Thoughts on the tech 'nerf.' AKA Marathon/Historic mode for science.

[C486]

So I thought to try out the 'nerf' to science and saw no real difference. This was on 25x Grand Admiral with the Crisis 100 years early with the 'Extreme' setting on the difficulty adjusted tech costs slider.

If anything, tech rushing and builds have a few more steps added and are still broken. So not much has changed.

[Roadie]

I don't find much difference in how fast I can rush specific techs. I can rush Battleships and Megastructures within the first 80-120 years if I really focus them for example.

Idk why people are acting like it broke the game. Maybe their precious broken meta finally got balanced out and they're upset that they can't tech dominate by year 50.

[C486]

Originally posted by Roadie:

I don't find much difference in how fast I can rush specific techs. I can rush Battleships and Megastructures within the first 80-120 years if I really focus them for example.

Idk why people are acting like it broke the game. Maybe their precious broken meta finally got balanced out and they're upset that they can't tech dominate by year 50.

Meta... in a single player game? Weird.

[Fusi0n .ReaKt0r']

What are the rest of the sliders and what are you doing to survive/thrive on that? My initial reaction is to think that you're full of s***. But lets say you've found an exceptionally powerful way to play. The main criticism is that, those few, exceptionally powerful ways to play, limit your play experience from before.

[Xaphnir]

Originally posted by Roadie:

I don't find much difference in how fast I can rush specific techs. I can rush Battleships and Megastructures within the first 80-120 years if I really focus them for example.

If you're not seeing a difference between 3.10 and 3.11, you're just simply playing better than you were on 3.10.

Researcher base output was reduced by 25%, and the three +20% researcher output techs in each tech branch are gone. And that's not even counting the increased tech costs (which can be avoided with sliders).

[Geoff]

Originally posted by Xaphnir:

Researcher base output was reduced by 25%, and the three +20% researcher output techs in each tech branch are gone. And that's not even counting the increased tech costs (which can be avoided with sliders).

You have to pay upkeep on bonus production too, now right? Given how tight consumer goods management could be in the early game, seems like that's a substantial change to gaemplay unless they reverted it.

[Xaphnir]

Originally posted by Geoff:

You have to pay upkeep on bonus production too, now right? Given how tight consumer goods management could be in the early game, seems like that's a substantial change to gaemplay unless they reverted it.

Some increases to research speed are also accompanied by increased researcher upkeep, but not all. For example, Administrative AI now increases researcher upkeep by 5%, but the ascension perk Technological Ascendancy does not increase researcher upkeep.

[C486]

Originally posted by Fusi0n .ReaKt0r':

What are the rest of the sliders and what are you doing to survive/thrive on that? My initial reaction is to think that you're full of s***. But lets say you've found an exceptionally powerful way to play. The main criticism is that, those few, exceptionally powerful ways to play, limit your play experience from before.

For context, I had one game out of five that did well with this setting. It was mostly due to RNG. As for build used, it was a science focused Barbaric Despoiler build and not spawning near a purifier or fallen empires.

[Razorblade]

Originally posted by C486:

Meta... in a single player game? Weird.

1. Stellaris has multiplayer. It is not a "singleplayer" game. It has both singleplayer and multiplayer modes.

2. Metas exist in all games. A meta is just a strategy that is consistently, overwhelmingly optimal to the point of making any other strategy pointless outside of "roleplaying."

[Mike]

the constant nerfs are ruining the game for me i haven't had the urge to play since.

[Roadie]

Originally posted by C486:

Originally posted by Roadie:

I don't find much difference in how fast I can rush specific techs. I can rush Battleships and Megastructures within the first 80-120 years if I really focus them for example.

Idk why people are acting like it broke the game. Maybe their precious broken meta finally got balanced out and they're upset that they can't tech dominate by year 50.

Meta... in a single player game? Weird.

To be fair, playing a meta is kind of mandatory when playing Grand Admiral with 25x Crisis strength. Which according to reddit most people play on (sarcasm)

[C486]

Originally posted by Roadie:

Originally posted by C486:

Meta... in a single player game? Weird.

To be fair, playing a meta is kind of mandatory when playing Grand Admiral with 25x Crisis strength. Which according to reddit most people play on (sarcasm)

Reddit is still relevant? Huh... learn something new everyday.

[Geoff]

Originally posted by C486:

Reddit is still relevant? Huh... learn something new everyday.

I once overheard a woman in an ice cream parlor telling someone "he's enrolled in some kind of online terrorist camp called 'subreddit' or something" Definitely one of the funniest snatches of overheard conversation I've ever encountered. Maybe second only to a lady shouting across the street to her neighbor "at least my family is more than just a baby mill for child protective services!"

[Xaphnir]

Originally posted by C486:

Reddit is still relevant? Huh... learn something new everyday.

Reddit is the most important forum for discussing most games nowadays.

[VulpesFulguralis]

I've found it painful. The first 30 years everyone is using the same weak barely upgraded ships. but if you manage to get a slightest tech lead it snowballs even faster than before unless you take over territory and destroy your economy/empire size. (Captain difficulty, hundred years in I just got cruisers and half the empires i've seen don't even have destroyers out yet)

[nilfiry]

The fact that you admitted to relying on RNG to do well in one of five games only proves that there is a noticeable difference.

The difference between Normal and Extreme adjusted cost alone will result in around 2 extra years to research techs for non-materialist/egalitarian type empires in the early game. There is no way you would not feel that even if it ultimately does not hurt your overall gameplay.