I suggest a little something for the giants gas. In the Space Empires V game, the colony ships have 3 differents colony modules: one for the rock planets, one for the ice planets & one for the giant gas. In Supremacy, the Type III colony ship uses one process for the moons colonization. For the this colony ship type II, why not consider this same process to colonize only the gas giants?

Hmm,there is nothing to colonize on gas worlds, without actual land mass i don't see it possible...maybe you can build some modules in gas world orbit but then you would be able to colonize any part of space, even empty one.

In Star Wars, for example, the Bespin Mining Station is built in the air, those of Space Empires V (according to their images) have the same design

Bespin is featured in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back over which the floating city Cloud City hovers suspended by an anti-gravity pod. Bespin is also a major source of tibanna gas, which is refined for production and transport in Cloud City and used in the production of starship blasters. It is home to several million individuals including humans and Ugnaughts.

Space Empires V colony Station below (these stations are floating and in this game, we can built some food, energy.. etc, and other structures into these stations)

I think your idea is pretty much covered with habitation project (tech 7):

These special structures represent a major breakthrough in habitation systems and terraforming. Specifically designed for hostile conditions, special domes can be constructed on previously uninhabitable space bodies. This compliments the existing population and growth rates of colonies.

I think it would be ridiculous to neglect this kind planets that, per example, may require additional exploitation.

I wouldn't say
is neglected...

Harvesting Complex-This is a newly formed arm of the Mining Corps, which will fundamentally transform our ideas about mining. The latest technology has combined to create this method of ore extraction. With gravity simulators and advanced force fields, full-scale surface excavations can now be performed on almost any planetary body, with onsite specialists living and working in the most hostile surrounding conditions.

Gas Giants are the source of Deuterium in the game (not only, but the main one). Right now, extraction is automatic, but some time ago Mike was willing to consider changing this, making this extraction require building the structures in systems with GGs.

I said that it would have a limit of 3 stages - and that's only initially. If it's too many stages, then we would reduce it. Terraforming may also destroy the benefits that already exist in the system, such as bonus food or energy. Ok, more population may offset that, but, depending on the size of the population increase gained from terraforming, that doesn't necessarily mean the entire bonus *will* be offset. So if you break even or gain less resource-producing population than the bonus provided, then terraforming would actually be a step backwards. There would therefore be *some* balance to the system.

Oh, and when I said I could come up with a Deuterium harvesting plant, I just meant that *IF* Mike wanted to change the current system, I would add one to ensure Deuterium is still made. Since we have one, then it's a moot point, so forget it.

3 was just a random number that we used as the basis of the discussion. It was unrelated to any limitations that already exist in the game. If we had chosen 4 stages, you wouldn't have made the above comment then.

If you had chosen 4, you wouldn't know the game very well, would you?

Let's see. The options are 1,2,3. 3 is not good for the game, as I think everyone agrees. 2 is not much better, only the scale is slightly smaller. So, that leaves... hmmm?!

Just trying to figure out why bringing up 3 again... and the funny remark.