@Blakenstein - Well, I added one on HCDX (Sanctuary Beacon), but I don't have any current plans. What did you have in mind?

Any plans to add new Habitat designations in the future?

@alankraskow As you've already figured out, I have another fortress option over on HCDX, although it's really just a hybrid of the vanilla Fortress World and Forge World designations. If you're looking for anything spicier, that would definitely be an HCDX kind of thing. If you have a different theme in mind (Military Academy World?), drop your ideas in the comments over there and we'll see what makes sense.

@PlainWhiteToast hey, could you possibly add some different fortress world designation? The one in vanilla is very bland and we could use something slightly better. Maybe with better army build speed or something?

HCD 2.3.0 is up. It introduces a new (and final) archetype: Unity + Trade, with "Mercantile Secretariat" being the flagship designation. It also comes with 4 new thematic variants and 3 more options for the Unity + Research archetype. See the Change Notes for details.

This marks the end of vertical growth for HCD, which will not be adding any further archetypes. New variants for different empire types, as well as bug fixes and version updates will continue, however. If you're still hungry for more, you may want to give HCDX a look.

I've been dropping hints for the last few days that a companion mod was on the way. Well, now it's here, and you can find it on this page:

Hybrid Colony Designations Extended

It's like HCD's spunky little sibling - filled with curiosity, exuberance, and questionable life-choices. Check it out, if that sounds like your thing.

HCD v2.2.1 is a mostly-maintenance update. I refactored some back-end code that nobody sees, mostly for best-practices and consistency. I have also re-implemented Capital exclusions for all of these designations. Capitals are special and these designations, while functional for Capitals, were not optimized for them. I may do something else there, later.

@napamathguy > I'd expect other options to be similar. Like a scientific capital (+10-15% research output)

Ya know what? Maybe. I was looking at "Planetary Archive" as being something that would work just fine in a Capital setting. TBH, though, I think creative capital designations is outside of scope for HCD, which I want to be the "safe" option. Just vanilla designations fused together and averaged out. And only ones most players would find useful. The mod I'm releasing later this week (HCDX), however, is for people who are interested in things PDX might deem inadvisable. This could be one of those things.

All the capital specializations seem to have stability, housing, amenities, government ethics attraction, resettlement bonus, and a 5% bonus to resources from jobs.

I'd expect other options to be similar. Like a scientific capital (+10-15% research output), a bureaucratic capital (+10-15% unity output), maybe even a stronghold capital (+10-15% soldier output). That sort of thing.

@napamathguy > Should quite a few of the hybrid designations be available for the capital planet?

I'm evolving on this one. I originally had the "is_capitol = no" filter in for all my designations, mainly because the vanilla designations I was cribbing from had that. Later, I started removing the filter because I figured players should be able to choose. Now that I've gotten a better understanding of how the engine works and how the capital is treated differently, I'll be adding it back. I don't think turning your capital into a vertical manufacturing hub will break anything, but it's clear that Paradox doesn't want that and it's probably safer if I comply.

Question: Should quite a few of the hybrid designations be available for the capital planet? (E.g., "food + trade" designation.)

HCD v2.2.0 has been uploaded. This version adds 1 new archetype and 5 new thematic variants (see the Change Notes for details). The new “Colonial Outpost” designation re-imagines the now-deprecated "Colony" designation from Stellaris 3.x. It’s built for those fragile first steps on a new world and works best during the early days of planetary growth.

Head's up: I’ll be releasing just one more new archetype for HCD. I want to keep HCD somewhat focused with archetypes that appeal to the widest player base. Adding more than 15 new archetypes, many of them rather niche, is just going to annoy most folks. But, for the players who always want more, I will soon be releasing a companion mod dedicated to edge cases, role-playing, and creative min-maxing. It will be gloriously weird and will undoubtedly appeal to tens of people, but the opportunities for creativity are virtually endless.

SO many possibilities. :-)

Looking forward to it!

@napamathguy > I'd like to see a refinery world

I do take suggestions. But, in this case, I'm already working on a refinery world, and you will see it soon.

Let me take this opportunity to drop the first hint that I'll be calving off a companion mod from HCD to house all the edge cases and creative experiments. HCD will remain close to it's current size and stay focused on hybrids of vanilla designations, but there are waaaaay more possibilities out there. Not everyone is going to be interested in edge cases, though (like designations based on planetary features or civics). But if that's your thing, you'll see more soon.

If you're taking suggestions, I'd like to see a refinery world. With the number of modifiers and deposits that gift free strategic resources (motes, crystals, gases), I'd like to designate a world for that purpose.

@Cyph the Terrible - Thanks for the compliments! Modding doesn't pay well, but we make it up in warm fuzzies. "Biofoundry Complex" is on the roadmap for v2.4.0. Now, I'm off for my morning grub slurry...

I love the hive loc for some of these Designations! This is an awesome mod not just for gameplay reasons but roleplay reasons as well. This is going to become a main stay in my modlists. I also agree with CoolingRoom1644 that a Food/Alloy boost for catalytic converter civics would be a fitting option in this mod, from my experience.

@CoolingRoom1644 > Would love to see a food/alloys boost designation for catalytic converters.

I've never played that style but it looks doable. I could probably even do a single designation that works for Standard empires, Hive-Minds and even Wilderness. I'll definitely add it to the (increasingly lengthy) list.

Would love to see a food/alloys boost designation for catalytic converters. It wouldn't be unbalanced or anything and would be really nice to have.

HCD v2.1.1 is just a re-upload of HCD v2.1.0, which appears to be less borked, now.

HCD v2.1.0 has been posted. This version adds 11 new designations extending existing hybrid archetypes to new empire types (see the Change Notes for details). Also included are a couple of housekeeping tweaks. All changes are save-game-safe, but Gestalt players may want to re-select their designations to see the new gestalt-flavored versions.

@ Loose_Change > an agriculture/consumer goods could fit nicely
There's always the odd planet or different playthrough that calls for something very specific. Fun fact: There are 45 possible hybrid spins on the core 10 designations. That does not take into account unique variants for Hive Minds, Machine Empires, and Wilderness origins. Will I ever get there? Does anyone really want that many options. I dunno but I'll keep checking the comments for feedback.

Doing an angler run and an agriculture/consumer goods could fit nicely. Great mod!

@BRITELUV > I get an error "Corrupt Download"

That is more likely an issue with Steam than it is with any of the mods themselves. Steam's mod manifest has a bad habit of getting randomly broken with depressing frequency. Here's something to try:

1, Open your mods folder (\Documents\Paradox Interactive\Stellaris\mod) and delete all of your downloaded mods. Don't worry - Steam will restore them. Rename the folder if you want to be careful.
2. Find your mods manifest (\Documents\Paradox Interactive\Stellaris\launcher-v2.sqlite) and delete it. Steam will rebuild it.
3. Open your launcher and watch the timer spin while it restores everything.
4. See if that worked.

No guarantees, but that's worked for me in the past. If you're having problems with specific mods, un\re\subscribing along with the other moves may help, too.

Good luck!

Whatever updates modmakers have rolled out over the last 24 hours, it has completely broken my ability to play modded stellaris. As of last night, when I try to download this (or a few other mods) I get an error "Corrupt Download" or "Content Servers Unreachable". Won't download through the launcher either.

I've uploaded the v2.0.0 update for HCD. All changes should be compatible with existing saves, with one major caveat (See the "Important Notice" in the Description). The major changes are:
-Designations have been split into separate files for easier maintenance. Players upgrading from v1.x should perform a clean re-installation.
-Added 3 New Designations: Global Grange, Powerstead Assembly, & Stonehall Union
-Tweaked some icons to make their purpose more clear
-Added experimental automated build queue plans for Rural & Grange designations. Unsupported. Most players should not use automated build queues with Hybrid Colony Designations.

PlainWhiteToast [author] 2 minutes ago
@napamathguy > Planetary Archive, why are there two Bureaucrat Output +5%?

I assume you are referring to the example screen caps. In that case, one is Output, and one is Upkeep. If you're seeing it in game, it may be related to other modifiers, like the Adaptability tradition. The mod does not, by itself, double that bonus.

Planetary Archive, why are there two Bureaucrat Output +5%?

@ Касим > Is it possible to implement planetary specializations for specific forms of government?

Possible? Yes. All Designations have a code block to defines who can and cannot use them. Here's an example for Fringe:

space_owner = {
is_ai = no
is_gestalt = yes
country_uses_food = yes
}
NOR = {
uses_district_set = city_world
uses_district_set = ring_world
uses_district_set = habitat
uses_district_set = machine_world
uses_district_set = cosmogenesis_world
uses_district_set = shattered_ring_world
}

The more restrictive you make it, however, the fewer people care to use it. And each one of these Designations come with their own fair allotment of baggage.

Is it possible to implement planetary specializations for specific forms of government? Slave market worlds, autonomous communes, fiefdoms, pleasure worlds, reproduction worlds, assembly worlds, and so on, relative to a specific empire?

Well, that would make sense why it doesn't start construction if it isn't supposed to lol

I know I enjoy having sprawling empires where my sector governors manage the planets themselves personally, so I'd support an update to add automation. In the mean time, I'll make a personal/private mod that adds auto-management for the designations.

@Donofett > So far, the added designations don't seem to start construction

No, they do not. These are just bonuses, not automated anything. As a person who never uses that feature, I would never have known had you not mentioned it. I'd be curious to hear if that's a feature most people are expecting and are missing. At a very minimum, I should probably add a note to the description that this feature is not implemented.

Another reason to be happy I didn't allow the AI to use these.

So far, the added designations don't seem to start construction when planetary automation is active on a planet. Tested with switching to a generator world from rural, immediately started making districts. Stop construction, switch back to Rural, no building happens.

Beyond that, I love the mod and its ideas!

@PURUNGUI > Could it be used with 3.14?

No, this is for 4.0.x, only. Heck, the biggest reason people are subbing this (Rural) is still available in 3.14.

Could it be used with 3.14?

I don't know *why* they removed rural planets, they were perfect as population growers for tall planets like the capital world or city planets.

Rural Worlds were my favorite planet type! Combine them with Gaia worlds and you had one of my favorite ways to play. I hated the fact they took them out..

Version 1.3.1 has just been uploaded, Unless you live in Brazil (E aí?), you should notice nothing.

* Added Brazilian Portuguese localisation
* Changed how localisation is invoked
* Addressed many, many error.log alerts
* Added CHANGE.log and mod.info meta-files

@Verily > Rural World back: all i need

I'm seeing a lot of that. If I'd know that, I'd've slept a lot more this weekend. :-)

Rural World back: all i need
Everything else: added bonus

@ PURUNGUI > is it save game compatible?

Should be. That's how I made it. Just popped it into the middle of what I was playing. As always with mods, save early, save often.

Looks very good, is it save game compatible?

Added back Rural World... yes, thank you!

your mod has been instantly added to my "must haves", the removal of the rural world is my biggest issue with 4.0 and i love the other designations youve added. peak.

I've uploaded the v1.3.0 update for HCD. All changes are theoretically compatible with existing saves. See the change log for the details but the high-level changes were:

- I've renamed 4 designations to provide a little more diversity and immersion (and shorter labels. Changes were to flavor text only. No existing keys were altered.
- Fixed grammar issues in localisation files
- Tightened up AI weighting
- Added 3 New Designations: Mantleworks Institute, Splicegrove Combine & Energenesis Array
- Corrected a rule that blocked designation selection while colonizing
- Nerfed Planetary Archive research speed, to bring it in line with Tech World

This will be the last major change for a while. I want to see how stable and balanced the current build is before I go making it any harder to fix. As always, your questions, comments and concerns are welcome.

@gadgetboy3 > If your open to suggestions...

I am! I'm compiling a list of possible additions, and I'll add these to it. That said, don't be surprised if I slow-roll these out. I've got another big update planned for today and, after that, I plan of letting things settle down to let any bugs or balance issues rise up before I make this any more complicated.

If your open to suggestions how about some Fortress Hybrid worlds

Munitions world : A forge/Fortress hybrid. This world is dedicated to the production of weapons and the training of troops to use them. Preferably this world would lean more towards troop production over defense.

Oppidum world: Urban/Fortress hybrid. Every city on this world has had its architecture rearranged to be an urban warfare nightmare for potential invaders meanwhile bustling markets still do their business in the shadows of orbital guns. Oppidum is a Celtic word for fortified settlement.

@PlainWhiteToast I have to be completely honest, I think I overlooked that lol

@ Pietas > I was half wrong. I can see them after the world is colonized but not in the initial colonization dialog.


On second look, no you weren't. The vanilla designations user "space_owner", probably to support just that behavior when colonizing. I'll get that flipped back in the next release.

@ Pietas > For all of the other classes (ironmonger etc), you've written

Yes, and after your comment, I looked into it and saw the inconsistencies. A new more consistent version will be posted tonight. But I did confirm that, for the purposes of this mod, it shouldn't really matter.