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.

The problem with habitation projects is that they don't make any sense. You can colonize barren planets from the start for example, but you can't colonize moons?! Ahem, right.

I think some of the "ecologies" and even some of the specific structures should be unlocked by the techtree (I posted this to the Trek War forum, I'll adapt it to Sup when I get some time to breath around here). For example, the Deuterium Plant should be a structure that required building (as per my previous post in this thread) and could be unlocked by say Construction 2; Barren systems should only be colonizable when you get to BioTech 6; Volcanic planets at BioTech 2; etc. This would give the techtree and the colonization phase of the game some dynamics.
If Moons were *really* desired in the game, they shouldn't be tied to a structure like now, but as per the example above, say BioTech 6 (Barren). When you got to that tech level, pop levels in systems would increase automatically by the figures used now (s=1, m=2, l=3). You don't build habitation in planets, why should you build it in moons?

Colonizing moons shouldn't be dependable on tech status, right way is that player can build habitation project instantly when star system (planets) reaches max population.



and it will be.



Too much of micromenagment, boring, repetitive drill without sense even teraforming is too much. What is difference in teraforming between volcanic and barren planet?

The Habitation Project IS tech-limited though because it has a tech requirement before it becomes available. Without checking, I believe it's currently tech 7, or thereabouts.

If Mike wants to change the Deuterium Harvesting system, then I can easily come up with a structure to do that. Creating structures certainly isn't a problem (As long as the editor works). We've got the Aquatic Deuterium Plants afterall; it doesn't make sense that collecting Deuterium from Gas Giants is possible straight away regardless of tech level, and yet Oceanic planets, which would be far easier to build extraction plants on, cannot be built until a tech requirement is reached.

One thing that i've mentioned on the forums before as well, is that i've discussed with Mike in the past about some proposed limitations on the terraforming system. This would make terraforming tiered, that is, certain planet types would only be unlocked based on your tech level. Higher tech levels would also allow you to terraform a planet multiple times (Up to a limit of 3 times). We haven't discussed this in a very long time though, mainly because terraforming is still not possible. But if it's been discussed before, it's most definitely up for rediscussion.

Incidentally, Malvoisin once posted an idea about terraforming-related random events that could happen when you terraform a planet. I posted it as a suggestion on Sharepoint but Mike never replied. Here it is again though:

Why? Why shouldn't the humans be able to colonize the moon (out moon) *before* say Pluto gets to full pop?! Give me one good reason.
Can we colonize Pluto right now? Or the moon for that matter? Nope. Tech status.



I didn't express myself right. Funny thing is, MoE understood exactly what I meant, seeing from his reply (next).



You mean between the tectonic plate movement and eruptions and aggressive atmosphere, and an atmosphere-less rock with useless soil, that kind of difference?

Micromanagement? Hmm, right. I see.

Right. Hence, the non-sense. The Pluto-Moon thing.



And why would you need to do that? We have the Deuterium Plant, and the Aquatic Deuterium Plant. Why would you want to add more?! We have an initial stockpile of Deu, we just have to research and build the Plants if we want to build lots of ships early on.



Yes, I remember using this argument *months* ago.



So we're on the same page, that's good for a change



Hmm, this is where we disagree. I once mentioned the fact that multiple terraforming events would make *all* planet types inhabitable, which is counterproductive.

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.

Like I said at the time, 3 is the limit anyways, as no type requires, ever, more than 3 steps. So, any way you see it, it's too many. You don't need to play it to know.

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.