So I have played around with this mod for a few days now, as the Decepticons. I find that being a Gestalt actually works for them (although some of the trait bonuses are completely lost on them), since they aren't really about cooperation and coexistence anyway, and I get an immortal Lord Megatron.

Cybertron is certainly a unique start, underlining how the Transformers are a race that can barely maintain it's population post-war. Repairing the planet is a nice goal (I got it done by 2300 I think), and access to Cyberforming means I don't need to use an AP-slot for Machine Worlds.
Amenities are a bit of a problem though, since the only building that really produces them are the new Energon Refineries. Did Paradox remove maintenance depots at some point? I haven't seen them in ages.

The new armies are also very nice.

Being a gestalt empire doesn't work out for the Autobots at all, though. If you aren't an assimilator or servitor, Stellaris gives Machine Empires two choices when it comes to dealing with non-machines - The Matrix or Genocide. Neither fits the Autobots at all.
Unfortunately, I see no easy workaround for this. I know the unofficial Machine Empire DLC had an Origin that allowed you to start as a non-gestalt machine empire, so maybe that could be adapted for this mod. But I also recall that none of the empires I had that used that origin ever spawned as AIs, and I never figured out why that was.

By the way, did you modify the vanilla technologies for removing the new tile-blockers? If so, you might want to create entirely new techs for those or simply make the new blockers like Insecticon infestation not require any tech, for compatibility reasons (even if I can't think of any big mods that modify those specific techs).


I probably won't leave this mod active at all times for worldbuilding reasons, but I can certainly see myself using it again in the future. Not quite done with my Decepticon campaign, either. There is still a galaxy to bring under the heel of Lord Megatron.