Star System/galaxy redesign

[Valiant70]

There are other threads for different galaxy shapes, etc. so I don't really need to talk about that. I'm sure the grid for sectors is here to stay. That's fine and dandy. It's perfect for gameplay AND navigation. However, I think cubic systems are fundamentally flawed. I'm not even talking about the way current stars are arranged in a grid. THAT can be fixed (mostly) within the grid system by putting several void systems between all star systems.

I think the problem of grid stars can be solved more elegantly and with greater feature potential by taking star systems "off the grid" so to speak. Planets and stars can still be centered within sectors. Sectors are just a way of locating stuff within the galaxy like GPS coordinates on Earth, and a way for the game engine to keep track of what needs to load for specific clients.

This would require a new generation process for a galaxy:

1. Based on characteristics of a specific galaxy, generate the locations of all stars. A star may be placed in any sector. Each star has a mass.
2. Group stars into systems.
   1. Two or more stars may group into a multi-star system if they are large enough and heavy enough. Use a simple gravity calculation and a server-configurable threshold value to decide whether stars will group.
      
   2. Calculate the center of gravity of the system (rounded to the nearest sector). This is the center of the system.
   3. Calculate the size of the system based on the total mass of its stars.
   4. If two systems try to overlap their borders, reduce the size of both systems proportionally to their size until they no longer overlap.
3. Add celestial bodies to systems
   1. Don't put planets so close to stars that they would get pulled in or vaporized.
   2. Don't put planets so far away that they would float off.
   3. Asteroids, gas fields, etc. can go wherever.
4. Add rogue planets and stuff to void space.
5. Add stations, civilizations, and so forth

EDIT: Advantages over a spaced-out grid system include:

• Variation in system size
• Should two or more stars spawn close to each other with grid systems, the systems may still look like neatly stacked cubes. The proposed system prevents this.
• Less potential for weird things caused by the grid (like the blue asteroid shortage)

 

[Employee763]

+1

 

[alterintel]

Would this cause a problem with lag? I'm not sure how the current system works as far as generation goes, but wouldn't having the computer think about how to build the galaxy cause problems with loading screens?

 

[SomethingSlimy]

Would this cause a problem with lag? I'm not sure how the current system works as far as generation goes, but wouldn't having the computer think about how to build the galaxy cause problems with loading screens?

Only when the galaxy is first created, I presume?

Anyways, this suggestion would be an improvement to the game, but I've never had a problem with the grid-stars the game has now. It just takes a little suspension of disbelief to get over it IMO.

 

[Valiant70]

Would this cause a problem with lag? I'm not sure how the current system works as far as generation goes, but wouldn't having the computer think about how to build the galaxy cause problems with loading screens?

I don't think so. There wouldn't be all that many calculations involved after the galaxy's initial creation.

It just takes a little suspension of disbelief to get over it IMO.

Yeah, and I don't like having to do that when it's totally fixable.

 

[Sha3es]

I will +1 this for sure

 

[Ixalite]

I like this idea. It does not change the game in a fundamental way, beyond when a new galaxy is generated. It would not take much work to implement, and could add real depth to the game.

Two things that I think should go without saying (but I am going to say them anyhow) follow.

1. Fewer stations. There are too many stations, especially in empty space. The space between galaxies should be HUGE... and mostly empty.

2. Nothing smaller than a planet should appear on the map until discovered by the player. Give the players some real motivation to explore the universe, and some real mystery about what they would find there.

 

[SomethingSlimy]

Yeah, and I don't like having to do that when it's totally fixable.

Fair enough.

1. Fewer stations. There are too many stations, especially in empty space. The space between galaxies should be HUGE... and mostly empty.

2. Nothing smaller than a planet should appear on the map until discovered by the player. Give the players some real motivation to explore the universe, and some real mystery about what they would find there.

I completely agree - multitudes of pirate, trade, and abandoned stations all in the same system is immersion shattering and unnecessary. IMO only 1-4 in a system would be fine, there should never be more stations than planets.

And if they weren't marked on the map before discovering them, it could possibly give the scanner a bigger use.

 

[ltmauve]

2. Nothing smaller than a planet should appear on the map until discovered by the player. Give the players some real motivation to explore the universe, and some real mystery about what they would find there.

Heck, don't even calculate where to put things until a player gets close enough. And that goes for planets, too, though those should have a longer visibility range.