Orbital Colonies

[Captain Kwok]

Continuing:

Create a new entry for planetsize.txt (not the position # of the entry) and set constructed to TRUE. The map generator will not place it. Create an entry in sectype.txt that corresponds to the new size with a pic.

Create a new component that generates planet with the ability set to the position # of entry. This should create the "new planet".

[geoschmo]

Kwok, you missed my previous point I think. THe created=true planets have to be made from stars. They cannot be made from asteroids.

[Captain Kwok]

It might be Place Constructed Planet that specifies it needs a star.

However, I did some in game testing. Not successful. The Create Planet must conflict with Constructed=True setting, because it reverts to the next viable entry and counts that as the position # corresponding to the value for Create Planet ability.

[ December 12, 2002, 20:45: Message edited by: Captain Kwok ]

[Puke]

hmm.. other problems with LaGrange points:

as mentioned, space colonies will be able to be created on top of a star. not so bad, except that means the star goes away. also, as space colonies are constructed, solar supply available in a system goes down, because the number of stars drops.

if regular stellar manip is enabled, then sphereworlds can be constructed at lagrange points. grr.

[Puke]

new idea: LG points can be asteroids instead of stars. this makes since, since clutter tends to gather up at these points, and most of them have their own little asteroid fields. they can be beyond huge asteroids, to differentiate them from normal asteroids. then space colonies can be created on that special extra-big size (as long as their facility numbers are kept low)

or, they can be asteroids that are marked as constructed worlds. or, they can be constructed worlds that are planets but look like asteroids. or look like nothing, if thats possible. then you would just need some way to do something with them that would not involve randomly placed space colonies during map creation.

or, it can be a 2 part construction process, where its a constructed world that you need to blow into asteroids, that you need to turn into a planet. naw, thats just silly.

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by Puke:
new idea: LG points can be asteroids instead of stars.

Now this I like -- some rare new asteroid type, using no asteroid picture (or a starfield background) called a Lagrange point, that a special planet creator component will use exclusively to create a space colony.

Can we:
1) make a new size of asteroid field
2) make a component that only works on this size field (unlike the current one which uses any size field to make an appropriately sized planet

Anyway, how big is this space colony going to be? A large or huge planet of optimum climate? Or what?

[geoschmo]

Why should you need a special type of asteroids to make an asteroid colony? All you should need is to research special techniques that would give you the skills needed to colonize an asteroid field, like SE3. That's one thing we all wish hadn't been left out.

Geoschmo

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by geoschmo:
Why should you need a special type of asteroids to make an asteroid colony? All you should need is to research special techniques that would give you the skills needed to colonize an asteroid field, like SE3. That's one thing we all wish hadn't been left out.

Geoschmo

Yeah well thats a separate question. An asteroid colonizer would be nice. We're just trying to mod in a purely space based habitation.

It would be noce if there was a stellar construction smaller than a ringworld, it could be faster to build. A begining stellar constrution tech

I read about how impractical in real world physics a sphereworld would be -- but a construted surface, surrounding the planet Jupiter, at an appropriate distance from the planet to make 1 g of gravity -- would be plenty of (domed) living space -- we could extract energy from the heat of Jupiter.

Let me save you some time. Do we need this in SE4? No.

Would I like a component that turned a gas giant into a huge airless rock world? Sure. An earlier than ringworld constructed planet would be fun.

[Urendi Maleldil]

I see another problem with option 2. If we use the create standard planet method (asteroid colony), the atmosphere will be random. But you can mod the planet size so there's no difference between a domed colony and an undomed colony.

[geoschmo]

Originally posted by Urendi Maleldil:
I see another problem with option 2. If we use the create standard planet method (asteroid colony), the atmosphere will be random. But you can mod the planet size so there's no difference between a domed colony and an undomed colony.

Actually this can be avoided. Assuming we make a brand new planetsize for the colonizable asteroids, you simply only put entries in the sector types file that are none/rock for this planetsize. The game can't choose a random atmosphere if there are none to choose from.

Geoschmo