v2.0.0 Changes Discussion Thread

[Droll]

With the changes coming to system generation, do you have eventual plans to have some sort of barycenter implementation. I'm thinking especially with regards to the new twin planet chance, as technically they would be orbiting eachother around a central point (aka the barycenter), and I suppose that you could also make it a thing for systems binaries etc.

[RougeNPS]

Or Trinaries.

That would be fun.

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

So I am not completely sure about one thing, can we edit eccentricity of individual planets in SM mode?

Not yet, but I plan to add before release.

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

Or Trinaries.

That would be fun.

Trinaries already exist - as do systems with four stars. All the non-primary components can have eccentric orbits.

[gpt3]

An interesting effect here is that eccentric orbits make tidally-locked planets a lot more appealing. Since they have 80% reduced temperature penalties, tidally-locked colonies should be able to far better handle extreme seasons than their rotating cousins. Presumably some of that infrastructure is used to build static heat collectors/sinks around the terminator.

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

With the changes coming to system generation, do you have eventual plans to have some sort of barycenter implementation. I'm thinking especially with regards to the new twin planet chance, as technically they would be orbiting eachother around a central point (aka the barycenter), and I suppose that you could also make it a thing for systems binaries etc.

No, I don't plan to implement barycenters. They would add a lot of complexity without adding much to gameplay.

[Black]

So if we get the SM command to change eccentricity and use it on planet in your example system for Gas Giant Effects. Will it stay on circular or will it gradually return to its eccentric orbit because of the Jovian planets affecting it?

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

So if we get the SM command to change eccentricity and use it on planet in your example system for Gas Giant Effects. Will it stay on circular or will it gradually return to its eccentric orbit because of the Jovian planets affecting it?

'Gas Giant Effects' is a one-off process during system generation.

[Black]

So if we get the SM command to change eccentricity and use it on planet in your example system for Gas Giant Effects. Will it stay on circular or will it gradually return to its eccentric orbit because of the Jovian planets affecting it?

'Gas Giant Effects' is a one-off process during system generation.

Thank you Steve, these changes are really exciting!

[db48x]

With the new orbital changes, what orbit does ʻOumuamua get? Did you go with a really big ellipse or an actual hyperbola?

[Zap0]

Space geography changes moisten me greatly. Twin planets too! Sounds like terraforming our planets to be just barely within the habitable range may not be enough anymore for them to stay habitable year-round. Finally a reason to put them more firmly in the middle of the livable range other than "somebody might attack them with orbital terraformers and cause damage almost immediately".

Seeing intersecting orbits, we better prepare for a constant trickle of screenshots of colliding planets in the future. Might also be best to tick the "max CC" option by default, because new players who aren't familiar with the mechanic may well be surprised.

[StarshipCactus]

We live in interesting times!

[Kiero]

Unlike stars, the orbits of planets may cross due to their eccentricity (like Pluto and Neptune).

I'm pretty sure that the orbits of Pluto and Neptune do not cross.

The closest distance between the two orbits is 2.4 AU. If we could reach out magically and move Pluto and Neptune to any point in their orbits, the closest they could ever get is 2.4 AU. However, this minimum distance can never occur.

Pluto and Neptune have resonant orbits. While Pluto makes two revolutions around the Sun, Neptune makes three; so astronomers say Neptune and Pluto are in a 3:2 resonance. This orbital relationship limits the minimum distance between the two planets. They never get closer than about 16 AU.

Anyway, I love this upcoming orbital update! Great work!

[Density]

Unlike stars, the orbits of planets may cross due to their eccentricity (like Pluto and Neptune).

I'm pretty sure that the orbits of Pluto and Neptune do not cross.

In the real universe, they do not. Within Aurora, because the tactical map for any given system is 2D, they do.

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

I'm pretty sure that the orbits of Pluto and Neptune do not cross.

Pluto moves closer to the Sun than Neptune in part of its orbit, so I was using 'cross' in that sense as Aurora is displayed in 2D. However, that does provide a good real-life example of why crossing orbits in Aurora won't result in collisions, because the bodies involved could be at different inclinations to the plane of the ecliptic.