Mapping
The sense of realistic space is the main mission of the mod, thereby the certain philosophy was formed through the progect development, and well designed maps is the important aspect of the gameplay, that the progect introduces.
Planetary system generation has become more realistic, so planets with cold climate will never appear close to the sun and vice versa. The main parameters are:
- Climate: Hot, Temperate, Cold (regulates distance to star)
- Size: Giant, Planet, Planetoid (determines weather it's standalone planet or a satellite)
[C] connected systems
Planets of common stellar gravity well in such type of handmade maps are connected with each other. Some of systems gathered in huge accumulations, as if it is one multistar system.
Resourses are expensive, so economy prosper will be difficult without controling some of asteroid belts with extremely effective resourse extractors, though they are concentrated in distant star systems.
[W] worm gates
Ages has wraped in mystery traces of past cultures, that had been flourishing in the space. Great and small civilizations had left in past the way to present, and silent artifacts are the last envoys to current space rangers.
First one of that units was found orbiting planet of Barnard's Star. The "Worm Gates" title was given to this device by the first human researchers, who have activated them and revived the whole Network, that has pulled together distant and scattered worlds, revolutionary changing their political, economical, transportational models.
As it was discovered, these gates can instantly transfer huge entities over the thousants light-years from one to another, maintaining global rapid transportational network. They are made from specific photoactive crystals, that use photon energy for transfering and also controlled by photon signals. Unfortunataly it is impossible nowadays to reproduce such device, but the researches are continuing.
[H] heritage of ancients
Could happen that the civilization rises on the formerly habitable but abandoned world with many structures and other artifacts of pevious masters. This heritage gives great research prospects and infrastracture basis for the accelerated progress, thereby the planet development requires much less time and local resourses.
As map index it means that there is a chance to find some Ancient Artifact orbiting one's Home planet.
[M] minor faction
After the phase travel technology had become widely applied in space vahicle construction, millions colonists, refuges, adventures rushed to the space vastness with a hope for the better life. Some has stood orbiting inhospitable worlds forming independent small numbered soaring unions later named "Rovers", many disappeared. But several, despite the difficulties, had landed sutable planets and found independent planetary colonies. In contrast to rising global space empires, these minor planetary unions were not seeking for the expantion, but hardly defended themselves from groving dominants.
Basically its the same as TEC, but there are some meaningful differences. In maximum there are 7 capital ships and 1000 ship slots available. Their science planet modules take 1 civilian slot, but they are extremely slow in colonial expantion and usually limit themselfes with 1 or 2 planets. They are competitive but not predominant.
Minor Players included only in some maps. They ara considered as normal players in player setting window, and unfortunately, it cant be predicted which of all players take minor player positions. Minor Faction has TEC shell, but players are randomly distributing while loading, and those that get Minor Player Locations, regardless of their manual or randomly generated race settings, will be redesigned as Minor Faction (TEC Shell), unfortunately, except player portrait in diplomacy window.
Presence and quantity of Minor Players in a map is displayed in map title by "[M-2]" index, exempli gratia, where "M" indicates the presence and the number after "-" sign, the quantity (in this case its "2"). Minor players are also considered and counted as normal players in player setting window, thereby to know the quantity of normal players You should to deduct the quantity of Minor Players indicated in "[M-2]" index from the number of maximum available players in the map.
Seems that primarily minor player (predefined) locationes are filling up, and only then normal player locations. Thus you cant avoid presence of minor players in so marked maps, therefore every such map has version that doesnt contain Minor Players.
[V] vigilia
Are the ancient units, that can be found near the ancient stations. It seems these units are the remnants of self-controlling defence system, that ironically has survived up to present days, unlike the creators themselfes. All the attempts to somehow hack or subjugate them have failed, thereby many worlds have fallen under their blind power.
Rovers
During the Era of space travelings human communities have spreaded to distant stellar systems. The majority of them stood orbiting planets instead of colonizing as space ships were comfortable and planets required much time and work for habitation, furthermore only small bunch of them was worth it. Immersed in their own interests, beeing disjunct and hostile with each other, these groups became easy meat for the rising Empires. When the situation became critical, last independent communities founded "Free Worlds League" for the opposing to the full hegemony of centralised states.
This measure didn't fully terminate frictions among them, but commonly became the symbol of the struggle for the independence... for the Future. Their power is much limited, depends directly from the quantity of the League planets in a system, but pilot braveness of their small and vulnerable vehicles definetly deserves respect!
