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 Starter Planet: A way to make the beginning a little easier 
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I was reminiscing about my early days in GL and how my first planet scans were extremely poor (by my current standards) but I had to keep them because I HAD to start somewhere so I could start earning resources. I also remembered that many other people have had a similar experience.

I figured we could obviate this dilemma by giving every new player a special starter planet - a capital world, if you will - that started them off with a decent enough planet that they can get by for a while. I was thinking a Very Large world that is Rich in all three resources (nothing stellar by late-game means, but about in line with the best you can find naturally; not set in stone either, could change if needed for balance) and, so they don't have to defend their one and only planet, this starter planet is invincible and unabandonable (like Rifts are).

It might be possible to make this planet "level up" by some means (slowly of course) as an alternative to ordinary terraforming (etc.), but is unnecessary for the basic concept. It could be automatically placed in the planet list at account creation, or added via a short initial mission chain ("Is Being a Planetary Governor Right for You?")

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Tue Sep 11, 2012 10:19 pm
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A Very Large triple Rich planet we can't abandon? Thanks but no thanks. And you're wanting to give new players a boost? They already have the opportunity to join a legion and get a payout from that base that is more per day than what their planets are going to produce. The lowbies now are so much smarter, stronger and wealthier than the old timers were at the same rank. They don't need any more free handouts.

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Tue Sep 11, 2012 10:26 pm
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To be honest with you, I like this idea. However most people starting fresh immediately join a legion. Most of which will give you a starting planet. But I don't think it is something necessary. New players have too many opportunities with joining a legion that they shouldn't get a starting planet. I feel it is something that has to be earned. Just like the mission chains to unlock new planets. It takes hard work to get to where you want to be.

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Tue Sep 11, 2012 10:30 pm
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I didn't get a planet from a legion when I was young. I think I took a while to join a legion (at LEAST level 10), and that legion wasn't very powerful (just one that a friend was in). It eventually got subsumed by a larger legion, since it had deteriorated into mostly a planet-sharing legion for alts.

As for the stats, they're merely a suggestion. They could start higher, or lower. And as I mentioned in the original post, there could be ways to upgrade it beyond ordinary terraforming/expanders. For example, every 50 levels it gains one richness in all three resources, and every 250 levels it gains one size, up to x15 rich and very massive, respectively. Or even higher limits, if this is considered suitable. Or it could improve depending on character achievements, for example, depending on total number of medal points. Or there could be various mission chains that either directly upgrade it or give artifacts that only work on it. There's multiple ways to keep the planet relevant throughout player growth.

Lastly, base payouts only affect one resource (or at least any smartly designed base does). We're talking about level 1s here, when they're likely to be earning zero for resources until they get an appropriate planet. And newbies don't know what is considered an "appropriate planet", so they colonize crud and later regret that decision because they have to PAY to abandon a planet (something that I personally think should be free, but is not the subject of this thread).

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Wed Sep 12, 2012 12:12 am
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Honestly, I think a starter planet might just keep players in the game instead of adding more to the debris field.
Perhaps a mission chain that gradually gets more costly to do that upgrades your 'capital world' in size,resource and/or special structures specific to the planet until it hits something more valuable to higher ranks (i.e. 500+ area).

Something that keeps players in the game, adds a mission chain actually worth doing, and adds a nice planet for the higher ranks once they complete said chain. I think that should satisfy the playing field.

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Wed Sep 12, 2012 1:20 am
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+1

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Wed Sep 12, 2012 1:31 am
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Alright Xizen you've changed my opinion. As long as the kinks were worked out, I'd agree.

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Wed Sep 12, 2012 2:52 am
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I still think new players to the game shouldn't get one, however, you should be after you finish a level 5 mission or something like that.

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Wed Sep 12, 2012 2:53 am
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Having a captial planet+mission chain to improve sounds great. What about 5k passive cloak to keep mostly everyone out? (not 10k) And passive cloak dies after 1 month inactive? Incentive to stay.


Wed Sep 12, 2012 3:35 am
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There was talk a year ago about this ...

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Wed Sep 12, 2012 4:24 am
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There have been alot of talking about these capital planets, and starter planets in previous posts a while back. And as you may see, nothing of this sort is in GL at this point.

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Wed Sep 12, 2012 7:27 am
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Darth Flagitious wrote:
A Very Large triple Rich planet we can't abandon? Thanks but no thanks. And you're wanting to give new players a boost? They already have the opportunity to join a legion and get a payout from that base that is more per day than what their planets are going to produce in a given day / or week. The lowbies now are so much smarter, stronger and wealthier than the old timers were at the same rank. They don't need any more free handouts.

at least someone pointed this out early on

fixed that for ya

uh.... not all of em :roll:

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Wed Sep 12, 2012 4:27 pm
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Dropping the invulnerability and unabandonability, a decent, although unspecial planet to get people going would go a long way.

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Wed Sep 12, 2012 10:15 pm
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+1 to this

With the additions below

Planet Type: Determined by race
Planet Size: Large
Mining: Rich
Artifact: Rich
Research: Rich
Invincible
Cannot be abandoned
Does not consume a planet slot based on rank
Undetectable so as not to waste peoples scans
Costs nothing to place structures on it (Hometown Hero buff, or whatever)

This is a good world for a new player, they can respec it as they choose, learn what goes where etc

Add a mission, that unlocks every 50 ranks that has a relative cost of energy. and 100 stages - 1 completion

Artifact increases the size of the planet by 1 - up to a maximum of Very Massive
OR
Increases mining by 1 (Max 15x)
OR
Increases artifact by 1 (Max 15x)
OR
Increases research by 1 (Max 15x)

This means by a rank 200 you can have a VM/VR planet (Large > Very Large > Massive > Very Massive) + (Rich > Very Rich)
By 500 the world would be VR>ER>UR>MR>1X>2X

Its not overpowered, but its a planet that everyone would want to keep, lowbies get a nice world to get them off their feet, higher rankers get themselves a world that they'll never lose and can work with - by my Rank of 870 the world would be at 9x/VM which to me is something very definitely worth the effort for a "free" world

Thoughts?

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Thu Sep 13, 2012 2:01 am
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I like it, or at least make it easier as a low level to find a suitable planet if only one initial location.


Thu Sep 13, 2012 2:05 am
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As a "lowbie" myself I have to say I like this idea. I actually reset because of the planet I colonized first time around. The tutorial practically tricked me into doing it too. It was a very small barren, Very sparse mining, sparse artifact, no research. I might add that it took me awhile to realize just how helpful a decent legion is. Not to mention some interesting missions could be made for the "capital" (diplomacy, espionage, declare independence,etc).


Thu Sep 13, 2012 2:26 am
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Deathgaze wrote:
+1 to this

With the additions below

Planet Type: Determined by race
Planet Size: Large
Mining: Rich
Artifact: Rich
Research: Rich
Invincible
Cannot be abandoned
Does not consume a planet slot based on rank
Undetectable so as not to waste peoples scans
Costs nothing to place structures on it (Hometown Hero buff, or whatever)

This is a good world for a new player, they can respec it as they choose, learn what goes where etc

Add a mission, that unlocks every 50 ranks that has a relative cost of energy. and 100 stages - 1 completion

Artifact increases the size of the planet by 1 - up to a maximum of Very Massive
OR
Increases mining by 1 (Max 15x)
OR
Increases artifact by 1 (Max 15x)
OR
Increases research by 1 (Max 15x)

This means by a rank 200 you can have a VM/VR planet (Large > Very Large > Massive > Very Massive) + (Rich > Very Rich)
By 500 the world would be VR>ER>UR>MR>1X>2X

Its not overpowered, but its a planet that everyone would want to keep, lowbies get a nice world to get them off their feet, higher rankers get themselves a world that they'll never lose and can work with - by my Rank of 870 the world would be at 9x/VM which to me is something very definitely worth the effort for a "free" world

Thoughts?


+1

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Thu Sep 13, 2012 4:15 am
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senatorhung wrote:
Deathgaze wrote:
+1 to this

With the additions below

Planet Type: Determined by race
Planet Size: Large
Mining: Rich
Artifact: Rich
Research: Rich
Invincible
Cannot be abandoned
Does not consume a planet slot based on rank
Undetectable so as not to waste peoples scans
Costs nothing to place structures on it (Hometown Hero buff, or whatever)

This is a good world for a new player, they can respec it as they choose, learn what goes where etc

Add a mission, that unlocks every 50 ranks that has a relative cost of energy. and 100 stages - 1 completion

Artifact increases the size of the planet by 1 - up to a maximum of Very Massive
OR
Increases mining by 1 (Max 15x)
OR
Increases artifact by 1 (Max 15x)
OR
Increases research by 1 (Max 15x)

This means by a rank 200 you can have a VM/VR planet (Large > Very Large > Massive > Very Massive) + (Rich > Very Rich)
By 500 the world would be VR>ER>UR>MR>1X>2X

Its not overpowered, but its a planet that everyone would want to keep, lowbies get a nice world to get them off their feet, higher rankers get themselves a world that they'll never lose and can work with - by my Rank of 870 the world would be at 9x/VM which to me is something very definitely worth the effort for a "free" world

Thoughts?


+1

+1


Tue Oct 02, 2012 4:40 pm
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+1 Awesome idea especially with the improvements and mission chain idea.. make it immune to artifacts if you think it is too powerful to no terraforming/quasing/rifting it .. and giving a brand new player a decent planet is a fantastic idea. Everyone wants to bring up that new players have it so good with all the advice that is available and all the legions handing out goodies.. I would say that is true about some more "hard core" gamers that do research to figure out how to play the game but I bet more than 50% of the people that click to try out the game do not know to get in a decent legion and do not know how to browse a forum or look in the wiki.. I think this is a great idea to attempt to retain a starting player that might be put off that their first 10 scanned worlds were sparse or worse.. :)

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Tue Oct 02, 2012 4:54 pm
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Only thing I can think of adding is getting to name it and there being a medal/s for upgrading it to max
+1

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Tue Oct 02, 2012 8:44 pm
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