[Pax]

Originally posted by Baron Munchausen:
I would much prefer that there be no visible clue from space that a planet contains ruins. Then you'd get a pleasant surprise once in a while without this 'race for the prize' effect. I wonder if MM could be presuaded to add a 'hidden ruins' option along with the 'disable ruins' option already available?

OOOOO, now there's an idea!

Or better yet, rather than discovering the ruins upon colonising the world, maybe make the discovery of alien ruins a RANDOM EVENT. The more worlds you are present on, the higher your chance of benefitting from such an event (more worlds to have that slim chance ON, etc, etc).

Also IMO, finding the ruins should allow you to RESEARCH the tech yourself, not give it to you whole. That way, if a given set of ruins offers, oh ... "Massive Shield Depleters" ... you still have to have your scientists figure the artifacts OUT before you can actually *build* them.