@ CaptainHardcoreAre you insane. Never, never "upgrade" to Vista, it is the bane of many lives. I haven't heard one positive comment about it yet, and I specifically asked not to have it in my new computer (and I am so grateful of that). Must be close to 70% of all technical problems I've seen on game's Forums end with, "Must be a Vista only Issue".
But hey, who am I to tell you what to buy
@ Jean LukeI appreciate your feedback, but I am in disagreeance with much of your post. I have designed this mod around the believable theory that the urban areas on the planets are in fact land based cities. As much as your view is correct about the more land, the bigger cities above, I see it as preposterous to think that it would be cheaper to keep a City in the air, than on the ground. The resources, fuel, and power to construct and maintain something like that would be phenomenal.
To your next point about research advantages to one race or another; I aim to keep this Mod balanced, as it is solely here to "Add, not Alter". There are plenty (and I do emphasise
plenty) of mods that alter the game is many ways. Those mod authors are free to use my Mod as a foundation to start from and enhance the game, then the changing and balancing of units and research can be done by them without undoing my changes first.
Your following comment is also something that I personally will not do. I can see your point, but in my opinion, and many other peoples, random factors are what makes fun games even more fun. Also, with your idea, Exploration is a must. As it stands, it is a risk. Not a very big one, as 99% of all the bonuses that can be uncovered from Exploration are a positive, but still a risk. Another reason why I dessagree with you, is because I am a strong believer of thinking your way through a game, not just learning what to do and when. Great players and many Military tacticians in history have been judged by their ability to 'Overcome and Adapt'.
Example; You get a real bad bonus, Plague say. You now have to choose what to do.
1. Hold the planet, knowing the population increase rate is abysmal, and other aspects will mostly hinder you empire.
2. Abandon the planet and move on, and see what the next one holds.
3. Hold the planet, and do the best you can with it, but quickly spread out past it to the next planet.
4. If you enemy is close, you fall back one, and fortify you bordering world like a citadel. You let him take it, and let him suffer for it. This now opens up a lot more options for you, but I could be all day here describing them.
And why should all planets have a positive income? These planets usually excel in another area, and are worth the cost. Another example; The maintenance on a factory is losing you money, but the products you produce are worth twice as much to you as the money itself. If its early in the game, then you are faced with more options on what to do, which I'm not going to list.
Some else is free to take my mod and make these changes themselves, if they want to. They will then of course be beyond help from me if something were to go wrong, and every update they would have to alter again, but if you feel that strongly (which looks like you do by saying: "there NEEDS to be"), then feel free to do it.
Your last point also can be answered by my response to your second comment. Balance.
Thank you for your feedback, everyone.
