Just teasing- though if LRF is indeed the only viable unit, so that losing by -25% would totally unbalance the game, then naturally my map project Ice 1.181 'No Luck Involved' which consisted entirely of ice planets would be unnecessary... perhaps a new hotfix soon?
Even if we allow that plasma storms and magnetic clouds are dubious, why is space junk pure fantasy...? You just have to imagine a civilisation that repeatedly sends spacecraft to uninteresting rocks for no apparent reason? Combat specials on planets could just mean that some resource on the planet has a weapon application in its own grav well, as with the examples I provided for ice desert and volcanic planets... they don't have to single out a faction.
Special planets would be good though, why not have a special per artifact present in the game, which would liven it up somewhat. It might also replace the blocking role which the pirates perform so poorly, if we get proper pirates with the nest expansion.
The machines are a good concept and an SF staple, as maxi pointed out. Some more-
Phase/Spectral Planet- not always present, radiates anti-culture
Lair- Home of the Space Beast! It might be even be infectious..
Harmony Planet- radiates goodwill, armistice grav well
Juggernaut- travels the phase lanes randomly, retaliating when attacked, destroy it for the artifact which is then placed on your nearest planet
Glass Planet- clones the ships that enter the grav well to defend itself
Cursed Planet- no faction can be allied with the faction that last had a ship in the grav well.... might also grant Farsight
Data planet- grants a free research at your tec level
Undead planet- avoid having ships destroyed in its gravwell, or else..
Thats nine including maxi's, one for each artifact... any other alternative contributions? Please more variation, even if just slight variations in max population on planets!
