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[forsaken1111]

Shame that Stellaris doesn't allow (as far as I can tell) switching to another empire in-game, so I could create a Simulant Death Fleet to kill the Humans and have the galaxy only be the remnants of Human civilization.

You can do it using console commands I believe. At least it used to work, I haven't tried it lately. The command is tag n where n=the npc empire tag number. 0 is always the player, npc empire are always 1 through whatever the highest. Newly created empires are placed at the end.

[Rolan7]

In a four-player game, my brother's second game, and he accepted a vassalization demand from a powerful hegemony while I wasn't around.  Hilariously about a decade later we figured out that he was the Hegemony president.  After disbanding their fleet and trying to pass some intentionally bad laws, he decided to actually keep it.

One problem, as anyone who has tried to play as a vassal might know - the AI will absolutely integrate player empires.  I just wanted the CK2 experience

And in what I can only assume is an egregious bug, the target received no warning whatsoever.  The rest of the galaxy gets a popup when it begins, but not my brother.  Obviously we explained the situation, but I've been burned by that and it sucks a lot.

Then in a 100% definite (and previously reported) bug, there's no way to forcefully escape vassalization if you're in a federation.  You can buy 10 favors and ask, but even after a flood of envoys and wonderful relations the acceptance was a flat 0:  -50 base, +50 from favors.  Didn't work. 
But it gives a casus belli to rebel, right?  Well, sure - except you can't get casus belli against federation members.  Ever.

We ended up having a player rejoin as the overlord and release my brother's empire, then rejoin back.  My brother remained the most powerful member and led the Hegemony with a reasonable fist, keeping good relations with our neighboring trade federation, in peace and prosperity.  until the Khan woke up directly between us

[forsaken1111]

Honestly in that situation I'd probably have let the integration happen and then switch myself to the overlord and play as them. Sounds fun though, but yeah there should be some way to escape from that even in a federation.

[MrRoboto75]

Tag swapping to a CPU empire means you have to witness their horrific economy setup, and narrowly avoid your face melting off from it like raiders of the lost ark or something.

[forsaken1111]

Tag swapping to a CPU empire means you have to witness their horrific economy setup, and narrowly avoid your face melting off from it like raiders of the lost ark or something.

This was actually something I used to help teach a buddy to play, had him drop in to an nonplayer empire after 50 or so years and his task was to fix up their horrible economy. I play Stellaris on twitch every week and let people drop in as any non-player they wish to control for the session, it's pretty funny. One dropped in and immediately had a slave revolt.

[EuchreJack]

One problem, as anyone who has tried to play as a vassal might know - the AI will absolutely integrate player empires.  I just wanted the CK2 experience

Huh, every time I play CK2, that is basically the experience as the vassal.  My liege always tries stealing my titles until I've got nothing.  Doesn't really matter how much they like you, if they live long enough they'll like your land more.

Tag swapping to a CPU empire means you have to witness their horrific economy setup, and narrowly avoid your face melting off from it like raiders of the lost ark or something.

This was actually something I used to help teach a buddy to play, had him drop in to an nonplayer empire after 50 or so years and his task was to fix up their horrible economy. I play Stellaris on twitch every week and let people drop in as any non-player they wish to control for the session, it's pretty funny. One dropped in and immediately had a slave revolt.

That actually sounds like great fun.  My biggest gripe about Stellaris is that you have to create the galaxy every single time.  It's not like the other Paradox titles where the civilizations actually exist and have existed for a while.  I don't want their shitty version of a 4x space game, I want HOI/EU/Vic/CK in space.

[LoSboccacc]

sadly there's no settings for cyclical crisis, but one can mod rebellions iirc so that the galaxy keeps in flux.

[SOLDIER First]

I don't want their shitty version of a 4x space game, I want HOI/EU/Vic/CK in space.

So play a different game, because a traditional Paradox grand strategy but-in-space this ain't.

[Culise]

For instance, CK2 with the Crisis in the Confederation mod may be more to your liking.  CK in space, indeed.

[forsaken1111]

Or something like https://store.steampowered.com/app/1194590/Star_Dynasties/

[EuchreJack]

I don't want their shitty version of a 4x space game, I want HOI/EU/Vic/CK in space.

So play a different game, because a traditional Paradox grand strategy but-in-space this ain't.

But why not?  They certainly could have do that.  In fact, several Stellaris mods are a massive improvement with static starts.

[Rolan7]

The Spiritualist Awakened Empire has been painting the map, and also neutron-sweeping planets.  Neutron-sweeping!  No subjugations!

That's not supposed to happen, right?  That's weird, right?

Our second four-player game -
Sorry this is just so wild.  We beat the Unbidden handily with 4 players, most of whom were on their 2nd game on current version, but the Awakened Empire has a third of the galaxy and has crucially crushed the trade I was giving my allies.

I technically backed out because I can't even right now, AI will do better than me, but I'm still offering my game mastery on their discord voicechat.

Edit: The other fallen empires did nothing for a few decades, but eventually the Xenophiles awoke.  and did nothing
They're still doing nothing.  No war in heaven, just the Spiritualist AE trading ground against our federation.  We made a white peace eventually which lost a lot of my territory, but lets us build up properly.
(Because they started the war when we were fucking saving the fucking galaxy fuck busy with the Unbidden)

[SOLDIER First]

But why not?  They certainly could have do that.  In fact, several Stellaris mods are a massive improvement with static starts.

Because that's not the kind of game it is. Lamenting that Stellaris could be a different kind of game is pointless, because it will never be another kind of game. Mod it to be closer to what you want or play something else.

[Great Order]

I don't want their shitty version of a 4x space game, I want HOI/EU/Vic/CK in space.

So play a different game, because a traditional Paradox grand strategy but-in-space this ain't.

But why not?  They certainly could have do that.  In fact, several Stellaris mods are a massive improvement with static starts.

Could, yes. They could also turn CKIII into a 4x game.

That's not the scope of it, they don't want that, they didn't make that, they developed Stellaris, not "Another Paradox grand strategy... IN SPACE!"

[E. Albright]

Because that's not the kind of game it is. Lamenting that Stellaris could be a different kind of game is pointless, because it will never be another kind of game. Mod it to be closer to what you want or play something else.

This line of argument is pretty unconvincing when you stop for a moment and consider that this particular point doesn't need to be either-or.

And no, "mod it or quit" isn't the only reasonable response. Game design doesn't occur in a vacuum - audience input matters. In fact, I'm 100% certain that's why Stellaris is 4x and not Grand Strategy - they considered what the majority of consumers of scifi games (vs. historical games) favors. Given that its current state is almost certainly a result of paying attention to player interests, saying "players need to take the game as it is or go play something else" is, well, silly.