Would you want new planet types and atmospheres?
 

A poll thread...

Would you like to be able to add new Atmosphere types to the selection... like Chlorine, Fluorine, Ammonia, Sulfer Oxides, Helium? (maybe even making some that can't be chosen by any race, like TOXIC)

Would you like to be able to define new sector objects, and decide if they can be colonized... like Inferno Planets, Brown Dwarves, even turning on "colonization" for asteroids?

Know that I'm not suggesting that MM actually add these to the game, only that they allow modders to do so (I wouldn't think it would be that difficult, as it seems it would work within the game structure.)

Additionaly, I would like to see the ability to charge points for certain atmosphere choices... Adding another choice to the selection: ANY (for about 3000 points)

Finally, I would like the ability in sectortypes.txt to make a planet start with a certain level of resouces in a certain type (i.e., None=None/Low=1-75%/Medium 76-120%/High 121-150%), and to set planet conditions (i.e., Deadly, Harsh, Unpleasant, Mild, Good, Optimal). If these values weren't given, it would still choose randomly. I know you can do this in the map editor, but I want random maps to do this... I hate seeing a planet that mentions A lot of ore is present, but mineral are 30%.


Well anyways, what do you think about these ideas? And do you think I should bug MM about them?

[This message has been edited by Trachmyr (edited 23 April 2001).]

Re: Would you want new planet types and atmospheres?
 

hmmm, I know the planet atmospheres are hard-coded since I asked MM about that a while back when I tried modding in a chlorine atmosphere (EE "Doc" Smith "Lensman" series...hehe). But it WOULD be nice to be able to...

Re: Would you want new planet types and atmospheres?
 

I know it's hardcoded... but I don't think it would be that difficult to change, instead of it pulling the atmospheres from hardcoded variables, it could pull them from a txt file... I don't know the actual code MM is using, but from my programming experience, I can't see why it would be that difficult to implement.

Re: Would you want new planet types and atmospheres?
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>I hate seeing a planet that mentions A lot of ore is present, but mineral are 30%<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Hehe. That "plentiful ore" is fool's gold http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

The pirates hid all the real minerals in the asteroids.

Re: Would you want new planet types and atmospheres?
 

I like em all. And the racial trait of "Any" atmosphere would be cool but probably unbalancing because whoever had that could have maximum amount of space for facilities on EVERY planet. With that you wouldn't need any other traits.

Re: Would you want new planet types and atmospheres?
 

What about energy-beings who can colonize stars?

What about different hydrospheres (and geospheres for burrowing races)? A world is not just an atmosphere. (Well maybe a gas giant is, sort of)

Re: Would you want new planet types and atmospheres?
 

Well, "hydospheres" could be added to the list of planet types... "Liquid or Water Planets", Geospheres.... well either they burrow in rock or ice?

As for stars, that would be cool, BUT it would require major changes to the Hardcode (where I'm hoping these will only require minor changes), since stars have no resources or conditions assigned to them.

Re: Would you want new planet types and atmospheres?
 

Rock, Ice, Liquid, Gas.

Not much else that applies to planets.

Re: Would you want new planet types and atmospheres?
 

also want: Inferno (or LAVA), and Brown Dwarves (y'know the HUGE gas giant that have recently been spotted... thought is that they're failed stars)

Re: Would you want new planet types and atmospheres?
 

Stars would be sweet!!! It might require the combination of both the specialized race trait (all components are energy) thread as well as remote mining (their gonna need minerals from somewhere!) But if say the star gave off a signifigant amount of rads depending on it's luminocity then it could work...

I'll vote for stars but I'm sorry I'm tired of appearing in a system with nothing there to colinize.... But stars yeh.... (dumb look) that would be very cool! http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Would you want new planet types and atmospheres?
 

Were you thinking of the Chlorans from the Skylark series also by EE Doc Smith? They were nasty, made the Xi'Chung Hive look like cute friendly kittens.

ps. Skylark of Space, just re-published -check Amazon.com.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by pathfinder:
hmmm, I know the planet atmospheres are hard-coded since I asked MM about that a while back when I tried modding in a chlorine atmosphere (EE "Doc" Smith "Lensman" series...hehe). But it WOULD be nice to be able to... <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>



[This message has been edited by Resident Alien (edited 24 April 2001).]

Re: Would you want new planet types and atmospheres?
 

Resident Alien: yup..me be BIG fan of that series! http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon10.gif

Re: Would you want new planet types and atmospheres?
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Trachmyr:
I know it's hardcoded... but I don't think it would be that difficult to change, instead of it pulling the atmospheres from hardcoded variables, it could pull them from a txt file... I don't know the actual code MM is using, but from my programming experience, I can't see why it would be that difficult to implement.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think one of the issues is that MM tried to "color-code" planets to represent different atmospheres (at least it seems that way to me, but maybe I haven't checked deeply enough); adding more atmospheres could throw off the color coding. Yeah, you would probably want to add more pictures anyway, but you'd have to find a color sufficiently different from existing colors. Or throw out the color coding...

Re: Would you want new planet types and atmospheres?
 

I think it is hard coded only because MM assumed that no one would ever want more. That is SO common with programmers. (Bill Gates: "Who would ever want more than 640K of RAM in their PC?") Then getting them to admit the mistake is almost impossible.

I'd love to see planet types be moddable. My programming experience also tells me that it wouldn't be that hard.

The point about the color schemes is a good one, and maybe is the real reason for the resistance from MM -- his artistic sensibilities. Misguided artists are even more stubborn than misguided programmers! Personally, I'd like a hydrogen planet to look like a circle with an H inside.

One Last note: Towing or propulsion of planets has been mentioned before. What would happen if you towed a sodium planet into a chlorine one? Boom! You'd get a salt water asteroid field. Now THAT would require some tough coding changes.

Re: Would you want new planet types and atmospheres?
 

I look foreward to MM maybe adding new planets in the future.

For atmospheres, I think they should follow something along the lines of elements that naturally occur paired. Like Hydrogen, Oxygen, Flourine, Bromine, Iodine, and Chlorine. Along with various byproducts of them.

As few new planet types, I would enjoy oceanic (suggested already), anti-matter, and maybe machine worlds/ancient lost worlds.

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HADRIAN AVENTINE
snpacifica@yahoo.com
http://www.hyperionbase.com

Re: Would you want new planet types and atmospheres?
 

Oceanic would be a bit dicey, as some of the planets already have descriptions like "90% surface ocean.."

Anti-matter would also be a bit dicey. Remember what happens when matter/antimatter connect..and I think they are also attracted to each other (unlike charges)

Phoenix-D

Re: Would you want new planet types and atmospheres?
 

There's an idea, planetary collisions.

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HADRIAN AVENTINE
snpacifica@yahoo.com
http://www.hyperionbase.com

Re: Would you want new planet types and atmospheres?
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Anti-matter would also be a bit dicey. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
RAMMING SPEED!!!
*KA-Boom!

And, dropping your troops on a planet would be devastating http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Would you want new planet types and atmospheres?
 

Heh, who needs planet destroyers, just tow an anti-matter planet over!

Phoenix-D