3.8.2 Hotfix Patch has dropped:
https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/threads/dev-team-3-8-2-hotfix-patch-released.1582997/Nothing fancy, mostly just addressing bug and stability issues, though they did manage to include a nice bit of extra UI work. One bit in particular caught my eye:
Event notifications can now be configured in message settings.
Having now had a chance to finally play the game a bit today, I've gotta say that the ability to configure your notifications is a godsend. Being able to reduce the message spam just by itself is a major improvement. However, the ability to also customize which messages trigger auto-pause, which don't, which can simply be dismissed entirely, etc., cannot be overstated in its importance.
I thought the resurrected Sector Editor would be my favorite feature of the free 3.8 update, and perhaps it will still prove to be so in time (I haven't played long enough yet to find out). At least at the moment, however, the new message options has become the unsung hero of the Gemini update.
I also want to give a shout-out to the new Ruler Creator feature, which was added to the Custom Empire creator. Being able to select not just your Ruler's "Leader class" (Admiral, General, Governor, or Scientist), but also their starting trait is a most welcome feature. Not only does it sidestep the frustration one would often previously feel when your Ruler's (randomly assigned) starting trait was an undesirable one, but I find it also improves the game's role-playing aspects as well.
As for the
Galactic Paragons DLC itself, overall I'm having an absolute blast with it so far. Leaders are much more interesting now, and the ability to pick & choose their skills/traits when they level up (do you add a new skill, or increase an existing one?) is simply marvelous. Being able to guide & develop your Leaders in the direction you wish adds another degree of both customization and role-playing that I never knew I was missing until now.
I haven't been able to play around much with the new Empire Council yet, but I'm liking what I see thus far. (The Empire Council is actually a free feature included in the 3.8 update, but it's restricted to just 3 positions -- Ruler, Minister of Defense, and Head of Research -- unless you also own Galactic Paragons.) Just the fact that we now *have* an Empire Council adds yet another RPG element to the game, but it also has practical (and beneficial) gameplay effects as well, as your Ruler and their Councillors all bestow empire-wide bonuses (based on their traits and skill level).
In addition, your Council can select an Agenda (from multiple available options): These Agendas grant a bonus to your empire when first launched, and then a much larger bonus once they're ready to be fully enacted. You can only have one active Agenda at a time, however, so choose wisely!
At the moment, my only real beef with Galactic Paragons is the Leader Cap -- specifically, that it exists. At the very least, it seems too low -- you start with a cap of 6, with 4 of those Leader slots (Ruler, Admiral, Governor, & Scientist) already taken, leaving you with just 2 "extra" Leader slots available.
Granted, it is a soft cap, so you can choose to go over it if you wish. However, you'll pay fairly dearly for doing so-- not just monetarily, but also your Leaders suffer from a penalty to their rate of XP gain. Yes, you can increase your Leader Cap over time, but that doesn't help much in the beginning.
I presume the Leader Cap is for balance purposes, but it feels overly constricting. Worse, it feels entirely artificial and immersion-breaking. I get that with how valuable they are now, the devs wanted to restrict the player from just hiring new Leaders left & right, but I'm not sure this was the best way to go about it.
Otherwise, however, I have few complaints so far. Barring my running into major/showstopper bugs
<knocks on wood>,
Galactic Paragons, combined with the Gemini update, might very well be the most fun I've had playing Stellaris in a long time.
Topic: Stellaris (Read 102886 times)