In order to reflect this diversity we have chosen to include some more characteristics which will define a planet and what will be possible to do with it.

A planet is first of all attributed a size and a class of environment which determines how friendly the planet is to life; both values therefore impact the availability of living space and building space.

The building space corresponds to the number of surface units on which buildings can be constructed (turrets, factories, and way more). It is linked to the planet size (the bigger the planet, the more building space is available) and the environment: a barren planet has a smaller building space compared to its size than a planet where life is flourishing.

The base living space of a planet is directly linked to the building space. Its value is added to the living space provided by housing buildings (such as arcologies) to calculate the actual living space of the planet. It should be noted that the living space and the “maximal population” are two really different concepts, as individuals from different species may need different quantities of it.

Do you think it will bring something interesting to the game to have more differences among planets?

Do you have concerns around the balancing problems which might arise from these new planet characteristics? If yes, how would you solve them?

Do you think the size and environment characteristics are adequate to make differences among planets? Can you think of others?