14 DAY TRIAL // Game maker Paradox Development Studio surprised a lot of gamers when it announced that its next major title, called Stellaris, was designed to take the classic grand strategy formula into space, allowing gamers to handle a civilization as it explores, meets neighbors and then takes them out to colonize more planets.
A new developer diary offers details about the system that will be used to create galaxies in the video game, which will be generated to be unique before each new campaign.
Paradox says that sizes for the universe in Stellaris are currently between 200 and 1,000 stars, with gamers able to also specify how many Artificial Intelligence controlled empires are active when the game starts, with more always generated as time progresses.
Spiral, elliptical and ring galaxies are available to choose from, and all the starting options are modable for those who want to tweak the core elements of the title.
The company adds, "When we generate the stars we also decide what class each star should be. Most stars will be star classes with the different spectral types B,A,F,G,K,M. Some star systems can however be more special, like a black hole, pulsar or a neutron star. Every system with a certain star class has a given set of rules that controls how the star system is generated; you will, for example, have a hard time finding habitable planets close to a black hole."
Once again, these elements of Stellaris are modable, with the community able to create star classes and remove those they feel do not contribute to the experience.
Paradox is aiming to deliver a varied experience
The studio uses the galaxy creation process to also make nebulas, which house special star systems with resources and events.
Random initializers will be used in Stellaris to make sure that the starting position for the human player is always interesting, with actions that they can take initially.
Each system that's not occupied by a faction can also have special features, like debris or unknown ships, which means that careful exploration is important.
Stellaris will encourage players to create long-term strategies, while handling civilization elements like research and production.
Paradox says that the title will offer a mix of new and old mechanics, with a focus on the new science fiction theme.
Stellaris will be offered on the PC and does not yet have an official launch window.
