We need to make a decision about sensors

And it needs to be: if you can click on the star, you can see the planets and their class.  ;)  OOORRRR: if you've discovered all the planets orbiting the star, they get their class listed when you hover over them (in the star properties view)?  That would still be very handy.

It's no big really but I notice we keep going back and forth about what you can see when you're in sensor range of a star.  Is it a problem to be able to see the planets around a star without having to go and look at each one?  I honestly don't know what considerations are driving this ambivalence.

2,837 views 13 replies
Reply #1 Top

What would you like to see in your opinion?

Reply #2 Top

I make dreadnought recon ships that have a sensor range of 210. They seem to be very expensive to produce takes lots of time so usually only build like 3. They I don't really have to worry about sensor gaps around my empire.

Reply #3 Top

This was a bug it should be fixed now. The star tooltip wasn't coming up. 

Reply #4 Top

Thanks Illauna.  I appreciate but literally don't understand the other replies in this thread lol

 

Reply #5 Top

I just started a new game and if it's a bug, it's not fixed.  Note that I don't have the Mega Structures expansion yet.  But when I click on a star, I see the planets but not any info about the planets.  :(

Reply #6 Top

Just look to how we sense things in real life.  We can already see a lot of stars in the galaxy, but very few exoplanets.  But we know very little about those exoplanets.  We know plenty about our own planets.  We can see other galaxies, but cannot tell apart the stars in them.  We can see ships a little beyond our own star system, but unless they're orbiting earth we have to know where to look.  If an alien sends a scout ship in Neptune's orbit, we're not going to spot it. 

.Sensors should be kind of like that.  And what you're describing kind of is.

Reply #7 Top

I guess I'd point out that our "sensors" are getting better every year, and also this is a game.  Is there a GAME reason why having planetary info in the star properties window is OP or undesirable?  If "it's unrealistic" is the reason for the change, that kinda opens up a can of worms?  Also, it's how it was before, so how bad was it that it had to be changed?

I also find it pretty inconvenient after I've revealed the entire solar system -- as I said above, I'd be ok with the info populating after you reveal the planet on the map.  Clicking or mousing over every object in the solar system isn't the best IMO.

BTW I totally agree about how hard it is to detect things IRL, which is why my amazing future tech space empire has about a gazillion probes running every which way ;)

Reply #8 Top

Its working on the live build. There is a lot of information you can get without even hovering over the planets in the info bar too.

- You can use the planets tab on the info panel in the top right so your not clicking every object.

-  If I click on a star I can see all the planets nearby. You can also look at the size of the icon. The larger the icon the higher the class.

- You can also zoom out a bit and at a glance see what class the planet is. If it's a circle within a circle its a (> class 10) core world. If its purple then its a precursor world. If its pink its a extreme world. If just a regular gray circle its a colony (< class 10)

- It's actually broken down even further but I dont know if many will tell the difference between a class 20 core world and a class 34 core world. The size of the circle within the circle is a clue. 

- New to this panel is it tracks dead worlds. 

- The texture on the planet is directly related to the planet type which also effects class. Core worlds are limited to the trait of the planet. Its not nearly as reliable since planets like desert can be low and higher class. 

Reply #9 Top

Thanks, Illauna.  But I'm afraid this is not particularly helpful, for reasons I think are pretty obvious.  "Class" is fairly meaningless, as you are well aware.  What's the tech rating?  What's the wealth rating?  What special resources does it have?  The planet tab is fine, but it's just "here's all the core planets" and "here's all the uncolonized planets".  Yes, you can get there from here, but again WHY.  It was MUCH easier to see before.

Re: pink planets: some precursor planets look almost like extreme planets, and I don't *think* you can discern extreme from exotic with just your eyeballs.

Also, I don't see that it tracks dead worlds, and it's odd that it would do that anyway, unless there's going to be more that can be done with these (as opposed to nothing unless you get that artifact that converts one to a class 5).

Anyway, clearly nobody cares about this except me.  So whatever.

Reply #10 Top

The question is what you would like to see?

Your original post said the star wasn't showing the planets which it does now. At least how it was before. I do know there was some concern at some point that the star tooltip was giving so much information it was taking some of the exploration out of the game. It's gone back and forth and a few times disappeared due to UI changes but right now its in. 

I know with the Megastructures DLC it shows deadworlds and its importafnt for that DLC because they can be harvested for Gigamass. 



Reply #11 Top

I said "and class" but I meant the properties of the planet, I apologize.  It is not back to how it was, it currently shows planets but no information at all.  I do not have megastructures installed.

Reply #12 Top

I can bring it up but wont be fixed until after Jan 2nd. No ETA though. 

Reply #13 Top

Quoting Colonel_Panic2465, reply 9

Thanks, Illauna.  But I'm afraid this is not particularly helpful, for reasons I think are pretty obvious.  "Class" is fairly meaningless, as you are well aware.  What's the tech rating?  What's the wealth rating?  What special resources does it have?  The planet tab is fine, but it's just "here's all the core planets" and "here's all the uncolonized planets".  Yes, you can get there from here, but again WHY.  It was MUCH easier to see before.

Re: pink planets: some precursor planets look almost like extreme planets, and I don't *think* you can discern extreme from exotic with just your eyeballs.

Also, I don't see that it tracks dead worlds, and it's odd that it would do that anyway, unless there's going to be more that can be done with these (as opposed to nothing unless you get that artifact that converts one to a class 5).

Anyway, clearly nobody cares about this except me.  So whatever.

I can't speak for everybody, but I'm just not playing anymore.  Moved on to Dune and Millennia.