Star system details

[Zuikaku]

Hi!

I love space 4X games as much as historical strategies. And I also like details, micromanagement on all levels.
That being said, i tend to rate these games based on few main features. One of the main features (for the space 4X game) I consider to be level of details implemented in simulating star systems.
So, "must haves" (at least for me) shoul'd be:
- different star types (including any and all known types from brown dwarfs to blue supergiants)
- binary and trinary systems supported
- detailed informations on all stellar bodies in star system (orbital periods, gravity, mass, radiation levels, surface temperature...)
- multiple of resources that can be found of planets (tired of "minerals", "food" and "radioactives" as only resources)
- every star can have moons, planets can have, moons can have moons and all of them can be used, settled or mined...
- different planet types (gas giants, planetoids, barren worlds, ice planets, chtonian planets)
- different atmosphere types
- habitable zone that depends on star type
- different types of habitable planets

Stellaris have managed to implement some ,but not all of these. Is it too early to ask how Galactic Ruler simulate star systems?

[Snowpig]

I played a Distand Worlds Universe a lot and it has most of the features in the map you mentioned. In my view thats a bit too much.
At the latest in the mid-game so much is happening in a typical 4X-game so that most of the information is ignored by the player anyway.

[Zuikaku]

I have tried Distand Worlds and was not impressed at all. On one side it is very detailed while other aspect are oversimplified.
Space is beautifull place full of diversity and I just want all of these details to simulate this.
The problem with DW, MOO, Space Empires and most of the other space games is that by oversimplifying planets (stars, star systems) and their usable parametres we just get the very thing you are talking about. Every (non/habitable) planet is pretty much the same, so you just do not care about anything but it's size and how much buildings/pops you can slab on them.
I'm just hoping for the universe where every single planet is unique and different in some way.

[George Geczy]

We've spent a lot of time discussing the planets and star systems (obviously, I suppose). And happily we do have most of your list covered off in various forms.

Some elements we haven't decided exactly how much we will expose to players (ie, the detailed information - it's generally in the engine, but how do we show it to players without overwhelming them?)

One area where I have to point out we moved in a different direction is the number of resources. While the SR engine supports a large number, we made the design decision in GR to reduce resources to 4 (which is still at least one more than what you listed ) You can see them in some of the alpha screen shots - Food, Ore, Energy, and Finished Goods. The FinGoods does add an interesting aspect that, like SR, it needs to be produced from raw materials. (The engine does support 12, but that will be for modders to take advantage of.)

We're still tweaking the relationships between the factions and habitable/inhabitable/terraformable/non-terraformable planet types, so there will be more on that in the future. different planet types like gas giants, barren and frozen worlds, etc. I had to look up "chtonian", I assume it means subterranean Not sure about that one.

Planets can have moons. Moons cannot have moons though.

I'm just hoping for the universe where every single planet is unique and different in some way.

There is definitely a lot of work in that direction.

[Zuikaku]

Chtonian planets are cores of ex gas giant planets.

Too bad about so few resources (what about precious metals, strategic alloys, industrial gases...), but i'll wait to see the other features before I decide.
I just don't dare to ask about ships, techs, planet management or alien species (hope all are playable)...

[SixthtySixthSix]

...design decision in GR to reduce resources to 4...

...design decision in GR to increase resources to 12...

[Ricent1]

Will there be scenarios and sandbox options available? Perhaps that would allow the balance between randomly generated maps in sandbox and the vanilla ones with Easter eggs in the scenario option. Regardless, I am very excited about this launch. I played a sandbox game that took me over a year to conquer the world as Barbados. I am not afraid of long, challenging games. I would love to see a Napoleon-era start time with a corresponding tech-tree requiring a conquest/unification of the earth before venturing into space to take on a whole new group of enemies with varying degrees of technology. Espionage could become all-important when faced with alien species 1000s of years more advanced where stealing their innovations are the only hope in making a level playing field.

[Von Thoma]

...design decision in GR to reduce resources to 4...

...design decision in GR to increase resources to 12...

Woow only 4 like that mobile games ? Or that braindead Paradox games , where economy has no value or better is a no brainer.
...
So increase it at least to 12, because if it isn't included in the main game design , it will always feel not need ...
... in the future in reality all wars will be about resources , because without them, humanity will come to an end and with only basic resources, we will not develop further ! That is what history has shown ...

Okay will see, but all games with few resources like 2-4 are boring and undemanding after a short time ...

[Zuikaku]

All game developers seems very conservative when resources come to play. So we have 2-3 general/collective resources (like "minerals") and as consequence space becomes extremely boring after exploring few of the star systems. Without "regular" resurces (like iron, nickel, hydrogen, paladium), rare elements (uranium, radium, "elerium" or "dilithium"), precious and luxury resources (gold, gems, silver, rubies), organic resources (wood, seafood, fish, meat, grain...), life suport elements (water, oxygen...), industrial goods (farm machinery, air processors, construction machinery, medicines...) and processed food (frozen foods, wines, canned meat) this is going to be yet another oversimplified space 4X game. Engine shoul'd support at least 120 resources to make space game economy interesting.

[Von Thoma]

All game developers seems very conservative when resources come to play. So we have 2-3 general/collective resources (like "minerals") and as consequence space becomes extremely boring after exploring few of the star systems. Without "regular" resurces (like iron, nickel, hydrogen, paladium), rare elements (uranium, radium, "elerium" or "dilithium"), precious and luxury resources (gold, gems, silver, rubies), organic resources (wood, seafood, fish, meat, grain...), life suport elements (water, oxygen...), industrial goods (farm machinery, air processors, construction machinery, medicines...) and processed food (frozen foods, wines, canned meat) this is going to be yet another oversimplified space 4X game. Engine shoul'd support at least 120 resources to make space game economy interesting.

Agree , the only game what was fun in that way, was DISTANT WORLD ...
so seems, we will have to wait for Version DW 2 ...