[MarcoPolo]

@Alikiwi> I like A as its well rounded and kept simple. But if the battles are to be waged in a (Gratuitous Space Battles format) then B is my winner. As it would allow for more weapon/sheilds/crew configurations as better ship hulls were researched by the player. Alot of custom ship fans would welcome this too who are into GSB and its modding ships for battle playability. And you could allow for disfavourable ship conditions according to the battle locations ie nebulas, meteor storms, gravity anomalies to handicap certain ship types so as not to create a race for biggest ship takes all kind of scenario. This would keep things from becoming repititious. Therefore maintaining a sizzors paper rock style battle strategy.

I also welcome the 2 species possibility on a single planet. Its makes for interesting diplomacy options. But can i suggest there being resource ratio information of how much each player is using of SAID planets resources? This could change as one population grew at the expense of another, or if one population was more politically stable (ie better entertainment facilities, less revolt)

Also would populating the moons of nearby planets coinhabited by 2 species be an option? Im wondering how cohabitation on a world with 2 different races with radically different requirements would happen? Say a methane breather vs an oxygen breather. Perhaps one a methane world the oxygen breather would be at a disadvantage since they would have to build domes but also the same would be if the situations were reversed and a methane breather wished to colonise a oxygen/nitrogen dominant planet.

Im putting up all sorts of scenarios in my mind, but the motivation for either race to colonise a planet not natively favourable to them would only happen for resources. My mind boggles on ways to acheive 2 races on a planet sharing resources. Perhaps there could be a population cap or population slots that gradually fill up as each race reaches their next population level. Ulimately creating a race to fill up the planets capacity before the other. However you could introduce strong ecological penalties if its done too carelessly and not sustainably or with little thought to energy and agriculture as a disincentive to just go out and horde worlds willy nilly.

Also non natives to that planet type and hence dome builders would grow at a handicapped rate since their colonising a world that neither favors them or directly promotes their race type. These handicaps would be less according to how close they are in similarity to the native race.

Just a thought...but will there be planet disasters? like comets or meteors, or radiation solar flares, that could throw a planet into a wasteland for a few decades? or cap its agricultural and population capacities? Just wondering, also an incentive could be to allow technologies that lessen this like biospheres and planetary sheilding techs or options to build underground or underwater as well. Providing this...or perhaps a slot system of colonisation would allow a typical terrestrial planet to have 5 default slots (representative of 5 regions or continents) later each slot would be able to open an underground or subterranean expandable slot for urban centres immune to solar or planetwide catastrophes. Or in the same vein after researching aquatic colonisation perhaps an ocean slot that would provide more agriculture and population options (of course on worlds with more than 50% water... less water may mean only 1 or 2 of the 5 slots would allow for such an option at all). In essence having 5 slots may allow for 5 races to contest a planet or cohabit one too, and peacefully if diplomatic and commercial perks are offered in the game as incentives. Of course early in the game uncontested planets would gradually fill up their respective slots with the natural progression and development of the native population. Slots could be unique in science/population/agriculture/commercial output depending on the race and planet type it is inhabiting... small barren planets would have less slots perhaps 2 or 3 while gas giants would have many more than terrestrial worlds but all geared towards mining/science with very little population perks. Even Stars could have slots dedicated to science/strategic defense or mining depending on the star type.

Science could be perked at 2 different rates, one being for military science and the other domestic. What I mean is that military scientific discoveries and their rates of growth would be proportional to the military resources gained and developed via slots in say nearby gas giants or debris fields (asteriod belts) that offer slots favourable with military perks. This would provide an incentive to grab and develop military science posts or military installations around gas giants, asteroid belts or stars as well, and not just make the game winnable by conquering planets. Domestic science would have more perks around terrestrial planets, with perhaps a space slot opening up for each terrestrial slot that is upgraded by a space elevator of sorts. Providing more space commercial options and improving the population standards of living (ie improving mortality and food output).(It would be possible to see entire star sytems being exploited for military purposes only if say a certain race cannot successfully utilise the terrestrial planets for population bonuses or is not worth the effort. Eg a rock/silicon based life form that gains huge population perks from volcanic planets, hence it will gain next to nothing on a serene waterworld with no volcanoes present. However an aquatic species might move in and not feel threatened to develop that systems population capacities, given it is not at war with the silicates and may even gain commercial perks if trading with the silicates in its vicinity.

Worlds that are already inhabited by primitive races or non space faring could offer domestic research bonuses for observing a prewarp species, by setting up a space outpost there. Or covertly inhabiting that world by means of its underground population slots, or a space slot that would be available initially. Perhaps setting up a nearby lunar science colony could also benefit with domestic science bonuses. However an agressive race could gain more military bonuses if enslaving that world and exploiting the inhabitants. Another bonus to taking the evil route would be as a food source if you are a reptilian or insectoid race bent on destruction that gains these perks from most forms of life that are not yet developed.

Well just some ideas, feel free to muse some more about them.