Atmospheres

minipol · #1 February 16th, 2003, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by solops:
How about an atmosphere that catastrophically ignites if certain types of weapons are used in it?

Wouldn't that open the way for cheap anti planet weapons? load a cheap gun on a ship, send it to the planet, fire once and boom, planet gone.
just a thought

Andr�s · #2 February 16th, 2003, 12:26 AM

Planetary napalm should have a different formula for each atmosphere

Is it less realistic to have argon planet natives than vaccum natives?
Argon natives don't need to breath, jsut like non-atmosphere natives, but they do need atmospheric pressure.

Fyron · #3 February 16th, 2003, 01:58 AM

Chlorine makes 0 sense for a life-supporting atmosphere. It is too reactive of an element and tends to destroy any molecules it comes in contact with. Complex, sentient lifeforms evolving on a chlorine atmosphere world would be too unbelievable.

Argon only makes sense if you pretend the race doesn't breathe anything and just needs pressure.

What would be best would be the ability to mod in new atmosphere types and to mod which can be selected by a race for a homeworld type. Then, you could have Chlorine atmosphere planets, but no Chlorine-breathers. You could have Sulfur Dioxide atmosphere planets (think volcano worlds) and no native organisms possible. That would be cool.

It would also force the game to have planets that you can not optimize by adding some new people to it.

[ February 15, 2003, 23:58: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

Desdinova · #4 February 16th, 2003, 02:06 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:
Chlorine makes 0 sense for a life-supporting atmosphere. It is too reactive of an element and tends to destroy any molecules it comes in contact with. Complex, sentient lifeforms evolving on a chlorine atmosphere world would be too unbelievable.

but they had a race that breathed chlorine on space 1999 so it must make sense.

Fyron · #5 February 16th, 2003, 02:14 AM

No, it does not. Very few (if any) compounds that would be suitable for use in organisms would be able to withstand large amounts of chlorine gas.

Of course, looking at it realistically, it is unlikely for any organisms to be based off of anythign other than carbon or silicon. I only say silicon because there are a few types of Monerans that have heavy amounts of silicon in them. But anyways, carbon (and maybe silicon) is the only element that can form the types of huge, complex molecules necessary for functional organisms, by forming huge chains of carbon molecules bonded to each other, and then having 2 more possible electron pairs to hafe other elements (or maybe even more carbon) bonded to them. Even artificial pLastic polymers and such are based off of carbon chains. So, any planet with life on it would have to have relatively huge amounts of carbon (or maybe silicon). All natural life would be carbon- (or maybe silicon-) based.

Captain Kwok · #6 February 16th, 2003, 02:37 AM

Yes, SO2 would be good, so would NH3, and He gas giants for some more variety. They don't necessarily have to be able to support life.

couslee · #7 February 16th, 2003, 03:17 AM

That is assuming we know about ALL types of elements. There may be other we have not discovered that have the same chain properties as carbon and are not affected by chlorine. If evolution progressed on those worlds, life would be certainly different. Maybe they would say "humbug", life can not possibly exist on an oxygen world, it's just unrealistic.

Damn Terrans think they know everything. geesh

[ February 16, 2003, 01:20: Message edited by: couslee ]