Could an already colonized planet look like this in LT? I refer to the lights that become visible as the planet surface enters its night time.

I recall seeing this "effect" in motion in the game Sins of a Solar Empire. It looked very pretty and gave the idea of having millions of people down there going on about their business. If played right, this effect could serve the gameplay and provide a visible cue on how much of a colony is on a planet's surface. It would also help to estabilish/reinforce a sense of scale in the player's mind.

Been a while since my last visit, and maybe this was suggested already. Don't get mad.

I found your previous posts fascinating at the time fox. Welcome back!

To paraphrase a line from A Christmas Carol, "G??? is so much kinder than he used to be, that the forums are like Heaven!

Josh has seen your post, whether he decides to answer your query is another matter. Even the EC have to wait until the brooding master coder is ready.

ALL HAIL THE MASTER CODER!!

Victor Tombs wrote:I found your previous posts fascinating at the time fox. Welcome back!

Kind words always hit a sweet spot. Thanks.

Victor Tombs wrote:Josh has seen your post, whether he decides to answer your query is another matter.

Ooh, but I do not expect him to reply to everything I write. If this suggestion will find its place in LT, it'll show up in one of the future Development Update clips. Possibly it was already thought of, but eye-candys are low priority and it could be some time before we see it served.

fox wrote:Ooh, but I do not expect him to reply to everything I write. If this suggestion will find its place in LT, it'll show up in one of the future Development Update clips. Possibly it was already thought of, but eye-candys are low priority and it could be some time before we see it served.

With that approach you are guaranteed a warm reception by the Master Coder. I am sure Josh wishes I were less aggressive in my approach to such issues. In fact you almost make me feel guilty fox.

Victor Tombs wrote:

fox wrote:Ooh, but I do not expect him to reply to everything I write. If this suggestion will find its place in LT, it'll show up in one of the future Development Update clips. Possibly it was already thought of, but eye-candys are low priority and it could be some time before we see it served.

With that approach you are guaranteed a warm reception by the Master Coder. I am sure Josh wishes I were less aggressive in my approach to such issues. In fact you almost make me feel guilty fox.

This forum must be opposite land, the most aggressive members are the admins.

Hoping to see this.

Partly because it's pretty and partly because it means I can bombard cities from orbit night and day.

PLEASE LET THIS BE A THING!

I forgot to add that I would also like to see this in-game. I am a sucker for eye candy.

Please add one more to the list of people who would like to see this happen.

Though I don't expect this to take priority over fleshing out the game systems. Perhaps in a patch?

+1.

I too think this feature would add a lot to the atmosphere of the game.

Come on Josh, you've worked graphical miracles up in no time before, what's one more? I promise we won't tell.

I've asked this before, but... how should the code decide how many lights there should be on the night side of a planet?

Lots of bright lights visible from space imply a certain level of technology. Will all planets have life? Will all planets with life have sentient life? Will the sentient life-forms of some planets have invented the local equivalent of the light bulb yet? If so, how widespread is that technology if not everybody on that planet gets along, or if some places reject or suppress illumination technology for whatever reason?

As a graphical effect, love it. I'd certainly like to see it on moderately high-tech planets! It's the simulationist in me that hopes that the nature of the people on the worlds of LT -- and whether they have or want to use lighting technology -- will take precedence over simply sticking an admittedly cool CG effect everywhere.

Flatfingers wrote:As a graphical effect, love it. I'd certainly like to see it on moderately high-tech planets! It's the simulationist in me that hopes that the nature of the people on the worlds of LT -- and whether they have or want to use lighting technology -- will take precedence over simply sticking an admittedly cool CG effect everywhere.

Surely you have more faith in Mr Parnell than that Flat?

Flatfingers wrote:I've asked this before, but... how should the code decide how many lights there should be on the night side of a planet?

I think the answer is quite obvious: like everything else, procedurally.

I mean, the very same algorithm that creates some systems with many asteroids and some systems without any, and puts different amounts of ore in some asteroids, and puts them in areas with denser or lighter (or no) fog, can obviously also create different types of planets in different technological stages, and distribute a different amount of night light in different patterns on those planets.

I really see no conceptual (or practical) difference at all between these two (and every other aspect of a procedurally generated world).

i'm sure there will be some variable that determines the "yield" of the planet. This same variable could be used to extract population, and infer the amount of light at night there should be.