This idea uses my current PE concept found here.

Keen mentioned in another thread how planets other than your own could be populated only after you discover them. I think it's a great idea, but we're going to need a bunch of procedurals bundled together to create something like this.

I call what we need the PPG, procedural planet generator, and here's the basic rundown of how i think it should work-

1- we start out with information about the planet (or moon, of course) in question. We need to know
a. distance from star, type of star
b. gas/rocky
c. is it a satellite/does it have satellites
i. (if it is a satellite) general information about the planet that it orbits
ii. #of satellites, general info such as gravitation, makeup, etc
d. geologically active/inactive
i. (if active) amount of activity
ii. (if active) type of activity

That's all I can think of right now in general information (if there is more, please tell me!). These things will give us the information needed to match it with a planet template, which is basically just a set of rules describing what the planet is allowed to be like.

From this information the PPG will select a planet template, and from there on, the fun stuff begins. But first, I'm going to allow us to get our bearings on the planet templates, so i'm going to put a potential list up in the next post, please include criteria (from above), planet description, and basis in reality.

Based on the above criteria, a template will be selected, and the PPG will start terraforming away. Now, i've thought of a few good ways to do this, which is something i'll describe in a later edit. For now, all you need to know is that the process for terraforming will probably be random.

Finally, based on the first criteria, the planet will be populated with ecosystem brushes. The brushes will be applied where they make sense, according to elevation, hypothetical weather, etc. We'll need to come up with a logic chart for it eventually, but not right now.

Finally, the PPG can create solar systems by generating a star, then throwing in a few random gas and rocky bodies. These will be defined by the conditions above, but will actually be "template planets" that we pre-create. This will make load times easy, and will increase the chances of finding interesting planets. After the first few planets are thrown in, more are populated along the initial rules, and they get satellites and such as well.

All of this is a bit vague, I know, so please post and tell me what can be added/changed.

Planet Template List

Please include criteria (found below), planet description, and basis in reality.

I know it looks daunting, but post what you can, and I'll try to help you out the best I can.

1- we start out with information about the planet (or moon, of course) in question. We need to know
-a. distance from star
-b. gas/rocky
-c. can it be a satellite/can it have satellites
--i. (if must be a satellite) general information about the planet that it orbits
--ii. #of possible satellites and their size
-d. geologically active/inactive
--i. (if active) amount of activity
--ii. (if active) type of activity &causes

Notes/further description:



Example:

Pseudo-Terran

-a. goldilocks zone (or satellite of large gas giant)
-b. rocky
-c. it can be a satellite, it can have satellites
--i. if it is a satellite, it must orbit either in the Goldilocks Zone, or around a large gas giant
--ii. up to five mid-sized satellites, general info such as gravitation, makeup, etc
-d. geologically active
--i. highly active
--ii. plate tectonics, moderate volcanism, core heated by decaying radioactive isotopes and/or tidal pull (if it is in orbit around a Gas giant)

Notes/further description:
This planet is ideal for earth-like life to appear, evolve and thrive on. It is very much like Earth.

Hit the wrong button again, Scio?

I'm not convinced that orbiting a Gas Giant would result in an Earth-like planet. Where did you get this information? Also, will SuperAutoEvo (Which, actually, could be a very quick run of that math guy's [neusmo?] concept about population mapping or whatever!) be used once environments are set down? Because otherwise we will end up with stock species recurring throughout the universe.

EDIT: El_Noumo. That math guy.

Good, but one idea I'd like to add is... A moon of jupiter or saturn, made of ice with a liquid core. Forgot its name, but would that be counted as a different sort of planet? It is very different to rocky planets & satellites, the surface isn't habitable, but its version of a mantle, made of water, is. Rocky planets just have uninhabitable magma.

Werent we promised plants growing in real time in Fable: the lost chapters or something along those lines?