[Ubik]

Hey Possum!

We must be wary of counter intelligence operations!

The greatest asset of our secret "organization" is that its infamous members (us!) are notoriously known for their capacity to take a laugh at the expense of ourselves!

From now on, you must call me by my real name:
Ubik "the pegleg"
;-)
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About the starting planet not having optimal conditions, it is probably possible to have an option in the game setup to take care of that.

I think what you are asking for is a "Quadrant Editor" where you can make a Quadrant the way that suit your whims.
I prefer by far the randomness in the game because it always keep me on my toes. And after all, even if MM think about controling planet placement, someone will probably start complaining about his side of the quadrant being less defensible (more warpoints, for instance) than his neighbours... which would led us to a VERY undesirable end: abolishing the random factor in the game setup.

Overall, I think MM should concentrate on more important issues than doing a Quadrant Editor...