So I've been thinking...

Know those bonuses that planets give? 50% extra food growth on a bread basket planet, 25% to the defense of a planet, etc etc... Why not have them varied?

What I mean is; A bread basket planet could give you anywhere from 30-50%. It's other bonus would essentially be the same, so if it was 25% it would be anywhere between 15 to 25.

Why? Because this plays into the idea that players will want to fight over certain planets. It also creates more re-playability in the sense that planets are unique in their own way with lots of variance. I think it will get old fast when a ghost world has the exact same stats as another ghost world elsewhere. It only adds to the gameplay. It doesn't mess up balance in a whole way and it can be fine tuned, and all the planets have their own nuances.

Pros:

• Planets have a sense of 'personality' to them with random varied bonuses/traits.
• I as a player come across two bread basket planets. One has a greater main bonus, the other poorer but has a greater secondary bonus. Choices choices!
• It adds to the sense that planets should be different with many different qualities to them.
• Such a mechanic is even more important for bigger maps with lots of planets. Without this mechanic, you'll across many replicated planets with the same old boring bonuses that don't change.
• It doesn't mess up the balance of the game: It really doesn't. I've been trying to run it in my head on how having variance on bonuses messes up the balance, and I can't work out any issues. Maybe the devs would be able to come up with problems, if so I would like to hear them.
• Further variation could be granted by associating the variance with classes of planets. A class 15 planet will have a greater chance of a higher bonus while a lower class planet will still have that chance of having a great bonus, just a lot smaller. The devs could play around with this to find a sweet spot.
• It's not about turning a bread basket planet into a dead planet! It's about randomizing those bonuses. You'll still get your bread basket, it just might not have a higher bonus than you'd like!

Cons:

I have to admit, I've yet to come up with any potential con, other than balance issues that I've not foreseen. So if anyone can convince me why this is a bad idea, go right ahead. I can understand that the idea of static bonuses may appeal to some, but I can see it getting real boring really fast with the same old stats. For those that are against the idea, what about an optional setting during gamesetup? The best of both worlds?