Extended terraformation screen

[Gobbopathe (OP)]

Hello there, first post for an Aurora noob

I was wtarting to try terraformation, and the whole system seems quite clear for me.  Still I notive something which could be a bug.  I play with the 6. 30 version (but playing with Aurora. exe instead of Aurora_AW which I can't launch, because of an error message, whatever).

On the terraformation wiki page we can read about high albedo coming from ice sheet lowering the temperature, which is quite clear too.  But I can't access to this F9 screen, I have an error message :
"Error 713 was generated by Aurora
Class not registered
You need the following file to be installed on your machine MSSTDFMT. DLL"

I think Aurora should open the same screen when I am in "potential colonies", I select a body and I click on "Open" : but same error message.

I can feel there should be here a piece of information I can't get into. 

Something else, talking about albedo : am I wrong if I say there is something odd when I read all the bodies in Sol have albedo = 1 ? Even for the Earth for instance, which is a telluric planet with liquid ocean ?

Thanks

(sorry if I am not clear enough, english is not my mothertongue)

[Erik L]

Look at post #2
http://aurora2.pentarch.org/index.php/topic,2031.0.html

[Ziusudra]

Getting AW_Aurora.exe to work would also solve the MSSTDFMT.DLL error.

If you're using the Aurora.exe from the portable launcher I'm surprised it works at all.

[Gobbopathe (OP)]

Yes it does work with this specific version
I will have a look at that thread Erik, thanks

[Gobbopathe (OP)]

Ok I finally succeeded in making AW_Aurora work, and to reach that screen.

My question about albedo is still pending : why is it 1 everywhere, for planets with ice sheets or for others with no hydrosphere at all ? Maybe is it not an implemented feature ?

[Ziusudra]

In Aurora an albedo of 1 has no effect on temperature.

The environmental characteristics (atmospheric composition, surface temperature, and hydrosphere) of bodies in Sol were entered manually. I assume to make things easy, all bodies were given an albedo of 1.

In other systems bodies with an atmosphere will often have an albedo =/= 1.

For bodies with an ice sheet, if that ice sheet melts their albedo will be increased. (No idea if it will decrease if the hydrosphere freezes.)

[Sematary]

For bodies with an ice sheet, if that ice sheet melts their albedo will be increased. (No idea if it will decrease if the hydrosphere freezes.)

If the hydrosphere refreezes the albedo will change. I can confirm that. I often play around in SM mode with terraforming to give me an idea of how long it would take and how suitable it will be and relowering the temp through removal of greenhouse gases does refreeze the hydrosphere and lowers the albedo again.

[Gobbopathe (OP)]

The environmental characteristics (atmospheric composition, surface temperature, and hydrosphere) of bodies in Sol were entered manually.  I assume to make things easy, all bodies were given an albedo of 1.
In other systems bodies with an atmosphere will often have an albedo =/= 1.

Very good to know, thanks

For bodies with an ice sheet, if that ice sheet melts their albedo will be increased.  (No idea if it will decrease if the hydrosphere freezes. )

This is totally counter intuitive in my opinion : in my (imaginary ?) world, when the ice sheet (reflecting the light) melts, the albedo decreases, and the temperature then increases.
And if the temperature decreases, the ice sheet comes back and the albedo come closer to 1.

I see the wiki says something similar :

If the hydrosphere for a planet is Ice Sheet rather than Liquid Water (check the F9 view again), then at a certain point the ice will melt and form oceans.  This will change the albedo because the ice that was reflecting heat back into space just melted and you will see a jump in temperature.  The amount of albedo change is based on the extent of the ice sheet (F9 again) plus a random factor.

Can you confirm that when albedo decreases it increases the temperature ? (and this thread is over, I promiss !)

[Ziusudra]

No, in Aurora albedo is inverse to real world albedo. There are formulas on the Environment / GMC tab of the Economics (F2, aka Population and Production) window.

Code: [Select]

Surface Temperature in Kelvin = Base Temperature in Kelvin x Greenhouse Factor x AlbedoSo temperature increases when any of those increase. (Base temperature is a constant.)

[Gobbopathe (OP)]

Ok very good to know, thanks