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A Galaxy of Endless Diversity

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12 years ago
May 20, 2013, 1:49:32 PM
Hello there.



This is a preview thread for my mod, A Galaxy of Endless Diversity, which i hope to release sometime in the near future. This mod will do several things, with an obvious impetus on providing diversity. It adds several new planet types, new anomalies, new improvements, new wonders, new technologies, new and revamped terraformation options, and more! It also borrows some wonderful ideas from other mods, such as colorization of anomalies based on positive and/or negative attributes and colorization of exploitations, etc.



So lets get to it shall we? The preview! First off, lets talk planets! Here are the new planet types with screenshots!



Desolate:



Desolate planets are archetypical "dead terrestrials": dry, rocky worlds with a minimal, windswept atmosphere and an unremarkable composition. They are commonly etched with long-extinct flood channels, which are often broad enough to be visible from orbit; some such worlds have accumulated quantities of ice over their lifetimes, but cannot retain it on their surface. Generally surface liquid evaporates rapidly, contributing to the thin atmosphere. Most, but not all, of these worlds have an atmosphere will little or no oxygen, often containing undesirable or inert gasses, making colonization difficult on a world with little value.



Not uncommon where Desert, Arctic, and Barren worlds are found.

Can be terraformed to Barren, Desert, Arctic, Tundra, Storm









Storm:



Storm worlds are usually considered oceanic worlds, although to a casual eye they may appear more similar to gas worlds, given their opaque, high-pressure atmospheres. Geomorphically, however, the distinctions are clear: compared to a gas world, the atmosphere of a storm world is usually considerably shallower, and generally composed primarily of more complex chemicals, while the majority of the planet's mass is a rocky terrestrial ball surrounded by a highly complex oceanic environment with little to no useable land. Their name is derived from the continent-scale electrical storms that invariably flash through their upper atmospheres.



Not uncommon where Ocean, Tundra, and Arctic worlds are found.

Can be terraformed to Arctic, Desolate, Tundra, Terran, Ocean



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12 years ago
May 20, 2013, 1:51:10 PM
Toxic:



The entire surface of this world is comprised of toxic elements, both in the atmosphere and the soil; making this world difficult to survive on. The toxic elements vary from fields of extremely dangerous alkali metals, to rivers of hydrochloric acid, to lakes of outright toxic sludge. It is impossible to grow food except in specialized laboratories, and the unpleasantness of daily life weighs on the inhabitants. However; these worlds are ideal for heavy industry, as no safeguards are neccessary to "protect the environment." There also apears to be a previously unknown exotic form of Dust on these worlds, which is quite valuable.



Relatively uncommon, found in a variety of locations.

Can be terraformed to Lava, Desert, Arctic, Arid, Radioactive









Radioactive:



High levels of cosmic rays coupled with a most unusual naturally occurring radioactive crust and mantle make this world a dangerous place. There is a high risk of disease and death, but the abundance of rare and unusual radioactive substances make this world ideal for industry and scientific study.



Relatively uncommon, found in a variety of locations.

Can be terraformed to Desert, Toxic, Arid, Terran, Jungle



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12 years ago
May 20, 2013, 1:52:42 PM
Shattered:



Shattered worlds were once terran worlds, torn asunder by some immense cataclysm. These worlds have been, in effect, boiled away to almost nothing, turned molten as a whole, and are virtually uninhabitable by any known form of life. Unless somehow terraformed, they have absolutely no value; and can produce neither food, industry, dust, or science, no matter what improvements are in place.



Extremely Rare, found in very select systems.

Can only be terraformed to Lava or Asteroids (Terraforming reduces planet size by 1, Tiny to Asteroids).









Plasma:



Plasma worlds are aptly-named and have captured the imagination of countless artists and inspired innumerable works; yet the physics behind them are inordinately complex and poorly understood. What we do know is a rocky terran world with the right kind of atmosphere and magnetic field, when bombarded with a specific kind of solar radiation, will generate sprawling plasma storms as specific atmospheric elements are stripped of their electrons. Over time these storms will generally scorch the surface rock black, and penetrate deep into the planet's crust, adding to the visual impact. Given enough time, these storms will "charge" the crust with enough energy that the surface of the world itself erupts with plasma spontaneously. These worlds, while amoung the most hostile of environments in the known galaxy, are exceedingly rare and offer extreme rewards in the form of unlimited energy for manufacturing and dust production, as well as unparalleled scientific opportunity.



Extraordinarily Rare, found only in a few, very old systems.

Can not be terraformed.



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12 years ago
May 20, 2013, 10:45:03 PM
great stuff, will certainly download when released smiley: smile



Btw: is there ANY point to Shattered Planets? Or are they just meant to invoke a "aww crap, that's not a planet it's a shattered smiley: frown" or "Damn, why does that wonder have to be on that planet!??!?" when discovered?
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12 years ago
May 21, 2013, 5:39:18 AM
Probably just like "damn, two out of the three planets in this system are shattered?" or the wonder thing you said. And eye candy, can't forget the eye candy.
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12 years ago
May 21, 2013, 4:34:27 PM
These planets feel more like anomalies of existing types to me, but the art is so good I don't think I mind
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12 years ago
May 21, 2013, 10:45:36 PM
Hi all! Thanks for the support and feedback!



Shattered worlds are definately a negative thing. They're also extremely rare. So finding a shattered world in the middle of your system of terran/jungle/ocean planets would be a, "AWW WTF!" moment. You can colonize them with the appropriate tech, but why would you want to? They'll suck you dry of resources and offer nothing in return. It isn't until the middle-late game when you can terraform these worlds into slightly more useful lava worlds that they become worthy of colonizing. That is, unless you're looking for a LOVELY penal colony to throw all of your Horatio POWs onto.



As for numbers, i'd say that in a medium galaxy with normal settings you'd see 3-5 shattered worlds, total; whereas with the same settings you'd see 1-3 plasma worlds, total. The latter definately being worth starting wars over. smiley: smile
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12 years ago
May 30, 2013, 5:02:07 AM
Awesome work so far. Cannot wait to see what you have in store for the actual mod itself.
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12 years ago
Jun 1, 2013, 7:35:01 AM
Hello everyone! Thanks again for the feedback and ups! I'm still working on the mod, and yes i am absolutely going to release it! When, i don't know exactly; I hope soonish. I really, really want this bug to be fixed before i release the mod; i'm hoping that will be done in a patch before Disharmony comes out. What i have left to do at this point is add in costs and balancing for all the improvements and terraformations, as well as A LOT of descriptions and naming; and of course anything new that i want to add that pops into my head.



But enough of that, here's what's new at this point:





New Planet Type - Paradise:



Note: Due to the custom planet rotation bug, you are actually viewing the southern polar region of the planet.



Extraordinarily Rare, found only in a few, very select systems (as rare as Plasma worlds).

Can not be terraformed.

Requires no special colonization technology.

Only affected by positive anomalies.









New Improvements:



I've decided that each of the new planet types deserved at least one improvement specialized just for them (note: these improvements can only be built in a sytem that has a colonized planet of the type(s) they're specialized for), here's what i have so far.









New Wonder:







And of course there are several other anomalies that i haven't bothered to screenshot for this thread, and i may add more as they come to mind.



That is all for now! Thanks again for the positive support!
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12 years ago
Jun 6, 2013, 8:22:52 PM
How about a Carbon type world? From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_planet.

I can definitely see how a planet laced with hydrocarbons could boost smiley: industry significantly, but such a planet wouldn't be very viable for plant growth (and hydrocarbons aren't as cutting-edge science as they used to be) so limited smiley: science and smiley: food would be expected. Buuutt... carbon means diamonds, and diamonds means smiley: dust - so this type isn't over-specialised. ^_^



Just a suggestion. Good luck with making the mod! I'm getting really excited about it now! smiley: biggrin
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