What does it mean when the Pda says Category 3 ocean planet"

[Sol]

I cantseem to find anything say talks about it

[Amanoob105]

It's just a bit little of world building. Trying to help make it sould like your in a living world and less a game. A bit like how sci fi shows like to call planets things like "class M worlds" (I think that's star trek, but I can't remember).

It has no deeper meaning beyond what you want it to and all it really means to you otherwise is, you're on a planet and it's going to be very wet.

[Etherealtroll]

Class M planet

- Earth-like planet, the Class M designation is similar to the real-world astronomical theory of life-supporting planets within the habitable zone. The term is explained in-universe as deriving from the Vulcan term "Minshara". Class M planets are said to possess an atmosphere composed of nitrogen and oxygen as well as an abundance of liquid water necessary for carbon-based life to exist. Extensive plant and animal life often flourishes; often, a sentient race is also present.

[Amanoob105]

Originally posted by Etherealtroll:

Class M planet

- Earth-like planet, the Class M designation is similar to the real-world astronomical theory of life-supporting planets within the habitable zone. The term is explained in-universe as deriving from the Vulcan term "Minshara". Class M planets are said to possess an atmosphere composed of nitrogen and oxygen as well as an abundance of liquid water necessary for carbon-based life to exist. Extensive plant and animal life often flourishes; often, a sentient race is also present.

You lost me at "vulcan" (Are they the space elves or the space orc ones? And yes, I know I could just look it up. I'm lazy ).
It was just an example of what the games own background was doing in terms of world building.

[Lil Puppy]

The Vulcan race is in the Star Trek universe, longer pointy ears so they would be space elves: Live long and prosper!

Category 3: Ocean Planet simply means it's a habitable world that is mostly covered in water. There's life but you're going to be wet all the time. Due to the lack of geographical features you can expect very high winds above the surface since there's nothing to slow the wind down (mountains, hills, trees, etc.) and typhoons/hurricanes all the time. Near constant rain storms and other weather phenomena. Unfortunately in the game there's none of those features, it's always a nice sunny day and clear night.

[miklkit]

Trudat. The worst weather on Earth is in the Roaring 40s. That is the region between latitude 40-50 South where there is no land to break up the winds as they circle the globe. Subnautica should be like that.

[darkdisciple1313]

Somewhere ... out there ... there exists a chart that lists worlds based on how close they are to "earth-normal" and whether or not they are habitable (read: exploitable) by humans. The above-mentioned Star Trek list is available online through various sources, and it is mosty based on actual data and nomenclature used by NASA and other space-faring/wannabe astronomical organizations.

If the creators of Subnautica are using something similar, I gather it goes something like this:

Category 1 = earth normal, with similar land-to-water ratio, atmosphere, resources, etc.

Category 2 = same as Cat 1, but with more land-based features, and not as much water

Category 3 = same as Cat 1, but with more water-based features, and not as much land

Just conjecturing here, but:

Category 4 = same as Cat 2, but with non-earth-normal atmosphere

Category 5= same as Cat 2, but with few easily-accessible resources

And so on, and so forth. I could make an entire list, but I have a new writing desk to put together. It's not IKEA, thank the dark gods, so it should only take a couple hours, rather than a few weeks and a whole lot of Scotch.

[marina.koper]

subnautica good game

[marina.koper]

cuddlefish cute

[marina.koper]

reply if ur reading in 2026

[dreamrider]

Why, yes. I am reading in 2026, thanks to this nifty little gadget that my uncle ... er ... Hi, Uncle Jack ! ...

Oh, nothing. Really!

Ow! That's my ear!
Where are we goi... <shloop. boing.>

[Silver Arrow]

Originally posted by marina.koper:

reply if ur reading in 2026

the future is grim also don't ask how i managed to get to 2024

[penner3]

The backstory is that Alterra has gone as far as to scan the planet, identify its basic biosphere, and give it a catalog number (4546B). But the planet has never been explored or named and there has never been any (official) human presence. The Category 3 business, while not related to any other info in the game, is probably meant to indicate that Alterra is a galaxy-wide culture that has scanned and catalogued many if not most of the planets in the galaxy (and possibly beyond, if the mentions of Andromeda actually refer to that galaxy though that raises some travel-time issues).