Balanced System Mod - 2.0

[geoschmo]

Atrocities said:
Map Analyser.. what is this? And what does it do?

This is a cool program SJ wrote that parses a mod's data files and calculates the odd's for different combinations of atmosphere/planet types to see if it is balanced for all types of races.

[geoschmo]

There is one thing that I'm a little confused about regarding moons. I have noticed that occasionally a player will start with a moon in orbit around their homeworld. On one hand I don't think this is such a bad thing, but it might be an advantage for the player that gets one and noone else does. I can understand why it happens based on why the moons are placed in the mod. When it comes time to place the players homeworld, the game looks in the system for an available planet of the correct atmosphere and size and uses that if available before creating a new planet. If that planet has a moon then the players homeworld gets a moon. I've seen other mods that have this "feature" as well.

What I can't figure out thinking about it now is why this never occurs using the stock data files. What is it about the stock system types that prevents this? Has anyone figured this out?

Geoschmo

[Slynky]

Maybe the stock deployment doesn't use an existing planet. Maybe it always creates another one. For example, that's what it HAS to do if one edits a map and clicks on a sector to tell the game where a starting point is. When I set those maps up, I always clicked a blank sector.

[geoschmo]

If you put a starting point in a blank sector in the map editor it will create a planet. It will also create one if it can't find a suitable size and atmosphere, as in the case a lot of times if you do a good planet start, especially a multi planet start. But there are cases where it will use an exsisting planet. I'm just not sure of all the logic it goes through to make the decision.

There are also cases where it will change the atmosphere of an existing planet to use it as a homeworld. For example if you place a starting point in a sector that has a planet, but of the wrong atmosphere.

[Slynky]

Sounds like the stock "homeworld placement routine" is a bit more detailed than what you can do in a mod, then. Of course, what do I know, anyway?

[Fyron]

Slynky said:
Sounds like the stock "homeworld placement routine" is a bit more detailed than what you can do in a mod, then.

This is not moddable in any way. All modders can do is change the stuff on the map, but not how SE4 routines use it.

The solution is to either only have moons orbiting huge (or tiny) planets, or to mark systems with moons orbitting large, medium or small planets as not allowed for home systems.

[geoschmo]

Ooooo. That makes perfect sense. Somehow I never noticed that all moons in stock orbited huge planets. duh