[previewyoutube=Lk6X24i3UJ4;full][/previewyoutube] The Stellaris Team is proud to announce our second free Custodian update, the 3.3 Libra Update is Now Available! The free 3.3 Libra update brings with it a plethora of new bug fixes, AI and performance improvements, more uses for the Unity resource, and a new civic for owners of both MegaCorp and the Necroids Species Pack.

AI Improvements

3.3 Libra AI is better at managing jobs, dealing with bio-trophies, choosing techs, as well as the ability to specialize planets over time. These changes, along with improved economic plans for the AI, mean that the AI is much better at scaling its economy into the late game, including alloy and consumer good production. As well, the AI allies will now respect the Take Point command, and will always prefer to follow Player fleets while this command is active - even if their empire is actively being attacked. Our internal testing shows that the 3.3 AI performs much better past year 100 than the 3.2 AI. How does it work for you? Let us know in the comments or on the forums!

Performance Improvements

The 3.3 Libra update also includes many optimizations to the game in terms of overall game speed increases. We have seen up to a 50% decrease in the time it takes per year at the start of the game. These performance improvements were gained by further optimizing pop job weight calculations, as well as changing some settings in the engine which allows more powerful computers to do extra ticks per render frame. Additional performance improvements were gained by optimizing the algorithm used when calculating the cost to upgrade fleets. Like the increased Performance in 3.3 Libra? We want to hear from you!

Now Hiring for Permanent Employment

Owners of the MegaCorp and Necroids Species Pack DLCs will get a new civic introduced in the 3.3 Libra update: Permanent Employment. This Megacorporation has ensured that its employees will never be out of a job. Ever. After the employees time is up, they will be repurposed for simpler tasks so they can still provide for their families and pay off their debts. -Permanent Employment flavor text A variation of the Reanimators Civic for the Corporate Authority, Permanent Employment allows the construction of Posthumous Employment Centers, as well as the ability to reanimate Leviathans. At the Posthumous Employment Center, pops working Reassigner jobs generate organic pop assembly from the carcasses of indebted citizens. The resulting assembled pops have the Zombie trait. The Zombie trait gives -25% resources from jobs, but reduces Pop Upkeep by 100%. Zombies also cannot produce leaders, have no happiness, are infertile and can only work Worker Strata jobs. They also forgo their annual review and salary increases. Have a screenshot of Zombie pops in action? Share it with us on Twitter or Facebook!

Unity Rework

All means of increasing Administrative Capacity have been removed, and Empire Sprawl has been renamed to Empire Size. While there are ways to reduce the Empire Size generated by various sources, this will be used to help differentiate gameplay between different empire types. Empires will no longer be able to completely mitigate Empire Size penalties. Penalties and Empire Size generation values have been significantly reduced. As a result of feedback on this system from the Open Beta, Empire Size values under 100 are ignored. Bureaucrats, Priests, Managers, Synapse Drones, and Coordinators will be the primary sources of Unity for various empire types, and jobs are produced from the empire equivalent of Administration Offices. Autochthon Memorials (and similar buildings) now increase planetary Unity production and themselves produce Unity based on the number of Ascension Perks the Empire has taken. Being monuments, they no longer require workers. The Edicts Cap system has been removed. Toggled Edicts will have monthly Unity Upkeep which is modified by Empire Size. Each empire has an Edicts Fund which subsidizes Edict Upkeep, reducing the amount you have to pay each month to maintain them. Things that previously increased Edict Capacity now generally increase the Edicts Fund, but some civics, techs, and ascension perks have received other thematic modifications. Leaders now cost Unity to hire rather than Energy. They also have a small amount of Unity Upkeep. We understand that this increases the relative costs of choosing to hire several scientists at the start of the game for exploration purposes. The Leader pool for recruitment now refreshes every year, to reduce the need for leader cycling when searching for specific leader traits.

Influence Changes

Several systems that used to cost Influence are now paid in Unity.

• Planetary Decisions that were formerly paid in Influence. Prices have been adjusted.
• Resettlement of pops. Abandoning colonies still costs Influence.
• Manipulation of internal Factions. Factions themselves will now produce Unity instead of Influence.

Since Factions are no longer producing Influence, a small amount of Influence is now generated by your fleet, based on Power Projection - a comparison of your fleet size and Empire Size. Most Megastructures now cost Unity rather than Influence, with the exception of any related to travel (such as Gateways) or that provide living space (such as Habitats and Ring Worlds).

Planetary Ascensions

Tied to unlocking Ascension Perks, Planetary Ascension Tiers are a way of improving your core worlds by expending Unity. In normal empires, they represent the active will of the people supporting your government and giving a little extra to do things the way theyve always been done. In machine and hive empires, its more the well-oiled machinery of the world gaining efficiency or drone instincts becoming better honed with endless practice. In either case, an Ascended planet does whatever it focuses on better. Once youve unlocked three Ascension Perks (you do not need to actually spend them for this feature), you can Ascend each of your planets to Ascension Tier 1. This increases all of the effects of the planets Designation by 25% - whether it be Technician Output from a Generator World or Trade Value on a Commercial Ring World. Each additional Ascension Perk you unlock increases the maximum Ascension Tier by 1, with an extra 4 tiers unlocked once you unlock all of the Perk slots. This lets you Ascend planets up to ten times, for a maximum bonus of 250% of the base Planetary Designation effects. Ascending a Planet costs Unity, and this cost is heavily affected by both Empire Size and the total number of Ascension Tiers you have across your entire Empire. How do you feel about the Unity rework? Let us know in the comments or on the forums! Thanks for playing Stellaris, and remember the galaxy is vast and full of wonders..