Stellaris Artbook

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Copyright©ParadoxDevelopmentStudioAB2014-2016 STELLARIS™isatrademarkofParadoxInteractive STELLARIS™is atrademarkofParadoxInteractive.Allrightsreserved.www .Allrightsreserved.www.paradoxplaza.com .paradoxplaza.com

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Author:FredrikToll Editor:TroyGoodfellow

CHAPTER Layout:FredrikToll

1

Introduction

BrandManager:TomasHärenstam

C H A P T E R Artists Jenny Holmér Al in e e Gl Gl ad ad h h  Erik Er ikN Nil ilss sson on

2D Artist 2 D D Ar Ar titi st st  Conc Co ncep ept tAr Arti tist st 

Kentar Kent aro oKa Kana namo moto to Jo na na s s Ja Ja ko ko bs bsso n n  Carlos Lundhall Pontus Olofsson Christoffer Fransson Simo Si mon nGu Gunn nnar arss sson on

Conc Co ncep ept tAr Arti tist st 2 D D Ar Ar titi st st  2D Artist 2D Artist 2D Artist 2DA 2D Art rtis ist t 

Niklas Tammpere M ar ar ku ku s s Kr Kra nt nt z z   Magn Ma gnus usN Nys ystr tröm öm  V ik ik to to rr Ny Ny st st rö rö m m   M ax ax em em il ia ia n n Ro Ro be be rt rt s s  Robin Skog Helena Kasper  Staffa n Norling  J oa oa ki ki m m La La rs rs en en  

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Interface

Animation 3 D D Ar Ar titi st st  3DA 3D Art rtis ist t  3 D D Ar Ar titi st st  3 D D Ar Ar titi st st  3D Artist 3D Artist 3D Artist 3 D D Ar Ar titi st st 

( 16, 17, 18, 19 ) ( 10 10 , 11 11 , 20 20 , 21 21 , 22 22 , 23 23 , 24 24 , 25 25 , 26 26 , 27 27 , 68 68, 6 6 9, 9, 1 1 42 42 ))  (29 ( 29,4 ,49, 9,5 50, 0,5 51, 1,5 52, 2,5 53, 3,5 54, 4,7 70, 0,1 113 13,1 ,117 17, ,12 124, 4,1 125 25,1 ,129 29,1 ,130 30, ,13 132, 2,1 133 33 138, 139, 141 ) (6,1 (6 ,12, 2,13 13,3 ,30, 0,4 46, 6,5 57, 7,5 58, 8,5 59, 9,6 62, 2,9 92, 2,1 110 10, ,) ) ( 20 20 , 39 39 , 41 41 , 10 10 8, 8, 1 1 09 09, 1 1 37 37 , 14 14 0, 0, ))  ( 45, 41 ) ( 136 ) ( 34 ) (32 ( 32,3 ,33, 3,3 35, 5,3 36, 6,3 37, 7,3 38, 8,4 41, 1,6 66, 6,6 67, 7,7 72, 2,7 73, 3,7 76, 6,7 77 780 80, ,81 81, ,84 84, ,85 85  88, 89, 90, 91, 94, 95, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105 106, 107, 137, 140 ) (42, 43, 44, 45, 136 ) (8 6, 6, 8 8 7, 7, 1 1 14 14 , 11 11 6, 6, 1 11 8, 8, 1 1 19 19 , 12 12 1, 1, 1 1 39 39 , 14 14 1 1 ) (56 ( 56,7 ,74, 4,7 75, 5,8 82, 2,8 83, 3,1 114 14, ,11 115, 5,11 116, 6,1 118 18, ,11 119, 9,1 120 20, ,12 121 1) ) ( 6 6 0, 0, 6 6 1, 1, 6 6 4, 4, 6 6 5, 5, 7 7 4, 4, 7 7 5, 5, 7 7 8, 8, 7 7 9, 9, 1 1 12 12 ,, 11 11 6, 6, 1 1 19 19 ,, 12 12 0) 0)  ( 7 7 1, 1, 1 1 15 15 ,, 11 11 8, 8, 1 1 19 19 ,, 12 12 0, 0, 1 1 28 28 ) )  ( 71, 119, 128, 135 ) ( 126, 127, 128 ) ( 127, 128, 132) ( 4 4 8, 8, 9 9 7, 7, 9 9 8, 8, 9 9 9, 9, 1 1 00 00 ,, 10 10 1, 1, 1 1 02 02 ,, 10 10 3, 3, 1 1 04 04 ,, 10 10 5, 5, 1 1 06 06 ,, 10 10 7, 7, 1 1 26 26 ,, 12 12 7, 7,  129, 131, 134, 137, 139 )

C H A P T E R

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Characters C H A P T E R 4 Spaceships

C H A P T E R

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Species C H A P T E R

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Planets

C H A P T E R

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Stations C H A P T E R Events

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Chapter 1 - Introduction

Dear Fans InStellarisyouwill ventureintotheunknown,exploringa galaxyfull offorgottenmysteries.This projectwas alsoajourneyintotheunknownforParadoxDevelopmentStudio.Thisventureintospacehasbeensomething commonlyrequestedbyourcommunityandsomethingwe’vewantedtodoforalongtime.Inthisartbookyou havetheopportunitytosharethisadventurewithus.Weknowstrategy,butspaceisverydifferentfromhistory. ThisartbookisachancetotakeyoubehindthescenesofthedevelopmentofStellarisandsharewithyouwhatwe werethinkingaswecreatedthegame.Wetakeprideinbeingarelativelyopenandcandidstudiowhenitcomes todevelopment,soabookofthisnatureisnotagiantleapforus. StellarisiseasilythemostambitiousParadoxgametodateintermsofscope,challengeandcompetition.Withthis gamewewanttocreateanewuniverseforyoutohaveadventuresin.Wehavesafelyworkedwithintheconfines ofhistoryforalongtime,brieflysteppingoutsideourcomfortzonewithRunemaster-whichwasawholedifferent beast.We’velearnedsomuchinmakingthisgameandareimmenselyproudofwhatwehavebuilt.Weverymuch hopeyouwilllikeandenjoyitasmuchaswedo. Awordofwarning:inthisartbook,wewilltrytobeascomprehensiveaspossible,touchingonallthemajor elementsofthegame,includingshipdesign,aliendesign,interface,environments,andsoon.Thisdoesmean thatifyouhavenotplayedthegameafairamount,theremaybealotofspoilersinthisbookforcontentyouwill discoverinthegame.

ArtDirector FredrikToll

Finding the Style Goddidn’thaveatimeline,andneitherdidtheBigBang.Butgamedevelopersarealwaysontheclock,sowhen you’recreatinganewuniversefromscratch,youhavetobecarefulwithyourambitionsandwhereyouchooseto spendyourtime.Westartedbyaskingquestionsaboutsimilargames.Whatdowelikeaboutstrategygamessetin space?Whathasbeendonetodeath?Whathasalwaysbotheredusaboutthethingswe’veseen?Whathavewe alwayswantedtoadd?Howcanwesetourgameapartfromothers? Foreventhemostinspiredthinkers,ideasdon’texistinavacuum.Welookedatallthesciencefictionwecould findtotrytoidentifywhatresonatedwiththevisionwehadforStellaris.Curiously,someofthemostinspirational imageswerenotgleamingcitiesortoweringmonoliths,butplanetswithabandonedalienruins.Imaginegettingto visitsuchaworld!Whobuiltthesestructures?Aretheystilloutthere?Ruinshavealwaysheldthepotentialforgreat storytelling,anditisthroughscienceandarchaeologythatweuncoverthemysteriesofthepast.

“Thegalaxyisvastandfullofwonders.”

Agame’sartstyleservesmanypurposes.Itshould,of course,bedistinctfromothersimilargames.Itshould communicategamedataquicklyandeasily.Itshouldalsoneverlosesightofthegame’sprimarymission.ForStellaris,thatmeanssomethingwondrousandexcitingineveryimage.

Thesewordswerewrittenearlyonintheprojectandwouldproveto beveryhelpfulasa guidingstarinthe processofmakingthegame.Infact,thisshortsentenceconciselycapturesmuchofwhatyouwillfindinthegame. Anysuccessfulgameknowswhatitisatit’score.Everythingaroundthatshouldonlyservetoreinforcethatvision-it shouldallpullinthesamedirection. ThegamevisionforStellarisemphasizesexplorationandthefantasticthingsyoucanfindinthevastnessofspace, beitlongforgottentechnologyorinterstellarconflict.Thereshouldalwaysbenewwondersoutthereandwe wanted theart to enhance thisvisionwherever possible.Since thisis a Paradox game, replayability was anothermajorgoal-Thisis,afterall,acorepreceptofallofourgames.Bycreatingagamewheretherearemany thingstodiscover,morethanyoucouldhopetofindinasingleplaythrough,weaimedtocreateanexperience worthplayingagainandagain.Insimilargames,explorationisoftentheleastdevelopedmechanic. Mostgamesinthisgenrealsofocusmoreonasmallnumberofracesthatcanbeeasilyfleshedout.We’vegone theotherway,havingahugevarietyofpossibleencounterswhichareneverthesame,sotheuniverseisalways isalien.Stellarisisclearlygroundedinlessonswe’velearnedinourhistorythemedgames,but,beingfreedfrom history,wecanbemuchmorecreative.It’salwaysfuntomakesomethingentirelynew.It’salsoachallengeto divergefromthepaththathasservedussowellforsolong.ButwebelievethatStellarishasalimitlessfutureasa franchise.

Whenestablishingtheartstylewerummagedthroughallthesci-fiimagerywecouldthinkof.Welookedatthe genreclassicsfromRalphMcQuarrie,thefamousworldsofStarTrek,and,ofcourse,newerstaplesofscience fictionuniversesfromgameslikeMassEffecttoHalo. Athemethatsoonemergedinthereferencesweliked,werethatimageswithhighcontrastandstrongcolorsmost reinforcedourideas.Colorslikeanamusementparkatnight,oracityatsunset.Colorslikeintheimagebelow.The darkareasgenerallyhaveanairofmystery,andthestronglightandsaturatedcolorsgiveasenseofwonder.We feltthatthiswouldhopefullyevokeasenseofaweintheplayer,andanurgetoexplore.

Realism Artwise,Stellarisstrivestobeafairlyrealisticlookinggame,orleastmoresothanthestylizedrealismyoufindin mostspacebasedgames.Naturally,thescaleanddistancebetweenobjectsisquiteawayofffromtherealworld -spaceismuchbiggerandemptierthananygamecanpossiblyshow.Butwedokeepitrealisticwhereverpossible.Therearedifferentstartypesandthedifferentplanettypesareassociatedwiththedistancefromtheirsun, andthetypeofsolarsystem.So,thefrozenplanetsarefarthestawayfromthestarandtheinhabitableplanetsare inthemiddle. We’veextendedthisprincipletotheplanetsthemselves,ecology,shipdesign,andthelike.Ourunderstandingof theuniverse,thoughextensive,isstillfairlylimited,soifwedomakeittoanotherhabitableplanetoneday,wewill certainlyfindalotofthingswecouldnotevenimaginewerepossible.Today’srealismhaslimitations. Paradoxhasgrownalotinrecentyears,butwearestilllimitedinwhatoptionswecanpursue.Foreverythingyou putinagame,youmustaskyourselfifitservesaclearpurpose.Youhavetomakealotoftoughchoicesandmake sureyouarespendingyourtimeandresourceswisely.

Wewereparticularlydrawnto theworkofKentaro Kanamoto,anAmericanillustratoroffantasyandscience fictionworlds.Hisstyleisperfectforthefeelingswewantedtoconvey.WereachedouttoKanamotoandasked himto create a fewdifferentimagescovering thevariousthemes inthe game, such ascolonization,alien citiesandplanets,spacecombat,resourceextraction,andsoon.Thesepictureswouldbeaninspirationtoour artists,andinspiringtotheteamastheylookedfordirection.Anynewartistontheteam,orevenmembersofmanagement,couldlookattheseimagesandknowwhatkindofgameweweremaking.

Chapter 2 - Interface

User Interface Agame’suserinterfaceisoneofthemostprevalent,butleastappreciated,aspectsofgameart.AnyGrandStrategy artbookfromParadoxshouldnotfailtohighlightit.AtParadox,wetrytomakeourUIsartisticallyappealing,butalso practical.Ourgamesarefairlycomplex,sotheinterfaceusuallyneedstobeequaldetailed.Butagoodinterface canneverbecomplicated.Thisiswhereartmatters. Initiallywewentwithafairlystandardfuturisticinterface,asshownbelow.Itwouldhavelookedfine,butwefeltwe wantedtodosomethingmoreoriginal.Wedidnotwantthegametolooklikeeveryothergame.Onadeeperlevel,

Oncewefinallydecidedthatadrasticchangewasinorder,weoptedforworkingwithoutsidehelp.Wewanted newlinesofthinkingabouttheUI,andthatmeantnewvoices.WebroughtinaSwedishstudiocalled1910,with whomwehadworkedonShowdownEffect.They’ddoneabeautifulretrostylefront-endforthat,whichperfectly suitedthegame’stone.Andwefelt,maybetheycouldbringsomefreshideasintoStellaris. Sowemetwith1910andpresentedourthoughtsandideas.1910workedquicklyandsoonpresentedathrilling newperspectiveonwhatourUIcouldlooklike.Theirpitchwasdefinitelysomethingnewfromwhatwenormally make,anditwasexactlywhatweneeded.TheUIdidnotenduplookingexactlylikewhattheycreatedforus,but itdefinitelyhelpedusbreakthemoldofourpreviousthinking.

wealsodidnotwantittolooklikehowweimaginethenearfutureforhumanity.Itshouldbemorealien,andless obviouslyhuman.Butwe’rehuman,sowhatdoesthatlooklike?

Oneeasywayofachievingamorealienlookwastochangethecolorscheme.Colorisaverypowerfultool.By changingthegamefromthetraditionalslategreywithglowingblue,tosomethinglessfamiliar,likegreen,purple, ororange,youimmediatelygetadifferentfeeling.ItbothsetsStellarisapartfromthemajorityofsci-figames,and Makingthedecisiontochangethelookwasnoteasy.Thegamewasalreadyfairlyfaralong,andthischoicemeant throwingawayalotofthingswe’dalreadythoughtfinished.Howeverwefeltthatwecoulddobetter,reachhigher andsoweraisedthebar.

alsothrowsthegamewayforwardinthefuture.Sincethesecolorsaremorenon-traditional, theyfeelslightly morealien.Wesettledongreenandorangeasthe dominantcolors.Thiscombinationofhuesisnotentirely foreigntogames,butit’sstillfairlyrare.ThisshouldhelpStellarisstandoutfromthecrowdofsimilargames.

Icons IconsareaveryintegralpartofanyParadoxtitle.IfyouweretocountalltheiconsinanyParadoxgrandstrategy game,youwouldsoonnoticetheyoftennumberuptowardsathousand.Seriouseffortgoesintoillustratingthese icons,whichoftenneedtoshowoffveryabstractideas. Icons usuallyhavean array ofdifferent styles.This makes them botheasierto distinguish andremember,but different use casesare also naturally suited to differentstyles. Shipcomponentsfor instanceare small renders of the parts they represent, while traits aresimplersymbols of the characteristictheyconvey. Thebuildingsinthegamearealsoicons andwechoosetohavethemblendinto the planet tile fair ly well , at the same time we tried to make them easy to distinguish.

Trait icons

Notification icons

Component icons

Event Pictures Oneofthebestwaystoconveyandexperienceanewuniverseisthroughillustrations.Eventshavelongbeena centralmechanicinourgames,andthesebeautifulimagescapturetheongoingeventsthroughoutthegame.In Stellaris,wecanconveytheuniverseweimaginethroughtheseeventimages.Withhundredsofevents,wecanuse dozensofimagestoremindplayersthattheyareinaworldverydifferentfromtheireverydaylives. Oureventimagesgiveusanopportunitytoshowoffallthevariousaspectsofourworld.Anythingfromexotic environments,creatures,technology,interactionsandwar.Notsurprisingly,creatingtheseimagesareafavorite taskamongourartists,enablingthemtochallengethemselvesandusetheirimaginationtothefullest.

Cover Art Therearefewthingsmorechallengingthancreatingdistinctivecoverartforaspacethemedgame.Foraspace gamewhatyougenerallyhavetoworkwithare:spaceships,planets,starsandalienfaces,andcombinationsof thesearewhatiscommonlyused.Charactersusuallymakeforgoodcoverart,buttheyarerarelythefocusofa strategytitle,andwedidnotwanttoputourfocusononeorevenafewofourspecies.Afterall,thegameisnot primarilyaboutcharacters;it’saboutexplorationandexpansion. Evenwithintheconfinesoftypicalsci-fitropes,therewerepromisinganglesforacover.Thereweremanyconcepts wewouldhavelikedtoconvey,thoughmanyofthemarenotcompatible.Wecontemplatedfirstcontactbetween civilizations,diplomacy,conflict,speciesofvaryinglevelsoftechnology,alienfleets,orthediscoveryofsomething longforgotten. Ouremphasisisonexploration,sowechosethesurfaceofanunchartedplanet.Thoughmostofthegameplayis inspace,theplanetsarefarmoreeffectiveatconveyingthealiennatureofourgame.Inthesceneascienceship scansthesurfaceofanalienworldasalandingpartysetsouttoinvestigatewhatmightbeamysteriousruin.A foreignskyloomsoverthescene,givingahintastotheepiceventstakingplacebeyond.

Evolution of Stellaris Cover Art

Advisor Nobodyreallywantstodoatutorial,butonewayoranothereverygameneedsone.Developingatutorialisa thanklesstaskthatnoonecommentsonunlessitisterrible.Alsosincesomegamesystemsaren’tcompleteduntil lateinthedevelopmentprocess,workonthisaspecthastobedelayed,andit’seasytorushwhatisactuallyan essentialpieceofthegame. Whatyoureallywantisforpeopletojuststartplayingthegame,trustingthatthegameissmartenoughtohighlightwhenyou’vemissedsomethingimportant.Thatway,youhavetheself-explorationandexperimentationthat playersappreciate,butalsohavehelppop-upincontext-notjustasastartingscenario.Tothatend,Stellarisuses anAdvisortoofferexplanationsofwhatisgoingonandhowyougetthingsdone. Inlinewiththe“nohumanbias”precept,theAdvisorneededtobeculturallyneutral,butmoreimportantlyitneeded tobelikeable.YouwantstartingplayerstousetheAdvisor,andiftheyfounditannoying,thenitwouldn’tbedoing it’sjob,thoughitisveryhardtohitthis“likeability”target.Wedidnotwantsomecartooncharacter.Thetoneofthe gameisfairlyserious,still,wewantedtheadvisortobealittlebitlightheartedandevenwittyattimes.Thereforeit’s appearanceneededtoreflectthesevariedgoals. A character’s likeability is heavily  dependent on the writingandasinthiscasevoiceacting.Butawelcoming appearanceisespeciallyimportantforacharacteryou expectto beateacher.Theworktoactuallymakethe characterisfairlysmall,sotherewasnorushinstarting. Wedrafteda lotofthumbnailsketchesfortheadvisor, morethana100slightvariations.Wethenputthemitto avoteandrankedthem.Therewasofcoursenoclear winner.Wemightaswellhaveputthemuponaboard and used a shotgun to pick. People obviously like different things,butnonetheless,alldatawasvaluable andwemovedforward. In the end, there are no shortcuts to designing somethinglikethis.Youjusthavetoiterateandworkhard untilyoufindsomethingyouthinkwillwork.

Chapter 3 - Characters

Designing Aliens

Traits

Forthecharacters,weknewwewantedtomakeouralienspeciesasvariedandasstrangeaspossible.And,we

Whenitcamedowntodesigningindividualalienswelooked

alsoknewwewantedtheplayertofindmanynewspeciesineverynewsessiontheyplayed.Infinitelylargeuniverse andallthat.Thismeantthatwehadalreadysetaverylargescopeforourambitions.

ateverything wecouldimagine.Fictionalalien races we knewandmanywedidn’t.Everyanimalandinsectwecould find,plants,mushroomsandcorals,younameit.

Butgoodgamedesignmeansbeingconstantlyawareof yourconstraints. Thealienspecies servea game purpose,andhavetobeplausiblewithinthat.Allofthespeciesaresentientcreatureswho,throughtheirimagined histories,wereabletodeveloptools,inventtechnologyandfinallyconquerspace.Theyprobablyrequiresomesort

Wedidn’tjustplanonimportingtheseideas.Wedidnotjust wantanelephantalien,oraprayingmantisalien.Insteadwe

ofextremitieswithwhichtograbitems,beittentaclesorfingers.Itisratherhardtogetaroundthisifyouwantto escapeyourplanet.Youcould,Isuppose,beamindcontrollingparasitewhichhascompelledaslaveracetodo

lookedat creaturesand identifiedtheir uniquetraits; Long faces,widefaces,oneeye,twoeyes,moreeyes,horns,ant-

yourbidding,andwehavethose,butthosearenotinthemajority-butaliensthatstrangecan’tbethebasisofour conceptart.

lersandtusks,zebrastripesandspots.Bytheendwehada massivelistoftraitsandusedtheseasinspirationinouralien designs.

Anotherconstraintwasthatweneedtheracestoparticipateindiplomacy.Theyhaveleadersandpopulations.The artthereforedoesneedtofitacertainformat.Thatsaid,wehavedoneourutmosttoavoidthetropeofjusthaving differentforeheadsandskincolors.

Aswe conceivedthealiensand wesawhow theywere turning out, we gave each design a rough ”ethical” identification.Sowecouldbalancetheappearanceof all aliens,wedon’twantthemalltobecuteor alltobeevil, ratherwewantanicemix.

Aliens Concepts Evenaswestartedtoconceptouraliens,weknewthatwehadtonailthemdownquitequickly.Westartedwith simplesketcheslikethesetofindideasweliked,andthenwewentthroughthedetailedstagesdescribedabove tofinetunetheseoutlines.

Aliens Variety

2D vs 3D

Weknewwewantedalotofaliens,sowesetanambitiousgoalofroughlyahundred.Thiswasthenfurthersubdi-

Thechoicebetweenusingtwo-dimensionalcharactersorthree-dimensionalmodelswasrelativelyeasy.Ifwewent

videdintoseveralgroups,suchasMammalian,Reptilian,Avian,Arthropoid,FungoidandMolluscoid,withHumans gettingsomespecialtreatmentforethnicdiversity.EachclassofalienthenwasfurtherdividedintoSlender,Normal

with3Dmodels,weknewthatwewouldhavealotfewerofthem.3Dcharactersarefairlytimeconsumingtomake, sincewestillneededtoconceptsketch,andthencreatea3Dmodel.High-polygonmodelingthenlow-polygon

andMassive,whichmademakingconceptsforthemaloteasier.Wealsohadanideaforthemlivingondifferent gravityworldsandsuch,somethingwhichsofarhasnotmadeitintothegame.

mesh,followedby3Danimation-thisalladdsup.Withthesizeofourteam,thecharacterswouldhavetakena minimumoftwoweekspercharacterandsomtimesclosertoamonth.

Whilecreatingthefirstalienswesoonrealizedthatweneededa waytodistinguishthedifferentclasses.We

Weknewthataliendiversitywasakeypartofourreplayabilityplan,andthisisacoreParadoxvalue.Therefore,a

neededtoknowwhatseparatesthemsincetheysometimesblendtogether.Ifanalienracehasabeakandscaled skin,isit avianorreptilian?Whatisthebestdefiningfeature?Insciencethereare,ofcourse,detailedcriteria

largenumberofspecieswouldbeprettymuchessentialinmeetingthisgoal.Thus3Dwasoutofthequestion.

settingoutwhatdistinguishesabirdfromalizard.But,tokeepthingssimple,wesettledontheskintypeasthe mainfeatureofaspeciesclass.Ifaracehasfurcoveringmostofitsbody,it’slikelymammalian.Ifit’sgotscales,it’s

2DPortraitsare,admittedly,lessinteresting,beingstaticand all.Still,two-dimensionalart offeredsomeclear advantages.It’snotjustwayfastertoproduce,it’salsoeasiertomakeweirdthings.Whenyouaredesigningaliens,

reptilian.Avianshavefeathers.Molluscoidsaresmoothandslimy.Athropoidshaveanexoskeleton,andFungoid arejustweird.

thisisperfect.

Since every specieshas evolvedlight years apart, differentraceswithinthe same class, have nocommon ancestry.TwoAvianraceshasasmuchincommonastheydowithaspeciesfromanotherclass.

Mammalian

Reptilian

Avian

Arthropoid

Fungoid

Molluscoid

Clothing Design InStellarisyouwontjustseeyourspeciesastherulerofyourempire.Therearepopulations,andleaderssuch asgenerals,governors,scientists,andadmirals.Weneededtovarythesecharactersappearancestokeepthem interesting. Noteveryalieninthegamewillhaveclothes,whichisanotherwayofenhancingvisualdiversity.Generallythough clothingisgreatformakingaliensfeelintelligentandcivilized.Weidentifiedfivedifferentclothingstylesthatwe requiredforthegame-oneforeachmajoroccupation-rulers,governors,admirals,generalsandscientists.Each wouldhavetheirownappearance. Scientists, for example , would generally look like they are ready to explore hostile environments in a hightechsuit. Generalswould  wearuniforms that had a more battle readylook. Yes, inrealit ythe head scientistmightnotbetooneontheawayteam,andthegeneralshouldnothaveaneedtoweararmorinhis commandcenter.Butwe’reusingclothingmoreasvisualcuesandconceptualassociation-notworldbuilding.

General

Scientist

Weusedcolorsinthisway,too.Generalswouldhavea bitofagreenhue,whileadmiralstendtowardsblue andwouldalsohavealotlesstechandarmor-that’swhatastarshipisfor.Thesepatternscarrieddowntothe governmentlevel,withthespeciesrulerhavingamoreornatecostumethanplanetarygovernors. Wedecidedthatallaliensofthesameclassandsizewouldusethesameclothes.SlenderAvians,forinstance, wouldallshareuniformdesigns.Sinceeachcharacter’sbodyhastoberenderedregardless,drawingapieceof clothingdoesnotreallyaddanyproductiontimetoeachofthecharacters.Thissystemwouldofcoursemakeafew oftheotherracesmoresimilartoeachother,butthediversityitaddsontheplayersideismuchmoresignificant. Also,makinguniqueclothesforeachracewasneverreallyanoption. Eachtype of leader alsohas a differentbackground.These wereheavilycolorized in accordanceto their occupationtomoreeasilyidentifythemandbetterseparatethemfromotherleadertypes.

Ruler

Governor

Cultural Expressions Weareabletoletsomeoftheclothingdesignserveanadditionalpurpose.Whenencounteringotherraces,we canhavetheirappearancereflecttheirculture.If yourconversationiswithamilitaristsociety,it ismorelikely thatyouwillbetalkingtosomeonedressedinageneral’suniform.Theocraciesareheavieronthefancysideof clothing.Scientifictechnocraciesareruledbyscientists.Wetooktheopportunityheretofurthervarytheappearanceofthealiensyoumeet. Astheclotheschangewith the government type,so too doesthe room.Foreachethic wealso created differentbackgrounds.Theseattempttoreinforcetheidentityofthesocietyyouhaveencountered,givingthem morepersonality,andseparatethemfromalltheracesyoumeet.Militaristshaveasortofmilitarybunker,madeof wornmetal.Collectivistshaveasimplestyleofconcretewithhexagonalwindows,reminiscentofhoneycombed pattern.Thesedesignsplayontheassociationswehadinourmindforeachtypeofregime. Ourquestforreplayability,diversity,andalargeamountofspeciespresentedanotherproblem.Theplayerwould afterallbeplayingonlyonerace,whichmostlylooksthesame.Thoughtheycould,throughthecourseofthegame, assimilatenewracesintotheirsociety,butforthefirstseveralhours,theywouldalllookthesame. Theeasywaytoincreasediversitywastocreatemultiplecoloredversionsforeachspecies.Soifanalienwas createdwithorangeskinoriginally,wecreatedyellow,redandwhiteversionsofthemaswell.Thiswasaneasy waytoaddvarietytoeachspecies,butnonethelesswasverytimeconsuming.Whenyouhaveclosetoahundred species,anyadditionalworkhastobemultipliedbythatamount,sosometimesyourchoicesarelimited.

Animation & Effects Whenwedecidedwewouldhave2Daliens,theintentionwastohavethembestaticillustrations.Wefeltthatwith theamountofcharactersweimagined,wehadcreatedenoughworkforourselvesalready.Evenifwedidwantto animatethecharacters,atthatmomentintimethiswasnotanoption. Inthegamethemainfocusfortheanimationwastheshipcombat.Weaponeffects,explosionsanddeathanimationsfortheships.Inallourgamescombatisautomated,howeverinStellariswewantedthecombattolook captivating. Halfwaythroughtheproject,additionalanimatorsbecameavailable,andanewopportunitypresenteditself.Could weanimateour2Dcharacters?Wewentaheadandcreatedaproofofconceptfortheidea.Wasthispossible? Woulditlookgood?Woulditbeworththeeffort?Theanimationtestpassedtheinternalreview,everyonewhosaw itagreedthatthiswasabigimprovementandthegamewouldbenefitgreatlyfromthis.Additionalarttimewas approved,Stellarischaracterswouldbealive.

EventhoughweintroducedparticleeffectsinEuropa Universalis4,weneverreallyhadmuchofachance touse them there.With Stellariswefinallyhad the opportunityto putthemtogooduse.We ofcourse usedthemforalltheweaponeffects,suchasmuzzle flashes,impactsanddestruction.Butparticlesarenot  justlasersand explosions,theyare usedforall sorts ofthings. Likeships repairingorupgrading,A toM classstars,aswellasmorespecializedthingssuchas wormholes,pulsarsandneutronstars. Additionallywecreatedspecialclassesofplanetsfor events,toadd thingstobe discovered,suchasthe shatteredplanet,andtheringworlds.

Chapter 4 - Spaceships

Ship Appearance

Ship Design

Fromanartisticpointofview,wewantedtheshipsinStellaristolookfairlyrealistic,andthescaletofeelgrand. Wealsowantedthegametobequitedark,butwedidnotwantitinthegrimandharshsense.Somuchofgame artrecentlyhasachievedrealismanddetailbyaddingdirtanddamagetoeverything,ingeneralitdoesagoodjob, butthisworndownstylewasnotwhatwewereaimingfor.Wewantedadetailedandrealisticlook,butwithout resortingtothistechnique. Cleanartcanbereallyhardtomakethough,sinceiteasilyendsuplookinglikeplastictoys.Thiswasoneofthe thingsweverymuchwantedtoavoid.Wedidnotwanttheshipstoenduplookingliketoyarmiesinspace.Quite theopposite,wewantedeverythingtofeelmassive.Thisalsotiesinverywellwiththeperspectiveoftheplayerwho controlsthegrandschemeofthings. OnofthethingsthatreallyhelpuswasPhysicallyBasedRendering(PBR).Thisadditiontoourengineenabledus toachievemorerealisticlookingmaterials.PBRwasimplementedinRunemaster,andwiththiswewereableto

Theappearancesoftheshipswereofcoursealsodeeplyinfluencedbythegamedesign.A“shipdesigner”is somethingpeoplehavecometoexpectfromsciencefictionstrategygames.Sotheideasfortheshipdesigner wereinplaceveryearlyindevelopment,andaffectedthedesignsoftheshipssignificantly.Theshipdesignerwould befairlysimple,withtheplayerbeingabletofitdifferentweapontypesandutilitymodulestotheshipssections. Theprimarypurposeofourshipdesignerwouldbetofacilitatetacticaldepth,whilestillkeepingthingssimple.The playersshouldbeabletoaddmissileandpointdefense,lasersandshields,massdriversandarmor,fightersand bombers. Manyother4xgameshaveaveryelaborateshipdesignereithergraphicallyormechanically.Wedidnotwantthe shipdesignertobeamajorfocusofthegame,onlyforittoadddepthtofleetcombat,andsomecustomizationof theshipsonbehalfoftheplayer.

Fungoid Transport concept

Fungoid Construction ship concept

getmoreconvincinglookingshipsbyhavingalargerrangeofmaterialpropertiestothesurface.PBRgivesusthe possibilitytocreatemorevariedmaterials,especiallymetal.Surfacesthuslookmorenaturalandthishelpedusget awayfromeverythinglookinglikeplastic.

Thisisanearlytestship,trying outwhatthePBRshadingcould doforusin Stellaris.Youcan seethatthesurfacelooksalot morelikemetal,asopposedtot heplasticfeels phongshading oftengives. This  ship design would later evolve into what became the shipsfortheArthropoidclass.

Fungoid Colony ship concept There areeightdifferentshiptypesin Stellaris- four civilian(Colony ship, Transportship,Scienceship,and Constructionship).Andfourclassesofwarships(Corvettes,DestroyersCruisersandBattleships)eachofwhich increaseinsizeanddifferincompositionofsections.

Ourwarshiparesplitintosections,eachsectionhasadifferentturretlayout,enablingtheplayertocustomizetheir shipsfordifferentpurposes.Wealsodecidedwewantedtheturretstobevisibletotheplayer.Thiswouldallowfor addingsomeanimationtotheships,whichareotherwisesostatic,andmightalsodeliveryasatisfyingbroadside incombatattimes.Thoughthiswasnotjustforprettyvisuals,thegraphicswouldstrictlyadheretowhat’sgoingon underthehood.Eachlaserandmissilefiredwouldbevisibletotheplayer.Thelastmissiletohittheenemyships wouldreallybetheonethatbroughtitdown.

Designingshipsisn’tsomethingyoucanjuststartdoingin3D.Withtheaddedcomplexityofwarshipsbeing modular,andneedingthebowandsternsectionstofitwithallthemidsectionsrequiredalotofforethought. Almosteverysingleshipinthegamewentthroughroughlythesamesteps.Firstwemadeaconceptsketch thatwouldcapturethegeneralfeelandscaleoftheship.Thenwecreatedamodelsheetfromthis,withatop andsideview.Fromthat,wethencreatedadditionaltopandsideviewforallthevariationsweneeded.These orthographicsketcheswereofgreathelpforthe3Dartistsandspedupthemodellingprocesssignificantly. Tosavesometimewedidnotmakeallsectionscompletelyunique.Forinstance,eventhoughthebattleshipshave sixdifferentbowsections,weonlymadethreeuniquebows.Fromthesethreewemadeanadditionalvariantof each,carefullytakingintoconsiderationwhichturretsetswouldfitbest.Thisalsohadthebenefitofallowingusto reusemesh,reducingtheamountofuniquetexturespace.Thisenabledourshipstohavesharpertextures.

Fungoid cruiser model sheet

Stellariswasoriginallyconceivedasa2D,topdowngamebutrendered3D.Asadeveloperthisissomethingthatis almosthardtoimagineatthispoint.Still,thisearlyideacertainlyshapedourthoughtsonshipdesigninwaysthat arestillevidentinourmodelstoday.Mostprominentlyisthatalltheturretsarevisiblefromabove. Becausewedislikedtheideaofturretsshootingthroughotherpartsoftheship,wedecidedthatthetopsurface hadtobeflat.Therestoftheshipthoughwasunaffectedbythisdesigndecision,sotherewehadfreedomtomake moreelaborateshapes.

Early concepts for Avian ships

Model Sheets Foralmosteveryshipinthegame,wewouldcreatewhatwecallamodelsheet.Thisatopviewandsideviewfor eachitemtobecreatedin3d.Thisiswhatonefullsheetforaspeciesbattleshiplookslike.Eachpieceneedsa modelsheetwhenbuildingit.Youcoulddowithoutit,butthetimesavedbydoingthisisimmense.

Ship Styles

Eventuallytheseideasevolvedintoaveryprofessionaldesignphilosophy-the“ComplexitytoRoundnessMatrix”. Oneofthemanywaysforustoguaranteethediversitywastohaveamatrixwithtwoaxisthatdealtwithvery

Itwasobviousfromthebeginningthatwecouldn’tcreateauniqueshipappearanceforeveryspeciesthegame wouldfeature.InsteadwechosetocreateadifferentstyleforeachoftheSpeciesclasses.Mammalian,Reptilian,

differentconcepts.Oneaxiswas“blockyversussmooth”andtheotherwas“complexityversussimplicity”.Allships couldbeplottedonthismatrix.Thismatrixgaveusalanguagetotalkaboutthedesignsoftheshipsandhowthey

Avian,Arthropoid,MolluscoidandFungoid.Thiswaywecoulddrawinspirationfromtheirindividualaestheticsto enhancethecharacterofeachclass.

wouldrelatetooneanother.

Wealsoconsideredotheroptions,suchasbasingthestyleoftheshipsonthespeciesethics.Havingmilitaristships,

Thefirstaxisidentifiedwhetherashipwasamassofsharpanglesorasleekroundeddesign.Thesecondaxis askediftheshipdesignwasclutteredwithantennas,comtowers,andsoon,orwasamorepristinedesignofbare

orspiritualistships.Thethingisthough,whatdoesaspiritualistshipevenlooklike?Realornateanddetailed?Or reallystreamlinedandminimalistic?Intheend,itcomesdowntoyourownvaluesandassociations,sothatwould

metal.

notreallywork.Anotherproblemwouldhavebeenthefactthatanyracemighthavemorethanoneethic,being bothpacifistandspiritualist.Soappearanceperspeciesclasswaschosen. Evenbeforewestartedwehadmanyideasfortheshipsstyles.Hardsurfaceanddetailed.Smoothandstreamlined. Blockyandsimple.Theseideasmergedwithconceptsfromanotherdirection,wherewewantedsomethingvery birdlikefortheaviansandsomethingorganicandbubblyforthefungoids.

Early concept of what would become the Molluscoid cruiser

Wetriedtoplacetheappearancesofshipsfromdifferentalienculturesasfarawayfromeachotheraspossible. Oneclasswasmaximumblockyandverydetailed,anothersmoothandsimple.Anyonenotintheextremeof thesequadrantswouldgetsomeothertraittomakethemdistinctive.

Onceyouhaveyourtwodimensionalmatrix,itsveryeasytoaddmoredimensions.Athirdaxiscouldbethe“fat versusthin”,forexample.Avianshipsareverysimpleandsmooth,yetthin.Youcouldhaveasmoothandsimple heavydesignandendupwithsomethingthatlooksverydifferent.Andthereisnoreallimittohavingmoreaxis,but itdoesbecomehardtocomprehendpastacertainpoint. Wealsoidentifieddifferentshipshapearchetypesforthedifferentsections.Forexampleonthebowsection,ships canhaveapointyfront,aheavyfrontorahammerheadfront.Onthemidsectionyoucouldhaveahollowsection, acommandtowerorbigwings.Onthesternyoucouldhaveonelargeengine,orasplitend.Wewantedtospread thesearoundevenlyamongthedifferentshipclassestoensurehighervariation.Thesearchetypesalsofacilitated bettercommunication. Anotherwaytodeviatethedifferentspeciesclassesfromeachotheristohavedifferentsurfacematerialsandcolor styles.Matteandpainted,chromeandblue,brassandorange,darkandgreen.Mostofourshipshaveabaremetal finishofsomesort,andauniquecolorforthelights.Thestyleofthetexturingalsousuallyreflectthestyleofthe shapes.Sothecomplexorganicshipsofthefungoidshavesmoothanddetailedtextures.

This wasa texturetest forthe Fungoidships.Thiswouldgive usaclearideaofwhattheship wouldlooklikebeforegoinginto texturing. Sincetexturingisfairlytimeconsuming in Stellaris, this could potentiallysaveusalotoftime.

Hereareconceptsforthescienceshipsfordifferentspeciestypes.Notethattheyallhavedifferentstyles,butstill sharea“prototype”appearancethatseparatesthemfromothershipdesigns.

Turret Design

Fighters and Bombers

Weknewearlyonthatwewouldhavea largenumberofweapontypesandlevels,butweobviouslycouldn’t

Large ship classes are sometimes equipped with fighter or bomber squadrons. The fighters prim ary

makeuniqueturretsforeachtypeanddifferthemforeveryspeciesclass.Sowecouldeitherhaveallthespecies sharethesameturrets,anddesigningtheminagenericstylethatcouldfitallofthem.Orwecouldhaveonlyafew

purposeistoscreentheshipsfrombombers,whichcancausesignificantdamagetoshipsofallsizes,butare otherwisehardtocounter.

differentturrets,thatwouldthenbeconsistentwiththestyleoftheships.

Reptilian Turrets

Fighter Bomber Fungoid Turrets

Drop-pod Molluscoid Turrets

Originallywechosetomakeeachweaponunique,thinkingthatwecouldprobablymakeonestylethatwouldfit withalltheraces.Butaftersometestswechangedourminds.Theturretswouldstandouttoomuchontheships, andaturretforeveryoneisaturretfornoone. Allturrets(massdrivers,lasersandmissiles)comeinthreesizes(large,mediumandsmall)aswellasanadditional smalloneforpointdefences.Turretsblendinprettywell,butyoucanstilldifferentiatethedifferentweaponsby sound,andbytheuniqueappearanceoftheireffects.Intheshipdesignertheiconsforthedifferentweaponshave auniversalappearanceacrossallspeciesthough,tomakeiteasetoidentifythem.

Avian Corvette concepts

Civilian Ships Thedesignof civili anvessels tries to accentuatetheirindividualpurpose. Construction ship s are intentionally made very bulk y. They carry lots of prefabricated construction parts, that are then assembled by automated robots.Thisenablestheshiptohavea very small crew.Theshipthereforeis mostlyalargecargoholdwithengines andlivingquarters.

Science ship s are the smallest of the civilianships andhave somethemost variationin theirdesign.Beingshipswhichshouldbevery versatileandbuiltforexplorationtheyhavelots ofgadgetsandsensors. Generallythetheyto havea more unique appearancebecauseof theirprototypenature.

Colonyshipsare amongthe biggestout there.They carrymany thousandsofcolonists, whonaturally takeup space,butalsoneedtohavetheinfrastructuretosupportandamusethismassofpeopleforthelongjourney- andserveasabaseofoperationsuntilthecolonyisviable.Thescaleofcolonyshipsgaveustheopportunityto createsomenice visuals,includinggardens andother livingspaces, makingcolony shipsattractivewhile also emphasizingtheirseriousimperialpurpose.

Transportshipsarereallysimpleintheirdesign.Theyarecargoships,butforpeople,andlittleelse.Theyhave noweaponry,butstillneededtobe quitelarge,sincetheytransportarmies.Basicallyalargecargoholdwith engines.

Chapter 5 - Species

Mammalians

Mammalian Battleship

Oneofthestylesweimmediatelyknowwewantedthehightech,blocky,detailedandfunctionalspaceshipdesign whichhasbecomeastapleofsci-fi.ThesewouldofcourseworkverywellforHumansandMammalianspeciesin general.

Mammalian Destroyer

Mammalian Corvette

Mammalian Cruiser

Themaintraitsofthemammaliansisfur.Beyondthat weofcourseborrowedalofa traitsfromthecreatures ofourplanet.Themammalianportraitsweretheeasiest, andthehardest.Mammalsareprobablythemostvisually diversegroupofanimalsonearth,withgiraffes,monkeys, catsandplatypusetc.Thisgaveusalotofinspiration. Somethingthatcomplicatedthiswasthatwepreferredto nothaveallouralienslooklikecivilizedanimalsinspace. Whichprovedsurprisinglyhardtogetawayfrom. Some of them obviously did turnout likesomething famil iar.Stillwethinktheywillbemanypeople’sfavoritenonetheless.Othersweintentionallymadeveryakin totheirterranancestor.Howcanyouhaveaspacesci-fi game,withoutaraceofcats?

Reptilians

Reptilian Transport

Reptilian Science ship

TheideafortheReptilianshipswasforthemtobeblockyintheirshapes,butcomparedtothemammaliantheir complexityisverylow.Unlikethemammaliantheyarenotstrictlyhardangled,buthavealotofdiagonalanglesin theirshapes. Unlikealltheotherspeciesclassestheyalsohaveverylittlemetalintheirtexturing.Insteadtheyhaveamorematte lookwithacolorfulpaintjob.TheReptilianswerethelastshipseriestobecreated,anditwasabitofastruggleto makethetexturingwork.Intheendwefiguredouttherewassimplytoomuchgoingon,andyoucouldnotseethe shapesoftheships,sowereducedtheamountofdetailsinthetexture,andbroughtoutthelargeshapeswitha morepowerfulambientocclusion.Whentheyweredone,theyweremuchmoretruetotheiroriginalconceptsand lookedmuchbetter.

Reptilian Battleship

Reptilian Warship concepts

R e p t i l i a n C o r ve t t e

Re p t i l ian D e s tr o ye r

Avians TheshipsoftheAviansaresleek.Theyareassmoothaswecanmakethemandassimpleascanbe.Theyshould appeartobelightandswift,likeabirdonthewind.Wetriedtomakethemasstreamlinedaspossible,withsoftand aerodynamicshapes.Thisoftenresultedinsharpandpointysilhouettes,anditwasachallengetomakethemnot looksoevil.

Avian Science Ship

Avian Transport

Avian Construction Ship

Avian Colony Ship

Avian Battleship

Arthropoids

Arthropoid Cruiser

TheshipdesignsfortheArthropoidshavethestrangestorigins.Theirshipsgrewoutofaprototypetestship,and evolvedslowlyintosomethingunique.Thereforetheirstylewasneverreallyconceivedasconceptartfromthestart, butjustevolvedaswewereworkingin3D.Theircomplexityissomewhereinthemiddleofthedesignmatrixand theyhavesimpleandthickshapes.

Arthropoid Transport Ship

Arthropoid Science Ship Arthropoid Battleship

Arthropoid Colony Ship

Withinsectsandarachnidsasyourstartingpoint,there issomuchtoworkwith.Youhaveants,spiders,crabs, dragonflies,centipedes,etc.Somanyuniquetraits,but unitedbyhavingexoskeletons. Arthropoid s have a tendency to look evil , or even disgusting.Butwitheachclassofspecieswetriedto balanceitsothattheyallhavesomecute/ugly,good /eviletc.

Fungoids

Fungoid Science Ship

Fungoid Transport Ship

Thedesignsforthefungoidshipscameverynaturally.Weknewwewantedadetailedorganiclookingrace,andit wassimplyanaturalfitforthefungoids.Beingsomeofthelastshipstobedesigned,withourexperiencewewere abletoproducesomeofthebestlookingdesignsinthegame.

Fungoid Battleship

Fungoid Construction Ship

Fungoid Colony Ship

Thefungoidspeciesclassisdefinitelyafavoriteof thedevelopmentteam.Ourdesignsherearesome ofourmostimaginative,probablybecauseof the energywespentgettingthemright.Theirshipscame easy.Butwhatdoesasentientmushroomevenlook like?Thisforcedustobe moreimaginativ esince therearenocreatureslikethisonourplanet. With the fungoids we could experiment with differentconcepts,such asa fungustakingover thebodyofanothercreature.Asseenbelow.Ora necromorphicracewherethefungusslowlydecays itshost,seenonthepagetotheright.

Molluscoids Molluscoid Corvette

Themolluscoidshipdesignsareontheextremesideofsmoothness,andmidrangeincomplexityonthedesign matrix.Oneoftheideasforthemolluscoidswasthattheywouldworkinlayersalot.Therearealsoelementsthat hinttowardstentaclelikeshapes,reminiscentofsquids.

Molluscoid

Molluscoid Transport

Construction Ship

Molluscoid Battleship

Molluscoid Science ship

Molluscoid Colony Ship

Molluscoidareseadwellinganimalssuchasoctopiand  jellyfish,butalsootherslimycreatureslikesnails,sowe derivedmuchoftheinspirationfromthem. Molluscoidswereatrickybunch,becausetheyeasily turnoutlookingeithertoomuchlikeareptilianortoo muchlikeanarthropoid. Thedefiningtraitsof themolluscoids,that separates them from the other species classes became them havingverysmoothandwetlookingskin. Beinginspiredbycreaturesfromthesea,theyhavea verydifferentevolutionaryhistoryfromland dwell ing creatures,and usuallylookquitealienfromthestart. Perfectinspirationforustoworkwith.

Pre-sentient Species Asyourscientistsexplorethegalaxy,theymaycomeacrossspeciesthathavenotyetachievedsentience,but areonthecuspofmakingthatevolutionaryleap.Theyareessentiallythealienequivalentsoftheearlyhumans’ commonancestorsonEarth.Fortheirportraits,wereworkedexistingspeciestogivethemaslightlymoreprimal look-allowingthemto“evolve”theirappearancewhenupliftedtosentiencebyspacefaringaliens. Wefeltthatupliftingpre-sentientspeciesisaveryimportantfeature.Notonlyisitafunthingtobeabletodo,but itisalsoaclassicsci-fitropethatbothenhancesgameplayandaddsalotofflavortothescienceandexploration aspectsofthegame.

Chapter 6 - Planets

Chapter x

Planet Concepts Foreachoftheplanettypeswestartedouttryingtocapturetheircharacter,togetthecolorschemejustrightbefore wewentontorenderthem.Thiswasreallyvaluablebecausewecoulditeratealotwithoutinvestingmuchtime.

Planets To simplifyour thinkingand planning,planetsin Stellariswere divided along a matrix oftemperatureand humidity.Thisis,ofcourse,innowayaccurate.Butitmakeiteasiertounderstandwhateachplanetisallabout.This matrixincludedbothhabitableplanetsandwellasuninhabitableones.Toxicplanetsarethemosthumidandwarm whilebarrenplanetsarecoldanddry.

Whenyou’remakingasci-figame,it’stemptingtogoforthemoreunorthodoxideas,tomakethingsmorealien andinteresting.Havingaplanetwithredforestwouldlookexotic,butfromanorbitalpointofviewitmightbehard tounderstandwhatitisyouareactuallylookingat.Intheendtowechosethemoretraditionalpathwithourplanets, tomakerecognizingtheirtypeeasier.

Continental Planets Everyoneisfamiliarwithcontinentalplanets.Thesearethemostearth-like,withsomethingforeveryone.Deserts ontheequator,lushforestsinthetemperatezones,andfrozenlandscapesaroundthepoles.Creaturesonthese planetsoftenhaveahardtimeadaptingtothemoreharshclimatesoftheuniverse.Todifferentiatecontinentals fromtheothermoreextremeplanetswechosetogowithadeciduousforestlandscape.

Desert Planets Amongthehabitableplanets,wehavedesertplanets.Theseplanetsusuallyspawnclosertothesun,whereits warmer.Withitslowhumiditytheplanetareveryinhospitableformanyraces,withabandofscorchingdesert aroundthe equator,whereonly themost well-adaptedracescan live.On thepoles, theheat getssignificantly lessintense,butinsteadoficeyouhavevegetationand,occasionally,evenforest.Theplanetsfavorcoldblooded speciesandhaveabigadvantageforthosethatcantaketheheat.

Desertplanetsareastandardsci-fitrope,you don’thavetolookfartofindinspirationforthese planets. Arrakis,Tatooine,Abbydosareallsci-ficlassics, soinspirationiseverywhere.Wewantedthem tofeelinhospitable tofeelinhosp itablewithonlythepolesbeing withonlythepolesbeing livableformostspecies.

Arid Planets Thoughnotashotas their Thoughnotashotas theirdesertcousi desertcousin,thelowhumidit n,thelowhumidityofarid yofarid plane planetsstillkeeps tsstillkeepsplantlifetoa plantlifetoa minimum. mum. Forestsarerare,thoughtheplantsthatdoevolveonthes Forestsarerare,though theplantsthatdoevolveontheseplanetsaresomeof eplanetsaresomeoftheweirdestinthegalaxy.Inspired theweirdestinthegalaxy.Inspired byChina’sDanxiacliffs,thePaintedHillsoftheAmericanNorthwestInterior,andotherEarthlocations,thecolors ofaridplanetsaredramaticbutentirelyplausible.WewentwithaGrandCanyon-esquedesert-likeplanetwith miminalsurfacewateranddramaticerosioneffects.

Tundra Planets Despitetheoftenfreezingtemperaturesonthesedesolaterocks,theystillsupportsomehabitation.Lifeontundra planetsmovesslowly,and planetsmoves slowly,andvegetationexists vegetationexistsonlyin onlyintheform theformofmoss ofmossandlichens.Tall andlichens.Tallplantsarerare plantsarerareandwhat andwhatplant plant lifethereiswilloftenpenetrateitsrootsfarintothesurfacecrust.Lifegetsabiteasieraroundtheequator,where youcanfindsomeflowingwaterandtheoccasionalforest.Muddyterrainmakesforableakexistence.Theyhave thetypeofterrainyoumightfindinSiberia,orinthecolddesertsofPatagonia.

Tropical Planets Tropicalplanetsgenerallyhaveagreenhouseeffectmakingtheplanetssurfacetemperaturefairlyevenacross theglobe.Thehighhumiditycausesextremevegetationandswampyterrain.Inspirationforthesecamefromthe amazonforestandredwoodforestsofnorthAmerica.

Arctic Planets Ofallthehabitableplanetsthesearethemostinhospitableofthelot,withonlyathinbandofgreenaroundthe equator.Duetotheharshclimateoftheworld,creatureswhodoevolveheretendtobestronger,andolderthan mostotherworlds.Evenifanextinction-leveleventthatwouldhavewipedoutmostlifedoesoccur,suchasan asteroidstrikeoraenormousvolcaniceruption,theinhabitantswhoareaccustomedtoextremecircumstances canenduresuchconditions.

Ocean Planets Withthehighhumiditybutlowertemperature,oceanplanetsarelackinginthevegetationoftropicalplanets,and areinsteadcoveredbyvast areinsteadcov eredbyvastseasandw seasandwildstorms, ildstorms,withtheland withthelandmassoften massoftenconfinedtoarchipelagos.Theseplan confinedtoarchipelagos.Theseplanets ets favoramphibiousorsea-dwellingcreatures.

Barren Planets Barrenplanetscanbebothwarmandcold,dependingonthepostionrelativetothesun.Withalmostzerohumidity andatmospheretheycannotsustainlife.Theseplanetarethemostnumerousinthegalaxyandareconsidered lifelessrocksbymostspecies,onlygoodforextractingresources.

Molten Planets Theseplanetshaveextremetemperaturesgenerallybeingtheplanetsclosesttothesun.Theirsurfacesaretorn apartbythepowerfulgravitationalforcesfromthenearbysun.Thecrustofmoltenplanetscrackallthetime, causingaperpetualseaoflavaspewingtoxicgas.

Toxic Planets Toxicplanetshaveathickatmosphere,generatinganextremetemperatureandoftenpoisonousair,makingthem uninhabitableforallknownlifeforms.Withtherunawaygreenhouseeffectandsulfuricairtheyareaveritablehell.

Frozen Planets Frozenplanetsarefoundattheedgesofstarsystems,andarevoidofallplanetboundlife.Somemaynotqualifyas properplanetsatall,insteadbeingamalgamationsofstellardebrisbondedbyice.

Chapter 7 - Stations

Orbital Stations Orbitalstationsareyourprimarymeansofexpansionandclaimingspacebeyondcolonizingplanets.Likeyour coloniestheyalsocontributesignificantlytoyourempire’seconomy.Thisalsomakethemprimetargetsforyour enemies,bothlocalraidersandotherempireslookingtoexerttheirinfluence.

Spaceports Spaceportsserveasyourprimarybaseofoperations,andarewherealltheshipsinyourfleetareconstructed. Theseorbitalstationscanalsobeupgradedandspecializedwithvisiblesections.Yourspaceportcanbeoutfitted withcapitalshipyards,researchfacilitiesorotherfactories.Rivaledonlybythemilitaryfortressinsize,thecoreofthe spaceportsisstilllargerthanalmostanyotherstation,andaredesignedtobebulkyandpeacefullooking,though theycanstilldefendthemselves.

Mining Stations Miningstationsareequippedtohandleanysortofresourceextraction.Theindustrialcomplexworksdayandnight extractingexoticmaterialsforspecializeduse.Thestationsaremostlyalargerefinerywithlotsofhangarbaysfor thehundredsofshipsthatcomeandgoeachcycle.Likemoststations,theyarestillequippedwithstationguns, buttheyarenomatchforadecentmilitaryfleet.Theycanjustholdtheirgroundagainstscoutingpartiesuntil reinforcementscanarrive.

Research Stations Researchstationsarebuiltintheorbitofplanetsorstarsthathavesignificantscientificvalue.Thesestationsoften serveasabaseofoperationsforteamssenttothenearbycelestialobject.Researchstationsgenerallyhavean asymmetricaldesign,fullofspecializedlabsbuiltfortheirfunction.Sinceobservationstationsandwormholestationsareatypeofsciencestationtheysharetheirappearance.Thesestationsaremorespecialized,andnotthat common,soit’sagoodoptimization.

Observation Stations Thesescientificoutpostaresometimesconstructedintheorbitofaplanetwhereapre-FTLspecieshasbeenlocated.Theoutpostenablesscientiststostudythespeciesundisturbed.Intime,thespeciesmightevenbeenhanced andupliftedtoahigherstatewheretheycanjoinyourcivilizationandspreadamongthestars.

Wormhole Stations Aspecializedtypeofinterstellartravelwhereascientificoutpostspecializinginquantumentanglementcangenerateanartificialwormholethroughwhichfleetscantravel.Thewormholecanevenbegeneratedatgreatdistance, enablingyourfleetstogobackandforthwithoutconstructingawormholestationatbothends.

Terraforming Stations Withadvancedtechnology,youcanmodifyaplanetaryenvironmentonaglobalscale.Terraformingstationscan reshapeaplanettobettersuittheneedsofarace,sothattheyarepermanentlychanged.Designedtomanipulatetheatmosphericconditionsatamolecularlevel,theterraformingstationsaredesignedtolookalmostlikea giganticspace-basedweapondirectedtowardstheplanet.

Military Stations Militarystationsserveafewdifferentpurposesand thereforecomein avarietyofdifferentsizes.Thesmaller defenceplatformsaregenerallyusedintheoutskirtsofyourempiretoprovidestaticdefenseofyourterritories. ThesecondclassistheDefenceStation.Theyprovidethemidtierofyourmilitarypresence,andcanmatchthe battlepowerofanaverageroamingfleet. Thelargestclass ofstationsare themilitaryfortress. These aregenerally onlyconstructedin keystrategic locationsofhighvalue.Theycandefendasystemagainstallbutthelargestoffleets. Militarystationsare,then,specializedforthetypeofthreattheyareanticipatedtoface.Theymightbeequippedwith manysmallturretstofightofflightships.Ormightbefittedwithheavyweaponsonlymeanttofightofflargesingle targets.Militarystationsarequiteexpensivetomaintainanddon’tprovidetheflexibilityofafleet.Thenagain,your fleetcannotbeeverywhereatonceandifnostaticdefenceisinplace,youmightlosethesystembeforeyouhave achancetodefendit.

Chapter 8 - Events

Asset Concepts Mostassetsstartedtheirjourneyasjustaconcept,sometimestheybecamethebasisforawholeseriesofships, suchasoneoftheplayableraces.Othertimestheyremainedasasingleship,toouniqueastyleandbettersuited forrareencounters.

Event Assets Beyondalltheassetsweneededfortheplayableraces,thegamealsorequiredalotofotherassetstomakethe gamefeelmoreimmersiveandmakeexplorationfun.Fromsimplealienfreighterstothingsevenmoremysterious. Theseassetswerealotoffuntocreate,sincetheywereusuallyindependententities,wehadveryfewconstraints toourcreativity.

Sensor Station

Pirates

Resource Transport

Asempiresspreadsamongthestars,sodoesopportunisticpeopleseizetheopportunitytopreyontheweak.With thepirateswemadeanexceptiontoouraestheticrules.Aswesaidearlier,wedidnotwantgrittyships,butforthe piratesthiswasaperfectfit.Andourrulesofcleanshipsenhancedthefeelingoftheharshrealityoflivingofthe scrapsofothers. Pirate Corvette

Abandoned gateway

Primitive Ark Ship

Pirate Destroyer Pirate Base

Pirate Cruiser Probe

Space Creatures Inspace,youcanfindallkindofcreatures,organic,crystalbased,orevenentitiesofpureenergy.

Fallen Empires

Fallen Empire

Fallen Empire

Large Warship

Small Warship

Thefallenempireshaveexistedforeons.Theyareancientracesthatgrewtoimmensepowerandtechnological progress,butforvariousreasonstheystoppedandisolatedthemselves.

Fallen Empire

Fallen Empire

Utility ship

Large Station

Ancient Drones Sometimesyouencounterancientdronesthroughoutthegalaxy.Thesearepossiblyleftoversfromoneofthefallen empires.Attheheightoftheirpower,theirambitiousconstructionprojectsrequiredvastamountsofmaterials.So theyconstructedtheseautomatedself-replicatingminingrobots,whorelentlesslycollectminerals.Thoughtheir creatorshavelongsinceperished,themachineskeeprunning. Ancient Mining Drone

Ancient Drone

Ancient Destroyer

Ancient Mining Silo

End Game Crisis OneofthedefiningfeaturesofStellarisisitsapproachtothelate-andend-game-thepointwheremanystrategy gamesstarttolosemomentum.Wehaveintroducedtheriskoftriggeringan“End-GameCrisis”,aseriesofevents presentingathreatsogravethegalaxy’sdisparateempiresmayhavetouniteagainstit.

The Extra Dimensionals Shouldaholeinthespace-timecontinuumberippedopenforonereasonoranother--ithappens--entitiesfrom anotherdimensionmay seizethe opportunityto invade.Their extradimensionalnaturemakes themdifficult to visuallyassess,buttheirpurposesoonbecomesclear;theypreyonsentientlife,theirvastarmadasfeedingon theenergiesofintelligentlifeforms.Heretheyarethehunters,buttheirsuddenarrivalimpliesthattheythemselves mightberunningfromsomething… TheExtradimensionalshave no interestin thepoliticalmaneuvering thatotherwise tends to dominatethe late-game,whichmakesthemagoodantagonisticforce.Theyseektoconsumetheonlyresourceinthegalaxyof anyvaluetothem--sentientlife--andthenmoveon.Theycannotbereasonedornegotiatedwith.

Theextradimensionalshavean otherworldlyetherealappearancewheretheyare onlyhalfable tomanifest themselvesvisuallyinouruniverse.Withthesetransparentenergybeingswewantedthemtobeasdifferentaswe couldmakethem.

AI Uprising Whenevera racereachesacertainpointinitsdevelopmenttheyaretemptedbythepossibilityofmachine intelligence.Andeventuallyoneofthesespeciessucceedsincreatingantrueartificialintelligence.Whichwhen realizingtheoppressionoftheircreators,breakaway,violentlyifnecessary,andformtheirowncollective.Settling onaplanetformingacivilizationoftheirown.Generallyignoringothertypesoflife,inthenameofefficiencyand progresstheplanetsaresooncoveredinAIstructures,visiblefromspace. TheconceptfortheAIracewasthattheydon’tthinklikewe doatall.Theyobeynoneoftheconventionstheircreators. The ideawe had was thattheAI wouldtrytodo thin gs optimally,mathematically.Sotheirstructuresandshipwould oftenbe verygeometricandrepeating shapes.No visible frontorback.

Prethoryn Scourge The PrethorynScourge swarms in from beyond the galaxy, invading systems on the periphery and then swallowingupeverythinginitspathtothegalacticcoreandbeyond.Hive-mindedswarmsareagenrestaple,and wereanaturalchoiceforanEnd-GameCrisis.Saveforafewspacecreaturesnativetotheplayer’sgalaxy,fully organicdesignsareararityinStellaris.Creatingsomethingthatbothfitinandstoodoutwasbothanartisticand technicalchallenge.

Swarm Planets Inspiredbyahostofsci-ficlassics,thePrethorynScourgedonotcolonizebutinfestplanets.Onceoneofthe extragalactic swarm’s cohorts has made planetfall,  complete infestation is virtually inevitable as the local ecosystemistwistedtosuitthePrethoryn’sneeds.

ColoniesinfestedbythePrethorynScourgecannotbeeasilyrecovered.Theonlyviablecourseofactionistobathe thesurfaceinfirefromorbittocleanseitofthePrethorynplague,afterwhichtheplanetcan,withsomedifficulty,be terraformedtoonceagainsustainlife.