Even Better Start

If you’re like me and you play games with compressed timelines and want to skip some of the Early Game phase (especially when you’re playing multiplayer), but other than that you want a close to vanilla Stellaris experience, then this mod’s for you!

Recommended Game Settings:

Crisis Strength: 0.5x – 0.75x
Tech/Tradition Cost: 0.75x
Mid-Game Start: 2225
End-Game Start: 2275
Victory Year: 2350

—
Note: let me know in the comments if anything in this mod stops working and I’ll try to fix it. I hate when someone makes a mod for a version that’s 3 years old and never maintains it. Most obvious sign if it has stopped working is not all the starter techs that this mod grants are appearing, or if the starting resources revert back to default, as it means the game stopped processing the mod after encountering an error part way thru.
—

An iterative change to the Steam mod "Better Start" by Mordachai
( https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1734362190 )

With some Crisis trigger altering code borrowed from the Steam mod "Crisis on chedule" by Pacifer
( https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2075971979 )
See https://stellaris.paradoxwikis.com/Crisis#Crisis_triggers for more info about the default Crisis triggers

Here’s what you get:

Crisis:
– Crisis trigger starts at End Game +20 years instead of +50
– Crisis trigger chance increases at +30, +35, +40, +45, +50 instead of +35, +50, +70, +85, +100 respectively. (great for quicker games with compressed timelines)
– Double chance of getting Contingency from 10 to 20 (Scourge all the time gets boring)
– The 120 chance of getting no crisis every 5 years is reduced to 30 (so a 50/50 that you get it at any 5 year interval starting at End Game+20 years)

Homeworld:
+5 size (if under 20)
+10 pop (+2 on other habitats for void dweller)
Extra districts and buildings appropriate to empire

System:
+1 colonizable world within starting system

Starting Resources:
400 minerals (+300 void dweller)
900 energy
300 food (+500 void dweller)
500 alloys (+2000 void dweller)
400 goods
200 influence

(these values are a bit different for machine or gestalt empires)

Techs granted at start (most of Tier 1, Tier 2, and a handful of others):

Physics:

– Computing:

tech_physics_1
tech_physics_2
tech_physics_3
tech_administrative_ai
tech_cryostasis_1
tech_cryostasis_2
tech_automated_exploration
tech_consumer_good_refinement_1
tech_consumer_good_refinement_2
tech_curator_lab
tech_archeology_lab
tech_basic_science_lab_2
tech_basic_science_lab_3
tech_space_science_1
tech_space_science_2
tech_space_science_3
tech_space_science_4
tech_space_science_5
tech_encryption_1
tech_encryption_2
tech_encryption_3
tech_decryption_1
tech_decryption_2
tech_decryption_3
tech_pd_tracking_2
tech_sensors_2
tech_auxiliary_fire_control
tech_combat_computers_1
tech_combat_computers_2
tech_self_aware_logic
tech_auxiliary_fire_control
tech_synchronized_defences

– Particles:

tech_energy_torpedoes_1
tech_cold_fusion_power
tech_hyper_drive_2
tech_power_plant_2
tech_power_hub_1
tech_power_plant_3
tech_fusion_power
tech_reactor_boosters_2
tech_reactor_boosters_3
tech_power_hub_2
tech_lasers_2
tech_lasers_3
tech_lasers_4
tech_plasma_1
tech_disruptors_1
tech_ftl_inhibitor

– Field Manipulation:

tech_shields_2
tech_shields_3
tech_shield_rechargers_1
tech_planetary_shield_generator

Society:

– New Worlds:

tech_mountain_range
tech_dense_jungle
tech_quicksand_basin
tech_noxious_swamp
tech_massive_glacier
tech_toxic_kelp
tech_volcano
tech_dangerous_wildlife
tech_deep_sinkhole
tech_terrestrial_sculpting
tech_colonial_centralization
tech_colonization_2
tech_colonization_3

– Statecraft:

tech_planetary_government
tech_planetary_unification
tech_adaptive_bureaucracy
tech_doctrine_navy_size_1
tech_doctrine_fleet_size_1
tech_ground_defense_planning
tech_xeno_diplomacy
tech_hyper_entertainment_forum
tech_heritage_site
tech_space_trading
tech_global_defense_grid
tech_interstellar_economics
tech_arcane_deciphering
tech_galactic_ambitions
tech_interstellar_campaigns
tech_effective_bureaucracy
tech_colonial_bureaucracy
tech_living_state
tech_holographic_rituals
tech_consecration_fields
tech_hive_cluster
tech_slave_colonies
tech_capital_productivity_1
tech_capital_productivity_2
tech_capital_productivity_3
tech_interstellar_fleet_traditions
tech_centralized_command
tech_combat_training
tech_neural_implants
tech_artificial_moral_codes
tech_collective_production_methods

– Biology:

tech_society_1
tech_society_2
tech_society_3
tech_hydroponics
tech_food_processing_1
tech_genome_mapping
tech_eco_simulation
tech_gene_crops
tech_frontier_health
tech_frontier_hospital
tech_nano_vitality_crops
tech_nutrient_replication
tech_food_processing_2
tech_alien_life_studies
tech_vitality_boosters
tech_epigenetic_triggers
tech_subdermal_stimulation
tech_cloning
tech_gene_banks

Engineering:

– Propulsion

tech_thrusters_2
tech_afterburners_1
tech_afterburners_2
tech_mass_drivers_2
tech_mass_drivers_3
tech_missiles_2
tech_missiles_3
tech_swarmer_missiles_1
tech_autocannons_1
tech_torpedoes_1

– Materials:

tech_mine_volatile_motes
tech_volatile_motes
tech_mine_exotic_gases
tech_exotic_gases
tech_mine_rare_crystals
tech_rare_crystals
tech_luxuries_1
tech_luxuries_2
tech_alloys_1
tech_alloys_2

– Voidcraft:

tech_corvette_hull_1
tech_corvette_build_speed
tech_corvette_hull_2
tech_destroyer_hull_1
tech_destroyers
tech_ship_armor_2
tech_strike_craft_1
tech_starbase_3
tech_starbase_4

– Industry:

tech_mine_betharian
tech_defense_platform_hull_1
tech_mineral_purification_1
tech_mineral_purification_2
tech_engineering_1
tech_engineering_2
tech_engineering_3
tech_housing_1
tech_housing_2
tech_advanced_metallurgy_1
tech_advanced_metallurgy_2
tech_space_mining_1
tech_space_mining_2
tech_space_mining_3
tech_space_mining_4
tech_space_mining_5
tech_mining_1
tech_mining_2
tech_mining_3
tech_powered_exoskeletons
tech_robotic_workers
tech_assembly_pattern

– Synthetic Dawn:

tech_robomodding
tech_robomodding_points_1
tech_robomodding_points_2
tech_adaptive_combat_algorithms
tech_micro_replicators

Compatibility: 3.*? (made during 2.7.2, last updated during 3.4.5)
This mod only overrides the vanilla game’s Crisis triggers code in events/crisis_trigger_events.txt but everything else is done via custom event triggers that fire immediately at game start and do not override anything in the vanilla game code.

Also note that as with most other mods, while you have this mod enabled, you will only see multiplayer games run by other players also running this mod. You can temporarily toggle this or other mods (and DLCs) on and off in the game launcher though.