High Density

[FuturistGuy]

So, I always set the planet density to high, and it is a joke.

I start a game, and since I also go to random (not balanced start), I was excited as the galaxy resolved on my homeworld and I saw two yellow stars next to my homeworld! There were even connections! Too bad there were NO PLANETS. None.

So, I restart. This time I have one connection to a blue star. There is even a decent planet in the system (Meduim Tundra Abundant Gold). However, the very next system has a minor race, that offers 3 food for all colonies you start in their system...too bad there were NO OTHER PLANETS!!!

How about a mininum of one planet and one Gas Giant/Asteroid per system when you turn the density to high? How about a minimum of two additional planets in every system with a minor race? Is that too much to ask? I already hate starlanes enough without useless, absolutely empty systems thrown into the mix.

[Spud Dastardly]

Well, that's odd. Yellow stars are set to have a 0% chance of having 0 planets on high planetary density.

[bilbous]

You want to see a barren corner of the galaxy try 25661.

[FuturistGuy]

Hell! I'll put myself down for a minimum of 1 object in every system on LOW density, two on average, and 3 on high. If it is really, REALLY bad luck then, you might end up with one Antarian ruin, one gas giant, and one asteroid belt, but at least, in the far off distant future, the system wouldn't be COMPLETELY WORTHLESS!

[FuturistGuy]

There are so many BAD options for a planet, it seems rare to find an actual good one.

*First Glance*
"Sweet! Large Terran!"

*Upon further review*
"Ugh! Ultra poor High Gravity"

[Spud Dastardly]

Good news! There's a mod for that.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=799512656

[FuturistGuy]

I just have to say...these systems, in general, suck rocks.

I mean, it isn't 9 out of 10 planets that suck, it is more like 19 out of 20...

Praise the Gods if you can find a Tundra Abundant with Normal Gravity...

[FuturistGuy]

Too bad mods are useless for mp, eh?

[Exoclyps]

Actually, if both players got the same mod installed it's supposed to work. Haven't tried it personally though.

[FuturistGuy]

BTW, it seems like one of the ways they crank up the difficulty for Extreme is to screw you in planet/system generation. Pretty cheap trick. However, I can always tell when I'm getting close to an AI's homeworld...as the planets start getting thicker and better. Hell, the Darlok TURNED DOWN colonizing a triple terran large system that was right next to their homeworld, in lieu of that rich GAIA...

[Captain Keen]

Originally posted by Spud Dastardly:

Well, that's odd. Yellow stars are set to have a 0% chance of having 0 planets on high planetary density.

Far as I can tell, star type has zero influence on what planets it has.

[Illinger]

I just came across this while scratching my head as to why I had a similar experience to the OP. Though, this would not be the first time I changed a map setting that clearly didn't get applied.

On the other hand, I'm still not clear as to what the seed number actually does. (There seems to be some confusion as to whether maps are table driven, like MOO3, or RNG.) It could be that High Density is just some percentage or multiplyer above whatever number of planets it would pick for each system at Normal Density.

Not sure why, but the first idea feels more likely. But, if I were designing a game like this, the second idea would likely be the route I'd take.