Improved Terraforming

[KaTiON]

Version 6

Compatible with Stellaris 1.03

Download via the Steam Workshop!

Optional: Download the attached file below.

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At the moment terraforming is only allowed between habitable worlds.

If you are like me, you might want to be able to terraform toxic, barren, molten and frozen worlds into actual, livable places.

This small mod tries to answer that. By increasing the usability of the terraforming mechanic, which will include all planets as potential targets of improvement, I hope to make this gameplay mechanic all the more fun and useful.

Features:

- Ability to terraform rocky, non-habitable worlds into habitable ones of similar type.
- Reduced the time it takes to terraform between habitable worlds to half (1/4 for uninhabitable improvement).
- Allow the terraforming of habitable worlds into gaia types after a given number of harsh conditions are met.

Known Issues:

- Balance could be better.

Potential Future Features:

- Possibility of adding more technologies/strategic resources to make terraforming a more complex mechanic.
- Possibility of increasing the size (more slots) of planets.
- Possibility to "deteriorate" habitable worlds into non-habitable ones.

Compatibility:

- This mod is ironman compatible. For now.
- This mod is savegame compatible.
- This mod might be compatible with other mods.*

* The only files this mod replaces are:

- common\planet_classes\00_planet_classes.txt
- common\terraform\basic_terraform_links.txt

If another mod doesn't replace those then this mod is 100% compatible.

 

[Ramiel]

I want to point out that this would directly contradict one of the most fundamental core design principles of the game. I believe it's in the developers video #1 where Game Director Bjorn talks about how one of the primary goals of Stellaris is to avoid that exact scenario - players able to terraform everything to perfection given time/resources. Habitable, high-value planets are supposed to be rare on purpose, with each planet being unique and special. This then ties into other core ideas such as reducing micromanagement, core planets, sectors, diversifying populations, etc - which then in turn tie into mechanics like POPs, factions, migration, genetic engineering, etc. By expanding terraforming you undermine most of the games base mechanics and the balance between them. I'm sure someone will try regardless, so you might as well if you want to, but I think getting the balance right is going to be far, far more difficult than you'd expect.

 

[Mitchz95]

Terraforming in real life would be a pretty invasive process using a wide variety of technologies. Mars is relatively easy: just thicken the atmosphere and melt the ice caps, then plant some seeds and wait a few centuries until the air is breathable. We could probably do that with today's technology if we had a practical/economic reason to. But for worlds like Venus or Titan it's much more complex since they lie outside the habitable zone.

I propose that there be several technology chains for terraforming: space-based lenses/shades to change the amount of light reaching a planet (more light if it's too far from the sun, less light if it's too close), atmospheric processors built into colony infrastructure to thicken/dissipate/modify the atmosphere, and artificial gravity technology to modify the planet's gravity. This article should have lots of other useful ideas.

Barren Worlds should probably default to Desert Worlds once they've been terraformed, and then the player just follows the habitability wheel until they arrive at the desired biome. This would give Desert World species a big advantage, though, so perhaps we could make naturally-occurring Desert Worlds rarer to compensate? Likewise, Frozen Worlds could default to Tundra and Toxic Worlds to Arid.

 

[binarycrusader]

Habitable, high-value planets are supposed to be rare on purpose, with each planet being unique and special.

Ah, but if habitable planets are truly rare, then you do need terraforming -- otherwise, there's simply not enough viable planets to colonize (well, short of colonization via conquest).

But more seriously, it would be interesting to allow negative terraforming -- that is, gaia -> volcanic, etc. with no way to reverse the process.

 

[KaTiON]

But more seriously, it would be interesting to allow negative terraforming -- that is, gaia -> volcanic, etc. with no way to reverse the process.

Added to the list.

This sounds like something an empire would do as a last resort against a threat like a "scorched earth" kind of action.

In a game called Star Control 2 a race called the Mycon did exactly that, seeded planets similar to gaia with their "deep children" and turned them into volcanic planets.

Could also be nice for role-playing reasons like, for example, you are a late-game xenophobe empire. Instead of seeding/improving planets like the Spiritualist FE you do the opposite, lest an alien evolve that will be able to destroy you later on.

 

[Mitchz95]

This might be a bit outside the scope of what you're going for, OP, but this mod might also perhaps be used to add more dynamism to the planets in general. Adding more modifiers (eccentric orbits, different types of stars, long or short rotational periods, etc) might be an interesting system to play around with, and could be a logical expansion to the concept of terraforming.

 

[LDRevolution]

I would like this!

 

[binarycrusader]

Added to the list.

This sounds like something an empire would do as a last resort against a threat like a "scorched earth" kind of action.

In a game called Star Control 2 a race called the Mycon did exactly that, seeded planets similar to gaia with their "deep children" and turned them into volcanic planets.

Could also be nice for role-playing reasons like, for example, you are a late-game xenophobe empire. Instead of seeding/improving planets like the Spiritualist FE you do the opposite, lest an alien evolve that will be able to destroy you later on.

Yep, I too have played many hours of Star Control courtesy of the open source remake.

 

[AG_Wittmann]

Terraforming in real life would be a pretty invasive process using a wide variety of technologies. Mars is relatively easy: just thicken the atmosphere and melt the ice caps, then plant some seeds and wait a few centuries until the air is breathable. We could probably do that with today's technology if we had a practical/economic reason to. But for worlds like Venus or Titan it's much more complex since they lie outside the habitable zone.

Uhm, i dont think, Mars is a relativly easy example of terraforming. Mars would still lose the thickened atmosphere into space, because his gravity isnt high enough to hold it and he is lacking a global magnetic field too, which would damp the deprivation of the atmosphere too.

 

[KaTiON]

This might be a bit outside the scope of what you're going for, OP, but this mod might also perhaps be used to add more dynamism to the planets in general. Adding more modifiers (eccentric orbits, different types of stars, long or short rotational periods, etc) might be an interesting system to play around with, and could be a logical expansion to the concept of terraforming.

I'm not too sure about eccentric orbits, it looks like circular orbits are hard-coded.

For the rest, we'll have to see how much we can actually improve planetary dynamism.

 

[Mitchz95]

Uhm, i dont think, Mars is a relativly easy example of terraforming. Mars would still lose the thickened atmosphere into space, because his gravity isnt high enough to hold it and he is lacking a global magnetic field too, which would damp the deprivation of the atmosphere too.

It would take centuries, if not millennia, to lose a full Earth-like atmosphere. By the time it becomes a problem we'll probably have some way to combat it.

 

[KaTiON]

Added Version 1 to the OP.

Features:

- Ability to terraform rocky, non-habitable worlds into habitable ones of similar type.
- Reduced the time it takes to terraform between habitable worlds to half (1/4 for uninhabitable improvement).
- Ability to colonize asteroids.
- Allow the terraformation of habitable worlds into gaia types after a given number of harsh conditions are met.

 

[Mitchz95]

Awesome! I'll give this a try tonight.

 

[KaTiON]

Added Version 2 to the OP.

Fixes:

- Made sure aliens don't spawn on Asteroids.
- Asteroids now have surface graphics.
- Tile blockers can no longer appear on Asteroids.

EDIT: Version 3

- Added localisation to Asteroid terrain.

 

[Velorian]

How about adding a terraforming link between Tomb world and Toxic? That way you can eventually purify the planet if you care about it.

 

[Asteyr]

Are you bringing this back on the Workshop, Kation?