Intergrating the HP system with planets

[sayerulz]

I feel like it would be a good idea if planet plates had something like armor HP that massively buffed stone. Basically, until this pool is depleted (and it is very large) stone blocks on planets would be very tough to destroy. This would not apply to player placed stone. What this would mean is that bases buried in a planets crust would be a very effective fortification, which would require extensive bombardment or a ground invasion to capture. It would make planets more important as base locations.

 

[Ithirahad]

Eh, I'd say that this should apply to player blocks too, besides faction blocks. But before we start making planets more important, they need some serious performance improvements. >.>

 

[Rixxan]

Good idea, but unfortunately size does matter and in my opinion planets need a size boost and update before this could realistically be considered.

 

[Valiant70]

This would also make planets more important as bases: http://starmadedock.net/threads/planetary-shield.20397/

Eh, I'd say that this should apply to player blocks too, besides faction blocks. But before we start making planets more important, they need some serious performance improvements. >.>

Good idea, but unfortunately size does matter and in my opinion planets need a size boost and update before this could realistically be considered.

Yeah, planets are kind of a train wreck right now. They need more than graphical optimizations, though. I wonder if Schema will re-visit planets after or around the fauna update.

 

[aceface]

I think that the total HP of a planet core should be based off the planet radii.

 

[jayman38]

If planets get bigger (a good thing!), then they would get a massive HP/armor (AP) count from stone and dirt, even if individual stone and dirt blocks have nominal decoration HP/AP values. The radius of the core could heavily influence HP/AP values also. Since planets don't overheat, the "ship HP" that would normally lead to overheating is instead simply added to the HP count of the core to increase its health, which would need to be totally depleted (while slowly regenerating!) before the planet can be blown apart.

I wonder what such a count would look like, to give a planet enough points to feel substantial.

E.g. Core Radius = "R"
Planet Armor = 50% + radius / 1000 + average block armor rating (total no more than 99%)
HP = R * R * R + 9*R + block HP (E.g. 100 radius planet: ~3M HP added to core health, 400 radius planet: ~200M HP added to core health)
(HP total no more than 2.1B HP, but might stay at 2.1 B even when blocks are destroyed, as long as the total would be more than 2.1 B)

Since the radius doesn't change until the planet is actually blown apart, the radius part of the equation can be calculated separately when the planet is generated, so that part of the HP boost never needs to be recalculated while the planet is being "reduced" either by weapons fire or strip-mining, or the planet can be increased by on-planet building. (That underground base can suddenly improve the planet's "health" and survivability, being built out of sturdier materials.)