Current Events > I get overwhelmed by Stellaris and bounce off it.

(+) Yeah! (+)

I hate to say it but... too many civics, starts, traits, governments, councilors, extremely nuanced systems interacting. When it comes to creating your own faction, I'm constantly overwhelmed, and just immediately give up after I feel like nothing is clicking. Rinse, repeat. Most guides are just concerned with cheesing or min-maxing the game, getting perspectives on an RP setup are simply close to zero. So it's reduced to constant trial and error that I find frustrating, then I leave.

Ringworld start? It needs a billion dollars to fix, implying I need to play the regular game until end-game to activate the benefits. Cool.
God-Emperor Start? He rolled a bad trait and is mediocre until the end of time. Reload. xInfinity.
Space Necromancers who convert pops to workforce + have ascendency chambers for super OP councilors? You guessed it, end-game. You need to somehow be a hated Necromancer for 80% of the game until these abilities pay off or activate.

I always go back to CK3 and Hearts of Iron IV. I play a ton of grand strategy games, so I'm not lost on the mechanics. Just the "good luck, asshole" philosophy of faction designer is a hindrance. Much easier to drop in as a Danish Viking Duke or Finland and know what to expect.

i have legitimately no idea how any of the basic systems work in the game.

i'm always in a shortage of something

I stopped playing it a very long time ago. I got tired of the AI speedrunning the tech trees, and steamrolling me while I am struggling to build a fleet.

I thought all PdX games were trial and error? Even with a guide you still have to learn stuff yourself through making mistakes.

have you considered just throwing it on easy, enabling the console and having RP fun? It sounds like you are trying to bite off more than you can chew; trying to RP, learn game and compete at same time.

it is kinda reminding me of when I started learning HoI4 and I wanted to be France.

tbh my favorite part of PDX games is what happens while I learn how play. Once I have a grasp of the concepts and Im just pushing around AI it is not nearly as exciting

Start out with 3 science ships. Make 2 construction ships. Build your home system up while they explore the neighborhood. Do this till you can start building corvettes. Max them out. Build up to the max space stations. Keep them regular stations. The home station with the shipyard start another in the next slot. By this time you should have unlocked destoyers. Max those out.. junk the corvettes. Planet wise theres 2 things you need to do. Max resources and control crime. Every planet you build should have a focus. A energy planet, a manufacturing planet, a agriculture planet. Etc, etc. You will max storage so till find more planets install 2-4 on any planet of your choosing. By this time you should have met some aliens. Make friends with everyone you meet. Some will be restistant but most will become friendly. This gives you a chance to build up your borders. Remember those space stations? Move those to the furthest but in the travel lanes. You want to upgrade these but with 1 shipyard 1 crew quarters and anchors gun batteries for them all. The bottom rows are up to your discretion. You will now have maxed natural planets. You should be getting close to unlocking terraforming. This will keep you busy. You now should have at least have 5 fleets of ships. Watchful of any alliances formed you can start attacking the other. Always keep building ships and moving to the frontlines. I beat the game a bunch of times doing this. You will not get a pacifts science win trust me. The other races will perceive you as weak and want to subjugate or destroy you. Anyway hope I helped

You could always play on an earlier version, they had a lot less chaff to get in the way of learning. Wells is a good mid point.

Really though I can see why the current game would be super overwhelming.