atmosphere / type of world handicap

Andr�s · #1 January 26th, 2003, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Rock and Ice are definitely equal in appearance for...

Actually in the stock game ice planets are only slightly more common than gas giants and of the same size that rock ones, so being native of ice planets is a serious handicap.

Also rock-methane has a slight advantage over and ice-methane a slight disadvantage over other atmospheres.

I had made calculations of chances of appereance and planet sizes long ago, search for a thread called "are gas giants really an advantage"

I don't know if mods such as the FQM attempt improve that balance, by forcing some planets to be ice in the system files, or in case of the deluxe Version by adding more ice planets sector types.

Arkcon · #2 January 26th, 2003, 04:36 PM

Hey there, I tried to summarize Andres work in the Encyclopedia Malfadorica here:

I'm fighting a bad cold, so if it's not cohereant, someone please edit it. Or you could all take antihistamines and enjoy the world in 7 dimensions like I do.

Taera · #3 January 26th, 2003, 08:12 PM

rock/methane is NOT rare.
i've been playing as rock/methane for a while and i can say that rock/methane planets are a little rarier than the rock/oxygen but they're always either very big or very rich. Rock/methane is a great combo, and its in no way a handicap.
ice/hydrogen though seems to be the rariest in all my games.

trooper · #4 January 26th, 2003, 08:17 PM

I was speakinbg about methane breather races, which are rarer than oxygen or carbon dioxyde breathers. I tried to create a race that doesn't use the classic planet conditions... I

Fyron · #5 January 26th, 2003, 10:59 PM

No, Andres, there are exactly as many Ice planets as Rock planets in the standard game. Go count them in SectType.txt if you don't believe me. I think there are either a few more of the larger Gas Giants, or some specific calls for Huge ones in SystemTypes.txt. Either way, they aren't at a serious handicap. The only fuzzy area is the None atmosphere planets, with a lot more tinies, but no Gas planets.

Quote:

Originally posted by trooper:
I was speakinbg about methane breather races, which are rarer than oxygen or carbon dioxyde breathers. I tried to create a race that doesn't use the classic planet conditions... I

Do you mean the methane planets, or the number of races that breathe methane? There is a huge difference, and I am beginning to suspect it was the latter....

[ January 26, 2003, 21:00: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

Taera · #6 January 27th, 2003, 03:03 AM

trooper: both of my alien races are ice/Co2 and rock/CH4. glad to see im not the only one

PvK · #7 January 27th, 2003, 05:40 AM

I'd say the best choice from a "competetive edge" perspective, would be to figure out the least popular combo, so you have the least competition. Of course, the random variation is going to drown out any minor difference that might exist, and if any did have an agreed edge, more players would choose it and end up struggling over it. Not that it often makes all that much difference in the unmodded game, anyway, unless you choose the options restricting colonization, because colony tech and colonists are so easy to steal or trade.

PvK