New stellar manipulation component idea

[Spoo]

I just had a neat idea for a future stellar manipulation component: a tractor beam that would let you move planets around a system. I imagine this would require a change in the game code, but it would have some interesting uses, depending on if you could tow planets through warp points (maybe the first level of this component would let you move small asteroids then eventually you could move huge planets then later you could move small asteroids through warp points, etc.)

Possible uses:
1) You could use it to save colonies from a system with a star that's about to explode.
2) You could pull your colonies out of enemy territory.
3) You could pull an enemy planet into a black hole system...
4) You could blockade a warp point with a planet.
5) Or you could ram two planets together! Maybe drag some asteroids into the enemy's homeworld and cause a meteor shower.

So what do you guys think?

[Baron Munchausen]

Interesting idea, but think of the SIZE it would have to be? This is not like the planet creator/destroyer components, which can be thought of as triggering a chain reaction of some sort. This requires raw power to move a planet in one piece, which would require gigantic engine power from the ship as well as power to 'hold on' to the planet with the beam. How about a "Planetary Engine" Facility instead? A facility on a planet is much huger than any ship and if it's ON the planet it doesn't need 'double' power to both hang on to and move the planet - it's already ON the planet! This would be a cool thing to have, though. Especially if a planet equipped with one could move one square per turn in combat. Hmm, could you RAM one planet with another?

[dmm]

FYI: This idea is included in the novel _Ringworld_, by Larry Niven.

[Nyx]

As if the tech in this game wasn't outrageous enough as it is! Hehe. Here I was thinking how absurd it is to pla a game that lets you go around swallowing whole star systems with blackholes...

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Compete in the Space Empires IV World Championship at www.twingalaxies.com.

[General Hawkwing]

After you maxed out the planet movement tech, you get to start researching tech to allow you to move stars. That way, if your star was going to go nova, you could switch it with a neighbor's star. Or better yet, can anyone say "galatic hot potato".

[dmm]

Don't warp points have size restrictions?