So how are the planet lights supposed to work?

from GalCiv2 Forums
I know I've seen a few threads asking about planet lights and mentioning how they are bugged, etc. I will say that I see them very sporadically and seemingly at random. So, I was wondering - how are they supposed to work? I think a dev mentioned once that it's based on population and planet quality. I know I've seen the lights show up on newly colonized planets with almost no one on them and yet I've never seen the lights on Earth - which starts with 5 billion people and is pretty good quality. It *seems* like they aren't working like they are supposed to. So, are they bugged, or are there additional rules governing when they show up that we don't know about? Maybe a dev could shed some light on this and whether or not it's being looked at (or even needs to be looked at) for the patch? I know it seems like a minor issue - but they look all cool and stuff when they do show up (however rarely that is).
10,043 views 8 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I have yet to see these rumoured lights in my empire.... my men and women work so hard to make me war-machines they never sleep!
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
John Glenn has to be launched into Orbit first.
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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
they look like checkerboards, not very impressive but oh well. great game!
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I have yet to see these things. They must be cool for everyone to want them so bad.
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I usually see them on some planets if I remember to look. They look great but they are not an important feature at all imo. Believe me, seeing them will not change your life.
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Yeah, it's nonessential, but so is all of the jewelry stuff you can add to ships in the ship designer. But, if something doesn't work there, I still think it's good to get it reported and fixed. Likewise, if the planet lights deal is truly a glitch, then it would be nice to get it fixed.
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I usually see them whenever I start up a new game and the view is zoomed all the way into my home system with the flagship selected. It's just some white dots even spaced out over the land masses. Nothing very impressive, perhaps it would be nice if there were some more concentrations in certain areas to mimic cities. Of course, none of that really matters, because right after I hit "A" and the focus switch to my colony ship, I zoom way out and never ever see it again until the next game, at the exact same point...