Expanding planetery terrain -> Multiple colonies per plan

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Astax
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Expanding planetery terrain -> Multiple colonies per plan

Postby Astax » Fri May 07, 2010 1:14 am

Here is an idea I been kicking around. Please note this is purely speculation.

Anyway, we all know how planets in Moo2 are categorized. I find this too be rather unrealistic thou. It seems to me that a planet has mixed environments, as opposed to a single environment. Like Earth is not really a Terran planet. It is a part Tundra, part Desert, part Arid, part Swamp part Ocean, part Gaia even. Now each planet is in a system of adjacent planets which too can hold colonies.

If a person was to redefine planets as a collection of environments adjacent to each other, then each planet would equate to a solar system as is now, with the exception of ground combat. Where you could invade adjacent environments.

The planets would have a very wide range of climates. And they could also have Moons which would have 1 climate per moon that would be considered part of the planet. Planet size would determine number of climates on the planet. 1 climate for moon, 2 for tiny planet, 3 for small, 4 for medium, 5 for large, 6 for huge. Huge with a moon would be 7, so on.

Now the Solar system could be extended to be a group of planets on the starmap that are adjacent to each other. Maybe even define the neighborhood as within a stellar boundary so that a class of ships which cannot go FTL can be created. These ships could travel between these planets, but not beyond. There would still be a Star, thou it could not be colonized by current species.

I just want you guys to think of possibilities, and I'm interested in ideas on the subject.

tf8
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Postby tf8 » Fri May 07, 2010 9:13 am

Too bad sort of those things are pretty unrealistic in moo2 modifications, that would affect complete rewrite of many and many functions that is available in disassembled code for now. If only Atari opened the source code of master of orion 2 that could be possible.

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Time
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Postby Time » Fri May 07, 2010 12:36 pm

I agree that a colony base type of ship should take 1 turn to fly from your inner planet to your outer planet, but, considering the distances that seperate each star, inner system travel would would seem instantious.

The region part was done poorly in MOO3.
I agree that should have been done more realistically, even to the point of allies of different environments inhabitanting the different regions, such as an aquatic in your ocean, Silicoid deep under ground, or Sakkra in your swamp.
They created the wrong terrain, and only 3 types, just poorly done.
MOO1 Fan, MOO2 Fan, MOO3 needed too many changes = hopeless, getting older waiting for a MOO4 (still).

Astax
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Postby Astax » Fri May 07, 2010 9:46 pm

Yes Time, moo3 had region of sort. It was an interesting concept done poorly.

I thought about how the travel within the system would be, it would be done with sublight engines, so the speed would be vastly reduced. It would take more than 1 turn in some cases. But eventually you could get from one end of the system to the other in 1 turn. Also ships traveling through a solar system in FTL, would have to slow down to STL drive I think. And yeah I suppose u can have STL Colony ship, and FTL one, and a Colony base (In case you want to colonize another region of the same planet).


tf8, people assume that modification is the only way to breathe new life into the game :) It is not. Just let your mind wonder for a bit.

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Time
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Postby Time » Sat May 08, 2010 7:19 pm

If one was going to redo the system, and have multiple colonies per planet, the simplest way would be to have a "next region" button at the bottom, like a next page would be used in Word processors.
Then could just goto the next region, whether it be a continent, ocean, mountain, swamp, whatever.

Personally, I would catagorize the regions into a list, in which each would thrive, giving a bonus to max pop based on that races ability to thrive in that environment.
For example, a Trilliarian would have a higher max pop in a Ocean region, compared to a Human.
I would make certain regions unusable to certain races, unless the proper tech was researched. It made no sence that a Trilliarian would happily colonize a Desert planet.

I would even go so far as to grant silicoid cities greated defense vs orbital bombardment, when they are constructed inside of a mountain (think hardened bunkers), or deep under ground.

1 mile underground (or more) you might not even be detected. Why should you? The only thing you might see from space are launch tube caverns, for them to launch asteroid-like ships into space.

The other way would be to have multiple regions all visible on one screen.
This would speed up our turns, when we want to build a Research Lab on both regions (assuming you are going that route). Just click the left one, the build R Lab, then the right one, then build R Lab. Next turn.
MOO1 Fan, MOO2 Fan, MOO3 needed too many changes = hopeless, getting older waiting for a MOO4 (still).

Astax
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Postby Astax » Mon May 10, 2010 1:50 am

I like your ideas Time. I think I would have both views. One for all regions on the planet, the other more closeup view. Though I would make it possible to add things to queue in both views.

This leads to one question thou: How would one handle Radiation and Toxic?

I thought about making Radiation level and Toxicity (More like Acidity) to be 2 properties that affect each region. And high radiation would lead to more Arid like conditions (meaning more Desert/Arid regions), while high acidity would mean a more liquid environments on the planet.

In general the Radiation and Acidity levels would be uniform across the planet, with few exceptions. In case of Radiation, the regions that are closer to the poles would have less radiation usually. While in case of Acidity, regions that are more dry could be less acidic than their adjacent regions.

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Time
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Postby Time » Tue May 11, 2010 12:55 am

Radiation, I would handle just like the planet Mercury.
It has little or no atmosphere, and basically the only way life would exist for centuries there, would be underground, and those that could create habitable facilities underground.
So, this would limit who could live on the planet.
Lithovores, Tolerants, any others would need pressurized habitats.
Lith-Tols could survive deep underground, if the pressure was considered normal. If none is present, then treat as the rest (They might not eat food, but, they still have to breathe).

Toxic - This depends on how you define Toxic.
If is just the atmosphere, then, Tolerants, are normal here.
You could make it habitable to all the rest via breathable aparatus' and special suits.

In my opinion, the game designers were trying to model Toxic after the planet Venus.
So, it is more than just a hostile atmosphere.
It has a high atmospheric pressure that would crush almost anything.
It has a very high temperature, so, it would likely melt almost anything.
There would be no water existing normally. Food cannot be grown.
In other words, a planet that couldn't be exploited much at all, by almost everyone.
Tolerants, are like Supermen, so, the game permits them to live here too (I would limit them as the others, but, MOO does not).
Possible underground habitats could be built by drilling underground from high elevations (mountains) near the poles to prevent lava from falling in.
Must be self contained, very strong structures to withstand the pressure and temperatures here, and very expensive to build.
Unless Lithivore also, Hydroponic Farms and Subterranean Farms are a must to sustain any colony for long, with food being shipped in to sustain the excess pop.
Mineral riches would be very abundant, because, no-one has been there to take any away yet.
For example, On Earth, we know the Diamond mines in Africa, were created under pressure and shot up lava tubes from long ago. There conditions could be all over a "Toxic" planet, because, no-one has gone there to remove them.

Personally, I would limit Tolerant to all normal habitable environments on Earth. So, a Tolerant race could survive on Earth in the Arctic, the desert, the swamps, pretty much every land mass above ground, as if it was from that envronment as normal for pop max purposes, but, must breathe air, unless, Aquatic is also purchased.
If it was Lithivore as well, then, it would eat minerals, others would farm normally. Both would be subject to the pressures and temperatures, so, habitats would be a must. We don't want our silicoid crushed to sand.
If Tolerant and Subterranean, It could burrow undergound for these, even under oceans, but, not in oceans.
If Tolerant and Aquatic, then, it could exist like coral reefs underwater and under alittle more pressure than normal, but, not the very high extreme pressures of Venus.

Subterranean would mean the species was capable of surviving very deep underground.
Personally, I think there needs to be 2 seperate catagories of Subterranean (Crust and Mantle).
Crust Subterraneans - would be Klackons (realistically).
I think Sakkra have it just to indicate they have alot of population, not that they really are underground living lizards.
Mantle Subterraneans - would be the True Sillicoids as they were ment to be. Living miles underground, not caring about what the surface dwellers are doing, unless they interfere somehow.
Mantle Subterraneans would have an enormous pop max, and their numbers would be undetectable from orbit.
It would be like asking how many Silicon based rocks can you detect from orbit 20-50 miles below the surface or the planet?
(In the Earth, that would be 21.5% of what you would find)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_mantle

Planetary defenses would give away that they were down there, but, they would not have to be exterminated to coexist with another species that was a surface dweller or Aquatic.
MOO1 Fan, MOO2 Fan, MOO3 needed too many changes = hopeless, getting older waiting for a MOO4 (still).


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