips that I'm unaware of (I'm still fairly new to empire sprawl and admin cap myself), but these are the more obvious things I've figured out so far. 

[Anguille]

As Martok says. You can build admin buildings (and their improvements) on different planets). That and some traditions (expansion?).

I have to say that this is one of the various artificial restrictions that i really dislike in the game. It's one of the 4x games where i have few colonies compared to the size of the maps.

[Barthheart]

I actually like the admin cap as a break on unrestricted expansion. Makes you plan where you expand more to maximize your control.

However, I have also found the the penalty for exceeding your cap starts small so being a few to 10 or so over your cap has only minor penalties. So don't be completely hamstrung by your cap. Once you have lots of resource systems and well developed planets it will become less of a problem to enough admincap.

[Anguille]

However, I have also found the the penalty for exceeding your cap starts small so being a few to 10 or so over your cap has only minor penalties. So don't be completely hamstrung by your cap. Once you have lots of resource systems and well developed planets it will become less of a problem to enough admincap.

Correct.