2023 Stellaris Beginner's Guide | Part 6 | Diplomacy

[@MattLathrum]

Bleeding minerals monthly and forgetting why... kind of like my Netflix subscription.

[@Valvoorik]

8:59 For those who wonder: "Unyielding" comes with Apocalypse DLC or the Overlord DLC.

[@MaxTheCatfish]

Thank you! I've played with all DLC for years and couldn't remember which features come in which! I have some research to do before the ultimate Stellaris DLC video. 😉

[@javierestebangallen3073]

This comment is valid for your series of video on Stellaris, it's just that I decided to write it today. I have tried to play Stellaris for a long time but never found a way to really enjoy it. I tried different tutorials but none ever really caught my attention... until I found yours. Now I'm really learning to play the game and I'm starting to understand it beyond what I expected. Your explanations are great, but the way you express your emotions in your videos transmit a lot of feelings, and that is so hard and scarce to find in YT today. Furthermore I'm not english and your voice and pronunciation for a non-speaker are superb, never had to use subtitles or look for words. In a nutshell, you rock it! Congratulations for your work!! By the way, those boardgames behind you, which I've almost played all of them, give a lot of information of your passion for games. Forbidden Stars and Rebellion have a special place in my Kallax XD

[@TamaHawkLive]

I agree, I really enjoy how genuine he presents himself and the way he describes the events. It's less math like or min maxing and it helps to convey how to enjoy the game from an emergent gameplay perspective and just enjoy the events as they unfold. Has made my experience getting into it much more enjoyable.

[@michaelfurtmayr979]

Since you mentioned it at the end of this video: Also sent the Link to the first one to a bunch of friends (who never got into the game properly due to its steep leraning curve) - turns out: You are now a Multi-Monitor-Show for them to play along =D Again: Amazing work - hope you continue every once in a while with more episodes since you are that great and relaxing to watch *thumbs up*

[@Piper0185]

DLC Tier list as well would be great Max. You deserve more attention. So well done!

[@greatbritishranker]

Ditto from me. Thanks for these videos and taking the time to put them together. You explain things REALLY well and make a complex game much easier to understand and follow. Your recommendations on which DLCs to buy first would be amazing and deeply appreciated.

[@Savin877]

Such an amazing series and love that you've stuck through it to show it all thus far. One thing you never see is people actually showing much in terms of diplomacy and (whats coming) war and how to properly wage it. Can't wait for the next one! You deserve all the views for this!

[@StitchSpore]

Your timing is perfect for me. I just picked up the game and some of the DLCs with some Father's Day gift money. I get frustrated easily with new games and rely on tutorials like yours to teach me the basics. This is one of the BEST series I've ever watched. You should commended and I thank you for making this seriously intimidating game approachable for me. Can't wait for the warfare episode (this aspect terrifies me!), so I hope it comes out soon. I'm also in favor of an extended series for noobs.

[@cantcode1001]

Such a shame you stopped uploading on this series. This has been the only tutorial I've seen that really got me past the initial learning curve of this game. Please do more videos!!!

[@heavensdescent2003]

This is honestly the best tutorial series I've come across. I usually love buying and playing new games across different genres as I find the learning process fun. I have watched countless tutorial videos and series about different kinds of games and most of them are good. However, yours stands out above the rest. Usually even after watching tutorial videos, it still requires me playing the game to fully understand and take in what they're talking about. Watching your series though has helped me understand stellaris so much even without trying things out on my own. I'm now addicted to this game lmao. Thank you!

[@evanlightner]

Dude. Thanks 🙏Just got a new gaming PC rig for the first time in over a decade. Spent days on steam just trying to select which game I wanted to get into. Found Stellaris, and then luckily found your tutorial series. Honestly, this series has made the entire experience of onboarding into this incredible game - period. You do such a great job. And we haven't even gone into war yet! 🗡👾😂

[@Mavericx6]

Max, this series is absolutely INCREDIBLE!!!! Your "style" is perfect for this type of game and keeps me super-engaged. Thanks to this series, I am finally feeling more comfortable playing this game. 🙂 Next, maybe tackle Hearts of Iron 4?? 😁

[@forreal5331]

Discovered this from your newb guide from Paradox and loved watching the guide. I'd love to see an intermediate guide series. explaining the galactic trades, how to manage a wide empire, planet designation plans, maneuvoring to end game, etc would be very beneficial guides that I haven't found a lot of. great series and looking forward to mwatching more of your stuff!

[@lugru3275]

I was super overwhelmed when I first opened Stellaris and now I'm still overwhelmed but see how fun it can be. Can't wait to put this into practice.

[@sspesifik2787]

Dude you are making these videos at the exact moment I am starting this game, so thank you very much.

[@clausbohm9807]

Funny you mentioned nemesis as the first DLC talked about in this tutorial series (Other youtubers downplay this DLC), I just picked it up half an hour ago, ha ha ha!!!!

[@Piper0185]

I was just coming on out of random curiosity to see what the odds were for part 6. Watched all 5 yesterday. Just getting into the game on console, but damn is it overwhelming at first. Keep up these videos, they are AMAZING. Well done, easy to follow. A species guide would be a great idea too. What each kind of does, what their focus is.

[@eNVee323]

Same ship my friend! After I finished 5 last night I was like daahh man. Work up and saw the upload woooo

[@BeLittleBeHumble]

Your style of presenttion is AWESOME. Very helpful tutorial. I hope you get properly compensated for your efforts!

[@lordmalachi6]

These are fantastic, but I was hoping for more diplomacy lol. Like, mid and late game diplomacy tutorials (Federations, Galactic senate, etc). Those are what's really messing me up in my games, diplomacy gets messier the longer the game gets it feels like.

[@chetranqui]

Yooo, what a fortuitous setup. An aggressive neighbor is perfect for a tutorial series like this! Keep these coming, man!

[@MaxTheCatfish]

I got SO lucky. I was worried I was going to need to search for a distant aggressive empire but nope! Warfare episode launches today in a little bit, so you'll see how to deal with this situation!

[@garymoore1288]

This guy is honestly an amazing talent for producing content like this. To keep it so engaging just with his subtle personality traits while being so good at conveying the concepts and teaching in a way you retain it is unbelievable. Edit - I'll copy paste this comment onto the first in the series for newcomers too.

[@KoniZooboo]

Great tutorial on diplomacy options, just like all the preceding videos. Thanks Max!

[@maxshaian7260]

These series is awesome. The best Stellaris content I found on KZbin so far. Thank you for the great job!

[@darkreaver01]

I got to say. I'm looking forward to seeing his post war aftermath video down the line. I "recently" won a war in which I carved out a huge chunk of an enemy empire like 4 planets and 9 systems (like a third of their territory on the map). I was doing pretty good balancing my economy and then when I won my economy just tanked horribly. I understood kinda why it happened (partially thanks to these videos) but it took me like 6 to 10 years in game to finally get just out of the red and monthly trades like shown here really kept my head above water.

[@sellingenglandbythepound5255]

Excellent & informative

[@pete361]

You do a great job explaining things, really engaging and informative. Returning to Stellaris after a long, long absence this has been great to refresh!

[@octopusmike9130]

I had about 10 hours in stellaris and just could not figure it out. I shelved it until recently and these guides are absolutely amazing. Thank you for your hard work. (Now do crusader kings 3 since my peabrain can't figure that out either)

[@NSR-cb8bc]

These are great! I've watched all of them. I like how you don't just explain how to do things, but why you would or wouldn't do them. I like to attempt to make smart choices even when learning a new game. Thanks so much!

[@dmunro5069]

Fantastic video series, so very clear and full of enthusiasm- the benchmark of how beginner guides should be!

[@nicosmind3]

I like to build defensive stations on my border with strike craft (since they can be made awesome) filling the slots, and behind that border (preferably on a planet) have a station with 6 shipyards. That way the weaker station isn't right on the border, and I can build up a half decent army in safety before sending it to the border to reinforce. Worst case scenario I have one slot on the border as a shipyard to build ships to save travel time, which I then replace with the strike craft as needed

[@Soritaaa]

Honestly, the best tutorial I've seen on any game whatsoever. You kinda tell a story and you absorb so much more knowledge thanks to that, you're able to remember what you're saying so much easily. Thank you so much for this!

[@JamesColeman12]

I didnt have any DLC and I have unyelding in the tree but i think that might have came after 2 or 3 acensions parks already. i did not pay attention to when it was available but it was available for the the human races when i play them couple days ago. btw today i watched your DLC ranking video and got the first 3 that u recommend Utopia, Synthetic Dawn and Acient Aliens Relics. Thanks

[@Drathgore]

worth noting at 18:46 the researcher didn't die. he was just elected to b the president so he quit his job as a researcher

[@yuriychernov8796]

Thank you so much for these videos! So far this is the best guide that I found for Stellaris. Don't event want to start playing until watch all parts. Great Job!

[@zadti2k6]

Such a great series. Tremendously useful. Thank you for this effort. I look forward to the next 4.

[@geoffcordery7428]

By far the best explained tutorials I've found, and really helpful that the play timeline is indexed for when you're looking for quick answers. Many thanks for your efforts. :)

[@aaron43]

@MaxTheCatfish Your guides are the best, nothing compares! A quick question though, i cannot see those chat options with 2 empires. A hostile one and a friendly one and i have trade offer, insult, declare war, declare rivalry. Pretty sure i have had the same options as you before in a previous game

[@alharkrader1141]

Awesome job! I just started playing and your timing is impeccable: as I run into something, your next tutorial covers it. In your wrap-up, could you cover your early-game strategy for things like how to expand... outposts everywhere? only high-value systems? which planets to colonize? Thanks again!

[@MaxTheCatfish]

I'll definitely add a bit in the final video about where to place outposts! But just so you get the info directly I recommend upgrading starbases to Starports (and beyond) on the following systems: * Anywhere that represents a strategic defensive chokepoint - including on all wormholes, as they functionally are chokepoints * Inside of Nebulae to capture the minerals that a Nebula Miner provides (You get this technology in the tech tree) * 12 systems away from any other trade-focused Starbase. Fully-upgraded starbases can collect Trade from 6 systems away (plus a little more with some DLC technology). So don't place them too close together or they'll overlap each other and be less efficient. * Over blackholes so you can mine them for scientific research * Inside any system home to an NPC Enclave like the Artisan Troupe and the Curator Order. These enclaves eventually grant you a module you can use on the starbase in their system to give you a pretty sizable bonus to your empire. After all that if you have extra capacity for upgraded Starbases you can place them above high-value systems that contain your planets. There are a few starbase modules that give bonuses to planets in the system. I tend to outfit these Starbases with anchorages. Which increases your fleet capacity so you can compete against neighboring rivals.

[@Matsuna027]

Seriously, thank you so much for these videos! I bought Stellaris yesterday and have watched all of them, i'm seriously hooked and if not by you i'd have no clue of what i was doing. lol Keep up the awesome work

[@andang7955]

A very useful tutorial video. I encountered two empires that also declared rival to me at the choke points both two side of my empire yesterday and I had no idea whato do. I lost the war at the end. I’m starting the game again now and this video give me much inf how to deal with empires next time. Thank you.

[@DaniPotatoArt]

Been waiting for this, thank you!

[@huntermanikas6881]

Another great job man , the channel will blow up soon! I would recommend trying to get a community going over discord or something and maybe running some newbie multiplayer games etc. to bring everyone together !

[@MaxTheCatfish]

Thanks! We actually already have a Discord community with over 500 members! You can join here: discord.gg/8wjxEupw8V I've been streaming on Twitch for over three years now, and run my Twitch and KZbin channels side-by-side with the Discord community. :)

[@BigNLight]

I have tried to get into this game so many times in the past but I never could wrap my head around it really. After coming from games like CK and Civ the extra resource management was over-whelming but I watch all of these over the last 2 days and I think I am finally able to sit down later and start a game. Easiest to follow tutorial series I have found, it is unfortunate that you are still in the process of recording. Great videos though, I will return for the next one.

[@Nitidus]

Exactly what I have experienced. This was just another time I thought to try once more and as usual, I looked up guides again. But finally, this time, there actually was a recent and really well done series available - which is how I got here. I did not expect that!

[@edsoncampos8947]

Let's goooooo! This series is a masterclass for beginners man.

[@thomaskositzki9424]

Dunno if I mentioned before in the series, but I am playing the game already for a while. Nontheless I had some deeper insights into the game mechanic and is just a joy to listen to you explain. You are really good at this! 🙂👍

[@dirtbikeryzz]

You explain things in a way that is digestible, awesome job man!

[@roarmalf]

These have been amazing, so helpful getting me into the game!

[@Metalord874]

Hi there, I really like these tutorials! Best around :)

[@MaxTheCatfish]

Hey, thanks! And thanks for watching!

[@artiomcybov]

Thank you so much for the work done! It has been an amazing experience. I would love to see more and I am glad that I still have a few more left to watch about stellaris!

[@southeasternnews]

Really well produced. Kudos!

[@saulocerqueiradealmeida9700]

Man, this series are just amazing. Im having a blast!!! Thank you so much. Ah, I love the intro.

[@ConditionOfMan]

Another great episode! Thanks for this!

[@macaroni1139]

Another great episode, thanks!

[@anthonypride1946]

I was hoping that you would cover warfare in this tutorial. I have under 20 hr of game play with this game and already I have a neighbor that had declared war. BUT since I created my own race, I would be interested in a tutorial about your choices on building a species.

[@fotiospapadopoulos3760]

Thank you very much for the tutorials, they are very helpful. I don't think that I could play the game without watching them. I started playing the game with no DLC's and I have trouble assigning an Envoy for the first encounter. Are there any specific settings or breakthroughs in the game in order to use them?

[@cainlegacy7784]

Managing Federations and the interacting with the Galactic Government would be very beneficial.

[@CapDaa]

Hey man! Thx a lot!! 🍻

[@kinjiru731]

One thing you missed was that your researcher didn't die, they were elected so their position vacated. I would have mentioned that elections can cause that to happen but uh, well, you had a lot to cover in this tutorial after all!

[@TheBocios]

More and more video like this :)

[@ccaslake]

thanks for these, looking forward to the warfare episode! I've always been cautious about going to war. you had mentioned doing a dlc tier list, any chance that will come out before steam summer sale is over?

[@MaxTheCatfish]

Unfortunately not. But I'll start working on one when I can! I have a few pans in the fire right now all at once! 😅

[@silentserge89]

Watching your tutorials made me feel like I am dominating in the game already HAHA....but in reality....

[@zaneex4043]

new player here, really loving these tutorials

[@originalintent6916]

This series is the best!

[@user-c4b9b]

22:20 yeah fully said it - xenoPHOBE ... Phobe = Fear. Not aggression. It means they are averse, not aggro. Great series but considering how often 'phobia' is thrown around in our day and age, I wonder how many folks might also be under the wrong impression about these old words.

[@bluewrites2278]

People often act aggressive out of fear. It makes sense that people would connect the two. Phobias are usually unrational fears which can elicit a fight or flight reaction in some people.

[@fullyawakened]

22:20 This is completely unimportant, but I don't think a Xenophobic species hates other species nor thinks of itself as the purest, most beautiful form. That's more like racism/sexism, not xenophobia. Xenophobia, as the word suggests, would be the FEAR of other species/races. You see them as a threat to your (possibly) weaker species, which admits that you are definitely not pure and beautiful and the best. You recognize something might be better than you in a lot of ways and it might end up wiping you out! The policy of Xenophobia is actually a very enlightened viewpoint of some characters in SciFi stories such as The Dark Forest where staying hidden and avoiding contact is considered to be the only way to survive in a universe that presents an infinite number of threats to anything that dares stand out.

[@jeremyflowers8908]

In Faenov: Why didn't you send in more research ships so you could use the construction ship faster... And didn't you have 2 construction ships...

[@jichnun]

great vids, thanks alot 😃

[@adamkelley4746]

Awesome tutorial. Thank you!

[@samliu8908]

Amazing!!

[@darrelllarue5877]

thanks

[@TheEthanEdge]

just topped 300 hours on stellaris, still never finished a game. This game is immense.

[@1Wheelchairmaniac]

Would the first alien you encountered have kept expanding until it came to you if you wouldn't have found him first?

[@ilsevanlegos7529]

You're the best.

[@milesg7877]

Why not also close borders? Maybe next episode will explain!

[@visacrum]

This isn't even my playthrough but I want vengeance for that Science vessel so bad, I'd immediately gear for a policy of murdermurdermurder. Update: Death to Spyr K'tah (also, spoiler alert, they're Spyr K'tah)!!

[@abelardlindsey7579]

The default settings have too many aliens and not enough solar systems and time for you to build your society before encountering then.

[@bluewrites2278]

I play on a large galaxy (only 600 stars on console). I have it set so thar only 2 other ai empires spawn along with 3 fallen empires. This just enough to get the galactic community to pop sometimes and there is lots of room to explore and expand before meeting other empires most times.

[@Velgoth]

I have one question... should i care about empire size limit? Im on my first playthrough and its extremely hard to keep that in 100 ... im on 448 now!

[@MaxTheCatfish]

Good question! Stellaris lets you choose whether you want to care or not. As your Empire Size grow, technology and tradition unlocks cost increasingly more time to research. If you're playing a Xenophilic or Egalitarian empire then the planets you conquer from your opponents will almost always have population on them that will work for you. So if you take over several Tech or Unity planets, that population will keep performing those jobs - and you can counteract the cost of having a greater empire size. If you're playing a Fanatic Purifier or Devouring Swarm on the other hand, your technology typically suffers as your empire grows. You make up for this by producing more alloys, building more ships, and keeping your naval capacity high. If you're able to, you can always turn a sector of space into a Vassal. This gives that sector over to an AI under your "control", and it reduces your Empire Sprawl considerably. It's a powerful option to have the best of both worlds. Your vassal will pay you resources every month as long as you keep a positive relationship with them. So while you won't receive as many as you would if you owned those planets and systems directly, your tech and tradition progress will be vastly improved.

[@JT12523]

What is the difference between the white border and your empire border?

[@Jeckurosaki]

i think... i will be playing by enslaving the entire galaxy @_@

[@damtheluck1965]

New here but wouldn't a gene clinic be the best first structure?

[@MaxTheCatfish]

Actually yes! In retrospect the Gene Clinic would have been a better pick than what I chose. Medical Workers supply Amenities and they also increase pop growth - which is far stronger than choosing a building just for its amenities. Good call!

[@dirtbikeryzz]

Cant you just ignore a chokepoint and go around it?

[@MilesTheFox44]

Don't think a positive number is 100% success. I've had a recent game where it was positive (like at +32) and a trade got declined.

[@succsucc6270]

I think that means that the conditions changed before they accepted. Like for example they have a limit of how much of a specific resource they want to trade with you. And then when you go over that. The number goes to -1000. So you were probably sitting on the edge of "Empire doesn't want to trade away more of this" and then in the wait until they accept their boundary lowered and your true number fell to -1000.

[@MilesTheFox44]

@@succsucc6270 I don't think that's it. As attempted the trade again (made sure kt was the same) amd it was accepted. I think tjeres just a low % of posited interactions declining.

[@succsucc6270]

@@MilesTheFox44 I have never been declined a trade that was 2+ positive and none of the resources were close to max 🤷‍♂️

[@MaxTheCatfish]

I'm pretty sure with AI it is a 100% chance as long as the number is positive. The more positive the number, the more positive relations you'll receive with that empire in the short term as well. I agree with Succ Succ though because it's the first thing I thought too. Either you no longer had the resources to provide to that empire, or they didn't have the resources available for you. Or maybe it was a random strange bug or glitch. I've never been turned down for a +1 trade in over 500 hours of the game. The other thing to consider are mods - as there are some AI mods that change the way AI interacts with diplomatic actions. Strange either way!

[@MilesTheFox44]

@@MaxTheCatfish sorry been busy. No mods. It was pretty early in the relationship. It was for the Active Sensor Link on both sides plus some energy credits to ensure it was positive. Only thing I can think of is that it was relatively new so maybe the numbers didn't reflect correctly or something. My friend is just as confused too.

[@zack6192]

It's hard to do diplomatic stuff when all other empires are xenophobic. And they all want to go to war with you. I just rage quit a game trying out United Earth. I didn't like it before now after seeing how all others are xenophobic. It's useless playing United Earth.