One thing that's always annoyed me a little is that all nine 'normal' planet types look exactly like something you'd find on Earth, and that planets all start feeling samey after the early game. The galaxy should be filled with exotic alien biospheres, and some of the event art even hints at it. So tentatively:
- Every normal planet class (i.e. arctic, continental, arid), as well as Gaia Worlds, becomes a range of planet types, some of which are rarer than others. So instead of just having 'jungle planet', you might have a variety of different specific planet types all falling into the 'tropical planet' category and having jungle planet habitability. (e.g. normal tropical world, 'hothouse' planet with world-spanning jungle, bioluminescent twilight jungle world, dangerous swampy world, whatever)
- The overall number of planets in the galaxy and habitability remains unchanged; you can largely ignore the system if you don't care.
- Each planet type has a different appearance and different planetary cityscape.
- Many things that are planet modifiers right now can be promoted to specific planet types (for example, 'tidally locked', 'bleak', 'lush')
- Different/rare planet types might have unique district types providing variant job types (sort of like how 'Aquatic' provides angler and pearlfisher jobs).
- I like the idea of differentiating planet types even further, though. Something like unique strategic resources that can be traded or which provide unique bonuses when collected, or something like the Insight Techs idea but for colonizing different or rare planet types.
- Unique systems might have rare or unique planet types, as a reward.
- Project or archaeological rewards might create rare or unique planet types, as a reward.
- Origins might start your empire on unique planet types.
- Early on, you can paraterraform planets, by basically enclosing portions of their surface: much increased habitability in exchange for lowered district count, limitations on what you can build, and higher upkeep.
- Later on paraterraformed worlds can be fully terraformed via Situation per world. A paraterraformed world can be upgraded to a fully terraformed planet of a planet type better than if you just terraformed it outright (see next point).
- Terraforming should be available earlier, and there should be multiple tiers of terraforming techs. The earlier terraforming techs can only terraform a planet into a 'Basic Terraforming' planet type; basically something with no complex animal/plant life and only basic geologic sculpting. Such planets are ugly and have some maluses, but are still better than settling a bad planet outright. Later terraforming techs allow you to terraform directly into the better variants of each planet class, or to upgrade the more primitive terraformed planet types.
- The World Sculptor ascension perk could unlock terraforming into better planet types or unique Gaia World planet types.
- A terraforming-oriented traditions tree could play into such a mechanic. Maybe allow paraterraforming on one barren planet per system, sort of like how the existing habitats work, or allowing for paraterraforming on gas giants (atmospheric habitats).
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