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IDProjectCategoryLast Update
0001797AI War 1 / ClassicSuggestion - Game MechanicsMay 14, 2015 6:29 pm
ReporterSpikey00 Assigned To 
Severityminor 
Status consideringResolutionopen 
Summary0001797: New Planet Types - Examples.
DescriptionIt would be nice for AI War to have additional types of "planets", for diversification is always important in massive-scale games. "Well, is there anything beyond colonizable planet, colonizable planet, etc etc?" Please feel free to input your ideas. With the recent update for the coloured lines in galaxy view mode, it would be fine to navigate. Please note that most of these are not meant to be captured by the players with a command station!

Asteroid field
Contains varying amounts of resources that may be mined by players via Mobile Builders. Other buildings cannot be built here in consequence of loose debris, but fleets behave here normally.

AI at times will send in patrols to cease player operations if unguarded. Since players cannot protect this with defenses, the AI may use this for a passage to attack other player planets. Players must use mobile fleets in order to protect their mining, or conquer the attached planets to cease attacks on their operations; exo-harvester shields may be recommended.

Enemy vagabonds are common.


Deep space
There is nothing here but a deep gaze into the galaxy. Buildings and such can be built here, units function normally. Marauder attacks here are relatively common. Designed to be a neutral territory.


Black hole
Another neutral territory that has a significant benefit for researchers, as this area provides more knowledge than usual. Marauder attacks here are frequent; science vessels need to be protected.

Fleets here are slower than usual, save for the adapting vagabonds. The gravity exhibited here is powerful enough to prevent construction of buildings.


Contested debris field
A field of unknown origin, possibly from some ancient battle; speculation is left to the historians. Marauders and resistance fighters often clash here for the remnants.

Special: marauder and resistance fighter bases inhabit this area as they continue to battle for the debris--players may intervene by assisting a side to destroy the other; the problem is that both sides are initially hostile to the player, and until one of these bases are destroyed, they will continue to battle. The conflict only begins on player discovery so as to save early CPU use and AI reinforcement.

If the players assist the marauders, they will be provided with intelligence about the local events, henceforth receive a knowledge boost and a moderate, permanent resource benefit. If the resistance fighters are assisted, they will not benefit the player besides helping to form attacks against AI systems streaming from this area (like Dyson Gatlings, though move in a group instead of one-by-one).


Nebula
A mysterious expansive area that, on player trespass, aggravate nearby AI planets into steadily sending ships to fend off the human disturbance. A great human benefit from a nebula is due to the vast amounts of dust and gas that is readily available on said arena, construction speed is enhanced along with being discounted when a command station is placed. However, as the AI had previously figured, the disturbance of peace within this area may consequently cause a Zenith fleet to respond, an enemy to everyone.

Vagabonds do not traverse this area.


Magnetic cloud
Another mysterious anomalous part of the galaxy that boosts the speed of all ships, while rendering shields of ships smaller than starships useless. It is said that these areas are often inhabited by wandering golems whose existence were superimposed upon, listlessly searching for some purpose. Only one ever finds seclusion in a single cloud, and when challenged will it turn hostile against the player; however, it can be destroyed to be captured and repaired for human control.

Many vagabond ships here find a common quality of solemn peace here, and will attack the player if the golem is targeted; the AI finds this unity disturbing, and uses reinforcements to attack both the vagabonds and the golem after the players has discovered the area.


Wormhole
A self-explanatory part of the galaxy; an area that allows instant traverse to another part of the galaxy when research of wormhole travel is committed; a single wormhole connects to another individual wormhole. The AI monitors and patrols these anomalies well, and upon discovery of a large player fleet will it react by fortifying the wormholes with nearby planet reinforcements on both ends. No ships may traverse through to the other wormhole without the research, and normal scout ships cannot travel through them, only scout starships.

Buildings cannot be built here, and only light vagabond activity is exhibited here. A planet must be captured on the other end if players wish to receive supply on that side.

Minor planet types


Dwarf planet
Possesses a small gravity well (closer wormholes), nothing too special other than having less resources and smaller build area.


Gigantic asteroid
An asteroid that produces a vast amount of a single resource.


Pulsar
Has no resource asteroids, but power plants here produce more energy.
TagsNo tags attached.
Internal Weight

Relationships

related to 0011082 new Space Weather and other Transient Phenomena 

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Spikey00

Dec 4, 2010 1:15 pm

reporter   ~0005217

BLAH fine, don't properly format my post with either HTML nor BBC.

If the post is too messy for you to read, see the http://www.arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,6886.0.html

ArcDM

Dec 12, 2010 10:41 pm

reporter   ~0006078

I love this idea!

It might be a little complicated to implement but I think it would be worth it.

Spikey00

Dec 12, 2010 11:41 pm

reporter   ~0006079

Yeah, I would still stand by my initial desire for a diverse set of planet types--I mean, that would be a dream for AI War. :p

Invelios

Dec 13, 2010 1:29 am

reporter   ~0006084

This is a great idea! Only thing is it probably should be something you can turn on/off, not everyone likes this kind of thing. Besides that, I would love to see this idea implemented sometime.

Fleet

Dec 13, 2010 10:37 am

reporter   ~0006092

It would be interesting if there were more effects or areas based on actual astronomical phenomena, such as pulsars or nebulae.

Spikey00

Dec 13, 2010 11:43 am

reporter   ~0006097

If this is implemented, then there should be made options in the lobby for this.

And these are simply provided examples, so I'm sure the community or Chris/Keith would be able come up with more!

Draco18s

Dec 13, 2010 2:34 pm

developer   ~0006111

Here's another one for consideration:

Ringworld
No special benefits, but looks damn cool. I suppose if you want to have some backstory, it was the first attempt at creating a Dyson Sphere.

sarnian

Dec 24, 2010 11:00 am

reporter   ~0007025

Perhaps the Ringworld, if captured, could be colonised by some of the suspended animation colonists, producing additional benefits (resources or a one-off knowledge boost), at the expense of a hefty AI Progress penalty should the AI subsequently destroy the Ringworld (it could be made up of a number of separate, destructable sections that the AI could pick off).

sarnian

Dec 24, 2010 11:04 am

reporter   ~0007026

You could also have a Magnetar "planet" that boosts energy production but suffers from intermittent magnetic storms that would flare up occasionally, dealing area damage via lightning-type attacks.

lyravega

Jan 4, 2011 9:41 am

reporter   ~0007437

I suggested somewhat similiar before. Some planets (bigger ones) give more research, while other (smaller) ones giving less research. However, that got lost as the RP from a planet increased by 50%.

Also, AI Mark III and above planets could be of those "special" types, so if you get them, you also get a bonus to something. Strongly supported.

soMe_RandoM

Jan 4, 2011 6:20 pm

reporter   ~0007466

i like the idea of planet specific like
Asteroid field, Wormhole. i like these ideas and i support the simple planet ideas. empty space not so much as supply is created by the planet not space. with dev, when implementing having it as multiple DLC poll then, yes (DLC Poll dedicated to this idea)

Ymihere

Feb 2, 2011 12:38 am

reporter   ~0009940

I like every idea that is in the OP here. It'd be really cool to have a varying environment to contend with as well as the AI.

The Magnetar idea a few posts above this is also a really cool idea. Making some planet types a lot more hostile/dangerous would spice things up a bit where the environment would slowly do damage to anything on that "planet" area. These would obviously have more reward to them as well, but a higher risk.

hullu

Feb 2, 2011 3:59 am

reporter   ~0009941

Definitely something to consider, and soem good ideas up there!

Entrenched Homeperson

Feb 22, 2011 9:36 am

reporter   ~0010638

Last edited: Feb 22, 2011 9:37 am

I'd like to try it, but I don't know if I would play it all the time. Be nice to see.

I like the idea of enviromental effects. Some ideas :P

Nebula - An area of intense heat and light, and the birthing ground for new stars.
 * Occasional Electromagnetic Storms blow through parts of the planet, causing temporary loss of control of ships for the AI and Player. Additionaly, AI fleet ships are "Scrambled" on this planet, and behave differently then they would on a normal planet, such as taking a zig zag approach to a target, or choosing a non-optimal target to attack. Starships are unaffected.
 * The production penalty for producing additional Power Generators on the planet is reduced by 66%. This effect is not cumulative and blankets all generators. (Meaning you could build 2 or 3 more generators and still have them being fairly effective)

Pulsar - The star of the planet is incredibly compact, causing a huge gravity gradient near it that can destroy ships and greatly alters the effects of battle here.

 * No resource nodes to build gatherers on.
 * An additional 1000 Knowledge can be harvested from this planet.
 * Ships cannot enter Low Power Mode, or else they will begin to have self-attrition because they are not battling the intense gravity of the hyperdense star.

Hubworld - This planet has been turned into a huge factory by the AI, and cannot be taken or nuked. It is a fortress unlike anything else in the galaxy and represents a serious threat to human forces.
 * When there are player ships in system, the AI will spawn randomly all over the planet ships of a mark equal to that of it's current wave spawns.
 * Guaranteed Advanced Factory Mark V, higher chance for Advanced Research Facility and other bonus buildings, broken golems, spire starship mines, and factories.
 * Accelerated knowledge harvesting up to 2X, and an additional 1000 knowledge may be harvested from the system.
 * Though it may be captured, AI ships will still spawn randomly all over the planet. No Harvesters may be build on this planet.
 * Spawned ships are Zombies.
 * Even if the planet would not normally be targeted for waves, it is occasionally targeted for waves, and these waves always spawn on the planet and not from the wormhole.

Deep Space - The planet hangs in deep space, flung out by an unknown cosmic event. It can support wormholes, but has no amount of resources that can be harvested from it as there is almost no matter in it's immediate area.
 * All ships recieve a 2X Bonus to speed, and a 1.33X Bonus to range.
 * Has a chance of a large tectonic/volcanic/magnetic action within it's crust that throws a large chunk of itself into space. This creates some Spire Starship Metal nodes, as well as some super productive Metal nodes, that can be built upon by normal Metal Harvesters.
 *After each spawn of resources, there is a chance a countdown will activate at the end of which the planet will be destroyed, removing supply from the planet and dealing 5%-70% damage to all ships and units on the planet.

Draco18s

Feb 22, 2011 11:51 am

developer   ~0010646

Of what use is a planet with a Mk4 Factory and ARS if it can't be taken? You may wish to refine that (as you mention that it [i]can[/i] be colonized).

For Deep Space, it should just explode ah la nuked.

soMe_RandoM

Feb 22, 2011 4:40 pm

reporter   ~0010649

Entrenched Homeperson: Guaranteed Advanced Factory Mark V
OP!

bugsydorb

Feb 22, 2011 5:54 pm

reporter   ~0010650

I like this idea. Though a lot of the planets you listed seem to have their effects ripped directly from SoaSE, a number of them seem quite original. These seem like fun.

Entrenched Homeperson

Feb 23, 2011 8:39 am

reporter   ~0010675

Last edited: Feb 23, 2011 8:41 am

For hubworld I meant that the stream of ships could not be stopped xD.

As far as guaranteed Mark V... come on, it has to be worth it for endless zombie bots :P

TechSY730

Feb 23, 2011 8:37 pm

reporter   ~0010704

I take it that despite how popular this is, given it's massive scope and tricky balance issues introduced, it would be quite some time before you guys try to implement it. Is this sort of out of scope for this beta cycle?

Fleet

Feb 23, 2011 9:17 pm

reporter   ~0010705

I think that this sorta thing could be introduced in pieces...no need to introduce 20 different planet/features at once. But once a month or so might be a nice pace, keep things balanced yet interesting. And be manageable.

TechSY730

Feb 23, 2011 9:20 pm

reporter   ~0010706

But this would affect seeding of galaxies, right? I don't want to be required to restart my game just to see a new planet type in action.

ArcDM

Feb 23, 2011 11:34 pm

reporter   ~0010714

This is a big change, like the change from turrets to guardians. It will take time and will be huge, no need to worry about currents games changing.

Entrenched Homeperson

Feb 24, 2011 9:53 am

reporter   ~0010719

I assume every planet would have a small chance to be an unusual planet type, the same way every planet has a chance to have a fabricator or a golem. It would be ties in to the game initialization like all of that.

Giegue

Jun 22, 2011 10:00 pm

reporter   ~0012523

this is already planned afaik

TechSY730

Aug 15, 2012 10:01 am

reporter   ~0027665

Last edited: Aug 15, 2012 10:02 am

Hang on a second. Is the new "Backwater Planets" logic of the Ancient Shadows (the fourth expansion) sort of a way you are trying to implement this?

keith.lamothe

Aug 15, 2012 2:55 pm

administrator   ~0027675

The nebula idea was inspired by this, yes :) I wouldn't consider it a fulfillment of this, but a start.

Zane Wolfe

Sep 18, 2012 5:03 pm

reporter   ~0028441

Love most of these ideas. Though I'm not sure if most of them can be done without some serious rebalancing of everything. Are any of the rest of these something you guys/gals are plannig on doing keith.lamothe?

LordStryker

Nov 15, 2012 12:17 pm

reporter   ~0028975

If implemented, definitely make these selectable options for game setup.

Kahuna

Nov 22, 2012 8:40 am

reporter   ~0029039

LOL so many supporters.. how did this not make it into the Ancient Shadows? I hope to see this in the fifth expansion :)

theman8631

Mar 29, 2014 5:52 am

reporter   ~0035369

I like the idea, with such a long list of great locations I'd think each map seed should have at random just 1-3 of these locations.

Radiant Phoenix

May 13, 2015 5:47 pm

reporter   ~0040755

This came up in another thread: What if the Nebulas from AS were a Minor Faction you could activate and encounter as a Commander? (Alt Champ Progress would become the norm in this scenario)

Radiant Phoenix

May 14, 2015 6:29 pm

reporter   ~0040827

I just looked through the planet images in $AI_WAR/Runtime/Images/Starfield/Planets

Some of them look quite interesting, and I think it would be cool if they meant something. (Beyond 'Exploded.png == this planet got nuked')

Issue History

Date Modified Username Field Change
Dec 4, 2010 1:10 pm Spikey00 New Issue
Dec 4, 2010 1:11 pm Spikey00 Description Updated
Dec 4, 2010 1:12 pm Spikey00 Description Updated
Dec 4, 2010 1:13 pm Spikey00 Description Updated
Dec 4, 2010 1:14 pm Spikey00 Description Updated
Dec 4, 2010 1:15 pm Spikey00 Note Added: 0005217
Dec 4, 2010 10:44 pm Chris_McElligottPark Status new => considering
Dec 12, 2010 10:41 pm ArcDM Note Added: 0006078
Dec 12, 2010 11:41 pm Spikey00 Note Added: 0006079
Dec 13, 2010 1:29 am Invelios Note Added: 0006084
Dec 13, 2010 10:37 am Fleet Note Added: 0006092
Dec 13, 2010 11:43 am Spikey00 Note Added: 0006097
Dec 13, 2010 2:34 pm Draco18s Note Added: 0006111
Dec 24, 2010 11:00 am sarnian Note Added: 0007025
Dec 24, 2010 11:04 am sarnian Note Added: 0007026
Jan 4, 2011 9:42 am lyravega Note Added: 0007437
Jan 4, 2011 6:20 pm soMe_RandoM Note Added: 0007466
Feb 2, 2011 12:38 am Ymihere Note Added: 0009940
Feb 2, 2011 3:59 am hullu Note Added: 0009941
Feb 22, 2011 9:36 am Entrenched Homeperson Note Added: 0010638
Feb 22, 2011 9:37 am Entrenched Homeperson Note Edited: 0010638
Feb 22, 2011 11:51 am Draco18s Note Added: 0010646
Feb 22, 2011 4:40 pm soMe_RandoM Note Added: 0010649
Feb 22, 2011 5:54 pm bugsydorb Note Added: 0010650
Feb 23, 2011 8:39 am Entrenched Homeperson Note Added: 0010675
Feb 23, 2011 8:41 am Entrenched Homeperson Note Edited: 0010675
Feb 23, 2011 8:37 pm TechSY730 Note Added: 0010704
Feb 23, 2011 9:17 pm Fleet Note Added: 0010705
Feb 23, 2011 9:20 pm TechSY730 Note Added: 0010706
Feb 23, 2011 11:34 pm ArcDM Note Added: 0010714
Feb 24, 2011 9:53 am Entrenched Homeperson Note Added: 0010719
Jun 22, 2011 10:00 pm Giegue Note Added: 0012523
Aug 15, 2012 10:01 am TechSY730 Note Added: 0027665
Aug 15, 2012 10:02 am TechSY730 Note Edited: 0027665
Aug 15, 2012 2:55 pm keith.lamothe Note Added: 0027675
Sep 18, 2012 5:03 pm Zane Wolfe Note Added: 0028441
Nov 15, 2012 12:17 pm LordStryker Note Added: 0028975
Nov 22, 2012 8:40 am Kahuna Note Added: 0029039
May 1, 2013 11:12 pm TechSY730 Relationship added related to 0011082
Mar 29, 2014 5:52 am theman8631 Note Added: 0035369
May 13, 2015 5:47 pm Radiant Phoenix Note Added: 0040755
May 14, 2015 6:29 pm Radiant Phoenix Note Added: 0040827