How to put Water on planets?

[Xkill (OP)]

Is there a way to put Water on planets that did not initially had Water?

I saw in the Environment Tab an option to put Water in the Atmosphere, but I don't think putting Water in the Atmosphere will help me; unless it is going to fall from the sky and fill the planet in liquid.

[mikew]

There currently is no way to add water to the surface, but it would only be necessary if you wanted to role-play, since the presence or absence of water is not a factor in determining habitability.

Mike

[Xkill (OP)]

Really?    I always thought that it was a factor in habitability, you know, if there's no water, then the colony cost rises slightly, or it gives you unrest, or other some kind of problem. Well atleast I don't have to worry about it anymore. Thanks for the reply.

[James Patten]

The Water you can add to atmospheres is Water Vapor, which has no effect on adding water to a planet.  Nor does it have any other effect, although science suggests that water vapor is a pretty effective greenhouse gas.

[Steve Walmsley]

At some point I will get around to factoring water into habitability and using some of the other planetary characteristics, should as magnetic fields protecting against solar radiation and tectonics causing Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Steve

[Thiosk]

I would love to drain the oceans of planets and transport them elsewhere.  All the water on earth in a sphere is only 1/3 the diameter of the moon!!!

Also, if you include magnetic fields and tectonics and what not-- how about some planetary engineering to drop big asteroids on planets to up their mass and incite tectonics.  Earthlike tectonics good.  Venuslike non-tectonics bad.

[Edward Hamilton]

At some point I will get around to factoring water into habitability and using some of the other planetary characteristics, should as magnetic fields protecting against solar radiation and tectonics causing Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Steve

I have no idea how priorities for feature implementation are stacking up, but this would be great, and also sounds like it wouldn't take too much work!

[Deoxy]

At some point I will get around to factoring water into habitability and using some of the other planetary characteristics, should as magnetic fields protecting against solar radiation and tectonics causing Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Steve

I think you desperately need to include some measure of planet size - currently, a tiny Chunk planet has exactly the same population characteristics as the largest terrestrial (gravity being the only exception to that).  Since small, cold, low-G planets are the most common, and there is no population penalty for planetary smallness, races that live on such planets can easily outnumber all others.  Seems like a pretty serious exploit.

[Steve Walmsley]

I think you desperately need to include some measure of planet size - currently, a tiny Chunk planet has exactly the same population characteristics as the largest terrestrial (gravity being the only exception to that).  Since small, cold, low-G planets are the most common, and there is no population penalty for planetary smallness, races that live on such planets can easily outnumber all others.  Seems like a pretty serious exploit.

Not really, as a lot of people could live on a very small planet. Consider the population density in major cities on Earth, or the population of India or China when there is still a lot of room left in those countries. You also still have a finite limit on population due to growth rates so even if there were masses of habitable planets, you wouldn't have enough people to colonize them all. Besides, this is only an issue if you set your gravity tolerance really low. Finally, who is to say what level of population density is acceptable to a particular species, or how large the individuals of an alien species are? Those would have to be considered too. If someone wants to work out the numbers regarding a realistic population limit on a small world, using humans as a basis, then I might look at it but I suspect those numbers would be a lot higher than you think.

Steve

[Steve Walmsley]

I said that water didn't affect habitability but in one way that isn't correct. When you terraform a cold planet with a lot of water, you get a sudden temperature rise when the water melts. The more water, the (generally) larger the jump (because the ice affects albedo). So you could easily argue that cold planets with a lot of water ice are easier terraforming targets.

Steve

[Thiosk]

The only REAL limit is how to feed them all.  A lot of nice land is restricted for agriculture.  About a third, give or take, then consider that the rest includes crap holes like antarctica and jersey shore. Once you don't need that fifty million square kilometers devoted to agriculture, you can just build cities all over the place.

[UnLimiTeD]

I like the idea of importing food from colonies. 

[Thiosk]

As has been mentioned elsewhere, as much as I love vast trading empires and dozens of populated star systems, I think at some stage we hit a processing brick wall, so these concepts of farm worlds forge worlds and hive worlds would almost certainly have to wait until aurora 2 to be considered in depth.

Until steve gives up his day job and works full time as a game designer.  DO IT, WHO NEEDS FINANCIAL STABILITY!?