Shadows need Vorlons.

I have noticed (see my post in Bugs) you are going for catalytic processing for Shadows. I assume it is to model the "organic" nature of their construction, especially ships. An alternate (albeit more challenging) route you could go is to offer living starship sections. One of the best mods, "Technology Ascendant" has a Bio-Ship Module connected to one of the Breaktroughs. If you are up for that, you could try to ask the Mod Author for support.

Your assumption is correct, I was considered Bio-Ship variant. This aspect probably will be moved to technology tree. Overall they are OP right now, but I have finished with bonuses and will start on penalties now. They will have serious disadvatnages in terms of Empire size from colonies. Also I have plans to have 2 versions of shadows, the ones from the time of the show(on fallen empire level of power), and younger one (balanced)

In my latest attempt, Shadows were limited to hive mind governments (I assume that is no bug but intended). Please consider making the Shadows not a mandatory hive when defining the civic restrictions. Given that lore I found (i admit it was a brief research) it is likely that their inner structure is based on "the strongest may rule" rather than a hive mind.

From a game mechanics point of view, it would also open up the whole telepathy route for a Shadow player to go which is locked off for hive minds as far as I know. And telepathy was a rather big part of what they do in the b5lore.

We had a discussion about this, and ended up with hive mind, other governments fit shadows even less. As you mention, they are telepathic and acts fully united, there is no evidence in the show about even slightest disagreements inside their society. And in stellaris only gestalt can provide such level o unity. I'm not fully satisfaite with hive mind eather, but for now I don't see a better option.

add a slavery type that gives Sentience Modules

would the Wormseed be possible in stellaris?

In theory, yes, at least at some extent.

I dont know if its feasible but you should try and set it so the shadows have to awaken via special events, along with either decreasing or increasing your chances of being discovered before you want to be (maybe triggered by increasing contact reports near your homeworld)

I love the current start where your cut off from the rest of the galaxy for a time. Starting in a nebula would further heighten this effect. Basically I think it would be amazing to be able to remain hidden, and undetectable to other civs until your ready to "strike"

Perhaps also adding a ruined sentry away that you can use to observe the galaxy would further fit the shadow "play style" Though it would make them further OP.

How do the shadows determine when the time is right for them to return anyway? And how can we fit this into the mod is what Im suggesting. As im sure theyve observed the B5 galaxy long before they attack.

My thoughs exactly :) I initially planned to have an event chain wich will make shadows to go "mad" on galaxy if other civs dont want to embrace chaos. So federations seems like a good triger, if there is one big enough, shadows should intervere and stop galaxy from unity. But implementation of this is more complicated then I thought. Will take time.

Either way Im having fun with my shadow playthrough, just biding my time for the moment. There was an empire too close to me, so I had to end them.

That said for random events you could add an event chain where other empires discover abandoned shadow ships and have the option to try and reactivate said ship, while the shadow player can decide whether to retake said ship, or leave it be.

Another random event chain would be if a random empire reactivates your gateway, and your empire can chose how to react to it, bide your time, or strike out, or I don't know. The shadows if I recall correctly only really woke up due to a ship being discovered along with people landing on their homeworld before they were ready.

This is a fascinating universe.

Just a quick suggestion, and one that will be easy to implement, have the shadow colossus turn a world into wormseed, seems like something they would do. Along with of course optional other methods should the player so chose.

Colossus represent Shadow Death Cloud (model will be changed eventually) and Death Cloud designed to devastate surface of a planet, rendering it uninhabitable, while Wormseed requiers an existed biosphere for convertion.

Originally posted by LukavSlambert:

Colossus represent Shadow Death Cloud (model will be changed eventually) and Death Cloud designed to devastate surface of a planet, rendering it uninhabitable, while Wormseed requiers an existed biosphere for convertion.

Thanks for explaining that.

Originally posted by LukavSlambert:

Your assumption is correct, I was considered Bio-Ship variant. This aspect probably will be moved to technology tree. Overall they are OP right now, but I have finished with bonuses and will start on penalties now. They will have serious disadvatnages in terms of Empire size from colonies. Also I have plans to have 2 versions of shadows, the ones from the time of the show(on fallen empire level of power), and younger one (balanced)

why in show had hte vorlons and others not defeated them and there allies theyd have held the whole galaxy
perhaps a good penalty might be less res at peace so you grow slower not at war.