Virtual - Better For Tall Or Wide In Stellaris?

Stellaris: The Machine Age DLC is coming soon. Virtual is one of the new synthetic Ascension paths and has been introduced as an ascension for tall empires but is it better for wide empires?

Let's dive in and find out more!

Chapters:
0:00 What Is Virtual?
1:30 Virtual Trait
3:45 Virtual Tradition
6:29 A little Thought Experiment
10:03 Is Wide Better Then?
16:13 Virtual vs. Regular Empires

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And please comment with any feedback, any ideas or if you disagree!

[grimsprice]

“Wide empires are dead! Long live wide empires!” - Devs probably.

[CzarnyBonek]

One crucial thing: the effect takes place once you ascend. Meaning there is nothing stopping you from having those planets developed beforehand and filled instantly when you finish ascending, skipping the "death valley" on the chart.
I for one cannot wait to test it out, the pop lag is gonna be glorious.

[Fish_Priest]

Oh my... Trade rings are back in menu boys. Generally ring/ECU will be developed instantly, it's insane!

[Bsn]

adding the rough upkeep (especially pop upkeep) to the equation should turn that straight line into a second curve.
making a graph to estimate the optimal number of planets is a good idea, but the further you go without taking upkeep into account the less accurate this will be.

[CrimsonReaper]

I think the main thing that will have a major impact on these calculations is the fact that specialist pop output increases are few and far between so u will find it very hard to counter the alloy and tech output decreases from virtual. in addition empire sprawl is something I don't think people are taking in to account u have 15 worlds with 100 pop on each world that's 1500 pops. This will give u a lot of empire sprawl meaning Ur tech and unity output is effectively even worse due to the tech cost increase

[your_princess_azula]

It's also insane with vassals... like really insane... release virtual empires for so much scaling.

[commandershortsight]

Stellaris devs trying to balance tall Vs wide challenge

[aecides]

I had literally JUST given up on how much I love trade rings thematically and accepted that building them is more of a meme flex than a viable thing to do with your resources.
And now you're making me dream of 4 system vassals with 2 ringworlds and 2 ecu's filling both the galaxy and my trade federation with gloriously overdone commerce.

[DrQuestern]

I mean, you are still limited by the empire size, just like the regular empire. So, if 3-5 planets have the same output as 10-15 planets, but you have 100 empire size instead of 200 it's a major difference.

[pieterfaes]

20:20 All hail the Cryptocurrency Empire!

I cannot wait trying to combine this with a Gigastructural Birch World. Elowiny, any wish of yours to _literally_ break the game will be granted.

[lukyril]

it still is the best tall ascension when you are forced into it (early blocked system and you got no more than 3 planets), then you`ll compete better with this ascension than without

[Meridian_Prime]

I think a key problem unanswered is whether regular biological pops can grow on virtual empire's planets and slowly replace your garbage virtual pops. If the answer is yes... It's going to be wild

[furiouskaiser]

Montu: "And you can smash EVERYONE!"
Montu, have you been playing with the Xeno-Compatability setting on again??
😅

[Elite_Tauren_Chieftain]

Determined Exterminator will be bonkers with this - conquer planet, and boom - instantly filled, up and running

[viddarkking]

Well the math is rather simple. Sure All my jobs produces 25% of the normal.
However if I can have 10X+ the number of jobs. Then who cares.
And I am speaking from experience:

I pay with Ancient Cache of Technologies and Acquisition of Technologies mods in addition to Gigastructural Engineering.
And once I do the Dark Matter Core special projects AoT and research that version of the fallen empire buildings.
I spam the Terraforming Megastructures and Artificial Worlds to get as many build slots as I can to snowball my economy as fast as possible.

[Sonic_]

i think overall it will be better for tall, the empire size will be deadly

but my first thought was: "omg, it will be perfect for purifiers or crysis megacorp"

[Charles-wulh]

I, for one, appreciate the use of the word 'salient' at @17:10.

What a great word.

[danieldancza]

I do believe you are underestimating empire size. That's the main reason why I think tall will be better. Sovereign guardianship, beacon of liberty, etc... to completely negate empire size from pops. And I already have pretty great success as tall so this will probably be amazing for me

[Deshiba]

Go 5 to 6 planets and build habitats while ascending, only colonizing them during/after ascension.

Getting systems would be easier then planets

[Last_Feanoring]

2 relic worlds of size 25 + and 3-4 ring segments) :