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The Galaxy and Useless Objects

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The Galaxy and Useless Objects

from GalCiv3 Forums

Nothing on the map should be without a use or a purpose. By not making use of that I feel like this game, and the ones before it, are lugging around dead weight for really no reason.

At least that's my opinion!

Let me explain: On the map you have an assortment of objects. Right now you mostly have planets, stars, and asteroids. Starbases are constructed later on. Right now you'll sometimes have planets spawn with absolutely nothing at all. No asteroids or planets. Othertimes they'll have only 'dead' or 'uninhabitable' worlds (what's the difference?).

I maintain the notion that you're wasting your resources with this. First of all, the colonization of uninhabitable worlds is quite possible--simply inconvenient and difficult and modifiers to productivity can reflect this. I'd like to see various sorts of uninhabitable worlds like you guys had in the past, but things outside of the previous Extreme classification. Are they simply too hot, too cold, covered in a strange flesh-eating bacteria, what's going on? You guys had this in the previous game (Extreme Colonization, something I'm sure we'll see outside of the Alpha) but the one thing I do not want to see are worlds that you can do nothing with--what about Planet Mining starbases for the things you can't otherwise think of, a technology that lets you setup planet-wide mining operations? Like a super asteroid belt.

The possiblities are endless and I think it's a shame to see, including the full build of the previous titles, worlds that are wholly without purpose. If I can think up a number of things you could do with otherwise dead worlds I'm certain you guys can too! By the looks of it you already have some thoughts on the matter since you list two kinds of unusable planets right now.

I may very well be the only one who minds, though! We'll see what people say.

One little thing to consider is this: It looks like you guys consider every three 'rings' of hexes around a star to be part of the system. Inner, Middle, and Outer. Do something with that, I think it could be cool. What if ships can get trapped in the Inner Rings of supermassive stars unless they have certain propulsion? Luring enemies into that might be kind of fun! It'd also be fun to see, as a purely aesthetic point, if worlds in the middle rings around medium sized stars (such as yellow and orange stars) be the ones most likely to be habitable, roughly mimicking the habitable zones around real stars. In the same vein you'd find cooler stars with habitable worlds in the first ring and hotter stars with habitable worlds in the outer ring.

Galactic Civilizations 2 was my kind of game hampered by dead weight and a UI that I just couldn't stand. Galactic Civlizations 3 already feels better at an intuitive level. You've got this great thing at your finger tips and I'd love to see you do a lot with it. Fill the game with character, not dead rocks you can't touch.

As an ending note I'd love to see Survey Ships do more than just trigger anomalies. The idea of doing studies on planets, exploring them more thoroughly to trigger other events, would be pretty cool. Such as stumbling on an ancient lab (research boost) or a stockpile of valuable materials (cash income) or even awakening an ancient, dead, but super powerful Minor Race that immediately goes genocidal on everyone's asses like miniature, bunny-shaped (and they must be bunny-shaped) Dread Lords.

The world is your oyster and with the experience of two titles behind you guys I think there's a lot you can do. Stardock has never ceased to impress me and Galactic Civilizations 3 should be your crowning jewel.

95,676 views 36 replies
Reply #26 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Quoting EvilMaxWar, reply 25

If Stardock eventually adds feature about unhabitable planets, I would not mind mining colonies on some planets,

and

Sensor and supply outposts like in Moo2 could be nice too. Gives you a cheap way to extend your range. And monitor what is going on. They could be built on planets with constructors instead of colony ships and maybe upgraded just like Starbases. They would still be succeptible to influence conversion.

 

You've been having an abnormal number of great ideas... For a Quebecois :3

 

I'm impressed.

Reply #27 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

A mining colony, and military outpost. Very Si-Fi. I like these ideas!

Multiplicity - Control multiple PCs using one keyboard and mouse
Reply #28 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

what is wrong with survey after colonization? Don't we survey this rock we are on over and over? e.g., as our technology increases there are things to be found that could not be found before.

Reply #29 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Quoting mamfelt, reply 28

what is wrong with survey after colonization? Don't we survey this rock we are on over and over? e.g., as our technology increases there are things to be found that could not be found before.

Not saying it cant be done. But I am worried about the whole thing getting increasingly complicated to get to make sense, game design wise. 

 

Yes we still survey our big rock with satellites and space stations and probably find things this way that we cannot see from the surface.

But I suspect that upon colonizing a new planet, most of its secrets could be found by colonists from the surface.

This already exists in the game as the colonization events that prompt the moral choices. It also exists in the form of the planetary tile bonuses. Such as Mineral rich and Ancient ruins.  ( BTW what the hell are PlanetFalls and Cataracts? ) 

So what type of information about the planet would surveying provide that cannot be found otherwise by colonists? 

 

Reply #30 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Cataracts - waterfalls, ideal for dams, and hence hydro-electrical power, or other forms of production methods. A consistent source hence a bonus to manufacturing. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cataracts_of_the_Nile

PlanetFalls, I'm not sure what they are referring, but I can suspect it is something along the lines of like Niagara falls. Something beautiful to see. I also think these might be too large to effectively use for manufacturing, due to the large amount of flooding that would occur and the force required to contain it might be too costly vs. the production output. I'm speculating here.

I always assumed that the colonists are already doing the scanning and surveying of the planet as they settle and build up there survival.

Reply #31 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Quoting EvilMaxWar, reply 29


Quoting mamfelt, reply 28
...

So what type of information about the planet would surveying provide that cannot be found otherwise by colonists? 

 

Old civilizations that lived on artificial island but, due to an occurrence they ended in the bottom of the ocean, proofs that can be obtained via spectra analysis of the sea that can only be done in outer space (maybe using satellites, but that would be like an autokill for my argument. lol) with special equipment that is too expensive to mount into a colony ship that is going to be, well, dismantled. Well, just saying  :grin: . 

 

Speaking in a more serious way. I agree with EvilMaxWar in the sense that it is already triggered by world events and that can be covered by more events. But it should be kept in check since is not funny to have 15 or so world events per turn (maybe I exaggerate a little, but you get the idea), specially in galaxies with more than 100 colonized planets per player.

Reply #32 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Quoting EvilMaxWar, reply 25
They would still be succeptible to influence conversion.

This one bothers me for some reason. My feel is that these outposts would be manned by your military, or perhaps your spy organization, which would reduce their susceptibility to cultural influence. Maybe not completely, but by a vastly huge amount.

Reply #33 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Quoting parrottmath, reply 30
PlanetFalls, I'm not sure what they are referring, but I can suspect it is something along the lines of like Niagara falls.

Actually, I took this as the location of the landing of the initial colonization team.

Reply #34 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Quoting Lucky, reply 33
Actually, I took this as the location of the landing of the initial colonization team.

If this were the case, shouldn't this bonus be on every planet? I suppose the landing team doesn't always land on a buildable location.

Reply #35 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

There are some good suggestions in this thread, I especially like the idea of surveying uninhabitable worlds, but I want to disagree with the sentiment of the OP that worlds that you can't do anything with are wasted resources.

I strongly feel that having useless planets adds to the feel of the game. One of the things I love about this game is the feeling of wide open space with only a few scattered useful resources. It makes it extra special when you do find that asteroid or habitable planet, and all the more tragic when some else's colony ship or constructor beats you there. To me, scarcity is the whole point of a game set in space at this scale. 

 

Reply #36 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

I agree that finding later uses for unhabitable planets would be great (mining, tourism, influence, some kind of military outpost or whatever).

Surveying inhabited (and unihabited) planets also seems interesting, it could go great if made in a way that some planets have some interesting unsolved scientific mystery on them (or multiple of them) and adequate technology (or survey or some kind of science module) is required to analyze it and benefit from it.

How about also adding more things that are useless at first, but useful later, for example types of anomalies that cannot be surveyed without adequate technology (or more advanced survey module)? It would make survey ships and their discoveries more relevant in mid and late game.