Habitability and Terraforming questions.

[Emerald Unicorn]

So right now I am playing as a race whose homeworld is Oceanic. I have come across two other Oceanic worlds but their habitability is showing as 70%. Why would my preferred planet type be that low?

Also, why does some terraforming to some types cost less than others?

[galadon3]

usually the same type as your homeworld has 80%, unless you have a non-adaptive species (giving -10 habitability), the most likely explanation would be that both those ocean-worlds have some planet-modifier that gives them -10.

Terraforming is cheaper within the same category of world ("Wet" for example is Ocean, Jungle, Terran Worlds), if you want to change the world into another category (say Ocean to Desert) it costs more. Gaia-transformation also costs more and terraforming a tomb-world into anything costs more.

[tempest.of.emptiness]

1) A species has a native planet preference (ocean, in your case). Under most conditions, your habitability on planets of that type is 80%. The exception is your homeworld, where your habitability is 100% (because you are perfectly evolved for that specific planet). Other modifiers can adjust the base 80% up or down. It could be that both the planets you found have features that lower the habitability by 10%, or maybe your species has a -10% habitability penalty (the Nonadaptive trait).

2) There are three groupings of planet types:
Dry: Savannah, Arid, Desert
Wet: Jungle, Continental, Ocean
Cold: Tundra, Alpine, Arctic

Terraforming a planet from one type to another type in the same group (ie Jungle -> Ocean) is less expensive and faster than terraforming a planet to a type in a different group (ie Desert -> Ocean).

Edit: What he said.

[Emerald Unicorn]

Thanks for the input guys. I feel pretty stupid right now lol. I had forgotten I gave this race the debuff of -10% habitability haha, I usually steer cleer of that one for better expansion... But I did find out after some meddling, that in terraforming the Oceanic 70% one way, then back to Oceanic it now says 80%... I don't really think that it's an effective thing to do, but maybe worth noting.

And the terraforming costs make sense, now, as well so thanks.