An update:

Priorities are an issue. Dwarf Planets could be released now, but it isn't very exciting, and I want to make a second pass at the graphics. Stars should be my highest priority, but I can't really release them without Systems; just releasing them by themselves does no one any good without systems that use them. I'm not done researching star system architecture yet: it is a new discipline, and very difficult to get up-to-date references. For the record, a buddy of mine is a planetary geologist, and HE can't give me any good references! Most of the work is data-mining right now, with little synthesis.

Waffling on whether or not to go back to scripting to produce systems. I used scripting extensively in my GC2 modding, but that was a decade ago, and my skills are rusty. I also can't figure out how to use scripting to make it easier. I have a graphical method of designing systems (https://forums.galciv3.com/483162/page/1/#3678131), but translating that into a quick-and-easy input for a script might take longer than actually just entering the systems by hand.

I also want to make the stars look a little better... those red dwarfs just don't look right to me, but I am having trouble editing transparencies in The Gimp (not even going to try in PS). Ideally, I'd like there to be less black/ brown and more light-dark red in there, but it is difficult to match the graphic to a specific RGB color (the point of the mod is that the stars be their precise true color). Does anyone know how to change an image such that the average color is a particular set of RGB coordinates?

I have changed my tune on planets. Looking at what CAN be accomplished, and doing some more research/ number crunching, the original idea of having 100% habitable planets is not justified. For 36% of its ultimate history, Earth has not been/ will not be habitable even as an 'extreme world!' A geologist should have known better! Now, someday I may want to make lava planets livable (for Tholians?), but for now it just ain't happening.

I haven't checked, but it looks like Stardock fixed the code so that every planet can be 'extreme' now. This should make for a more realistic and interesting mod like the one I originally intended.

Based on research, I will have to do a major restructuring of the planet types to focus on the relationships of oxygen (and therefore life), carbon, water (ammonia, methane), and plate tectonics, and the geologic evolution of planets. Planets change 'type' through their history, and understanding that evolution is key to a realistic view of the galaxy. Planet 'types' will probably become less single-properties, and more scenarios: for example, a "low-grade greenhouse world mostly covered by ocean with abundant vulcanism" rather than "atoll world." The true 'extreme' worlds will be simply be worlds were life never evolved or has gone extinct. If this sounds more like the original game, it is, but at least it is based on science.

So now back to reading about system models and planet histories. I may also have to take a short break to do some real science.

It didn't work as of the last version. I haven't messed with it in Crusade yet. The game code doesn't seem to respect its own percentages/ proportions. One issue is that the system generates 'random worlds' outside of the normal 'planetary system' system. Horevmore suggested some ways around that, and they may work now.

I think there is a setting for how many worlds have traits (aside from extreme traits). I'll try to look around for it if I get a chance. FYI: adjusting the proportion of habitable planets is also not straightforward. There are at least two different settings, and I haven't figured out exactly how they interact.

Yup, that is my plan. So far, I have "fully aquatic," "ammonia," "methane," "arid," "cold," "low gravity," "high gravity," "cold," "anaerobic," "autotrophic," and "high pressure" as possibilities. I will never be able to implement more than a few of these, but I would like to make the code so that they can be added if someone wants to expand the mod. It would be really nice if you could combine them. Then again, it would be nice if you could combine planet traits easily too. Maybe in GCIV...

I was going to use the RaceTrait option at first, but it was limiting options. My plan is to go the tech route, and have a different tech tree for each RaceTrait. The disadvantage there is having to do more work EVERY time the tech tree changes. The great thing is that, the way the system is designed, you should ("should") be able to do both. I haven't done a test-run of either, and I await your results eagerly.

THAT is the rub! The mod I am working on could potentially create a patchwork of territories, and some confusion for the AI regarding how to colonize. I have faith that Brad designed a robust AI that can handle the challenge, but we shall have to see. Again, I eagerly await your results!

For now, I am desperately combing the literature for actual, honest-to-god estimates of the parameters I need to make the mod semi-accurate. Even with the huge Kepler dataset, it is hard to get information due to biases in the data, and a general interest in finding a new Earth. Also, the data are coming in too fast. If I could wait ten years, It would be MUCH simpler!

GalCiv3MapDefs

 <PlanetTraitLikelihood>.75</PlanetTraitLikelihood>

Try setting this to 100%, then set extreme to 100%. Please tell me what happens!

wow, this project sounds amazing. cant wait

[HUGE EDIT]

Actually, these may not be final... I think I found a way to soften the lower dwarfs. And I'm putting the carbon giant back the way it was...

Change:

• Changed carbon hypergiant back to the old texture;
• Changed orange and red dwarfs to a modification of the brown dwarf texture; and
• Changed the L dwarf texture so that it bettter reflects the actual color of the star.

This produces a result that may not be as fancy, but seems closer to reality (except the L, which still uses that wacky purple texture...)

Here they are (the orange and red giants haven't been changed, they are there for comparison:

As a complete noob I`m curious to the universe`s realistic potential for habitable planets. And considering your mod is realistic, this statement seems strange.

I take it you`re saying that the chances of finding plentiful Earth-like and or/diverse planets in real life would be extremely slim compared to what the game shows us? So if you were to represent this part realistically we would have perhaps a maximum of 4 or 5 habitable planets? Actually how many planets do scientists believe would be habitable on average in reality?

Short answer: we don't know how many habitable worlds are out there. POTENTIALLY habitable is easier to figure out, and depending on who you talk to, that number is typically in the millions. But there are "billions and billions of stars," so the real question is, how many game-habitable (shirtsleeve environment) planets should there be per star. That depends on life. We need oxygen, and oxygen comes from life. Life may be common, but to be game-habitable, you need oxygen in the atmosphere. That requires the evolution of oxygen-generating photosynthesis (only happened once on Earth). You also need water, which may actually be somewhat common. There are other factors, but it isn't unrealistic to have SOME game-habitable worlds..  probably more than 4-5 for a moderate-sized map.

I will include the math in the mod. Basically, Earth won't be "habitable" for much of its existence (about 1/4). Mars and Venus were probably 'slightly extreme' for a short period of time early in their evolution, and now they are way-extreme (Mars should be a 'barren world,' not game-habitable). So, for the three worlds we have near the habitable zone, there is only a game-habitable world in the system for 17% of the collective history of the system, and that is for a system we KNOW has had a habitable world! Our system isn't typical, so I need to wait and see how the numbers work out.

Anyway, since the premise of the game is that there are LOTS of civilizations out there, oxygen-generating life must be common, so there should be a reasonable number of game-habitable, unclaimed worlds. How many? I will try to keep that variable, as much as I can. However, almost certainly not as many as in the vanilla game. I'm thinking it will come out to maybe an easily-habitable world every 5-10 systems, with an 'extreme' world maybe every 2-4 systems. The 'colony rush' will be very different.

I hope that helps answer your question!

Realism aside, even if the only thing to shake out of this is HUGE STARS, that's still worth putting out there. I would like to see a 26-hex star

Perhaps publish in phases?

Yeah, I can't change the code, so all planets will immediately be fixed the second you get the tech.

I am going to make this a bit more rational (I hope). The problem with Mars is that you can make a "colony" now, but it won't support many people. So, when you research Archologies, you can make a big structure capable of supporting a modest colony (like you said, restricted output). When you get low-pressure domes, you can expand more. Terraforming is WAY down the tech tree.

Yeah. I am going to assume that, with all the civilizations out there, there must be a goodly number of game-habitable worlds. Not as many as in the standard game. If anything, the plan is to make MORE 'uninhabitable' worlds habitable.

I think I mislead everyone regarding the idea of making every world extreme... the idea is to use the 'extreme world' code to make the planets more different... there will still be Earth-like planets, but they won't all be like Earth today. Some will be like the earth of the Ice Ages (cold, but bearable), some will be like Earth in the Age of Dinosaurs (hot, and muggy everywhere), some will be Snowball Earths (still habitable, just very cold), etc. They won't all need special techs to colonize (just parkas or good air-conditioning), but they won't just have one or two little differences like the 'trait worlds.'

Exactly, Fyunch (click)! However, high-pressure domes will let you set up a crappy little colony until then.

Overpopulation, desire to build more buildings... I would like to add code that gives you an extra tile for worlds with glaciers once you can colonize frozen worlds, etc. I'm not sure it is possible, or worth the hassle, but I'm looking into it.

The vanilla game provides bonuses for extreme worlds. They are small, though. In my version, it is because if you want to expand your empire, you will quickly run into the need to occupy extreme worlds. And, if you don't, and someone else does, they may flip your colony in the same system. What happens if the Drengin occupy Mars and Venus? Obviously, that is a contrived, unlikely, and problematic example, but I hope you get the idea.

Poor probability model. Their probabilities are more-or-less flat, which means you should get lots of low quality planets. I will fix this. It should be one a curve, with fewer poor planets, fewer excellent planets, and more planets around class 10-12. Some worlds (super-Earths, for example) would have a higher probability of having a high quality (in that case, simply because they are bigger), some would have a better chance of lower quality (light gravity worlds, moons if I can do them).

Occupying a low quality planet allows you to extend your influence, especially over that system, making it harder for your opponents to occupy higher-quality planets (possibly with more resources) that require other technologies to colonize. And resources. And additional range (life support takes up valuable laser space). And, again, for my mod, you'll be happy to get a planet you don't have to have special tech to colonize. Of course, later in the game, you will likely bypass these worlds, but in the initial colony rush, you won't

See Known Space: about half of Earth's colonies are crappy worlds like Plateau, Jinx, and Canyon. That's what was available.

With a planet cap of three random planets per lane and the horrible 'triangle of ugliness,' systems would have to expand from almost all being five lanes to most being eight or nine lanes, and some binary/ trinary/ quaternary systems being up to fourteen-fifteen lanes. This would significantly increase the size of star systems, and result in probably a four-fold reduction in total stars and systems. This is way too much for the game to be playable on any map setting. If I keep the systems small, there is very very little difference between systems, so little that attempting to produce multiple system architectures becomes nigh pointless. Since this has been the bulk of my year's long effort, that year of effort was wasted.

It looks like I have wasted a whole YEAR working on the systems part of this mod (the earliest records I have are from July 7, 2016, but I was working on it earlier). I have extreme PTSD, and this has been my way of keeping my brain occupied while everything else is too stressful to handle. I am debating whether to abandon the mod, and possibly the whole game. I don't want to rage-quit, and I am trying to talk myself out of it. However, my mental health is my primary concern, and this is taking a huge toll. I have lost a lot of things over the last eight years, and I've already had to deal with losing this game once.

The beta is almost finished. If I do abandon it, and the game, I will either post what I have now, or turn it over to Gauntlet (I'm so sure he wants that responsibility). It won't be maintained, but it will be out there for someone else to build on. Until I make a decision, I will try to work through the anxiety to get what I have to a stopping place.

Actually, this does not appear to be working, it just works differently now. I am exploring it now to see if I can figure out the general rules. please see:

https://forums.galciv3.com/483583/page/1/#3681373

for more details.

Don't freak out just yet. Let's see if we can get some developer feedback to make this work.

Try the chat area at discord: https://discordapp.com/channels/299942486095167489/300422711140810753