Shouldn't we be able to use it to terraform a hostile planet?
Take that a step further: Why couldn't you use that to colonize an uninhabitable planet?
1.) First, let's recognize that though similar, the Genesis thingy and the Biosphere are NOT the same thing. I'm assuming from the Biosphere mechanics that the Biosphere uses a localized effect. Something like affecting an area the size of Greenland. [Why the three new clear tiles are scattered all over the map from where the Biosphere was set up eludes me, however.] That would account for the need to use it several times to clean up an entire planet. [Which then begs the question: Why can't you set up several Biospheres simultaneously and clean up the entire planet at one go?]
2.) The Biosphere itself is essentially Terraforming x 3. Which highlights TERRAforming. That is, that whole line of research emphasizes that it converts a planet to be closer to the Terran environmental ideals. However, NOT all races find the ideal Terran climate to be ideal. The Yor, for instance, should find any world that doesn't corrode the machinery to be entirely acceptable. But the way the game works, _every_ race is competing for the same quality of real estate. The Yor's special ability of Super Isolationist allows them to have a head start on Barren planets. I think this was **supposed** to reflect that machines don't need an ideal atmosphere/environment. However, with that SA (and Super Adapter with Toxic and Aquatic planets) the advantage only allows immediate colonization at a 50% productivity penalty. That means that even for the Yor, an idealized Terran environment is still the most ideal environment for the Yor. What the game is lacking is a system of climate conversion suited to each of the races -- just like the tech trees that now are shaped for each race. Naturally, similar races like Altarians and Terrans would be competing for the same planets -- but they would no longer be competing against other races that prefer drastically different environments. And vice versa.
3.) Anything that shifts a planetary environment away from the norm that the indigent species prefers would constitute a weapon _against_ that indigent species. That means to some methane-breathers, Terraforming their planet would be one hell of an assault. Now, given the way the Biosphere works, I can see that in its present form, it is unsuitable as a weapon: you have to actually get onto the planet and spend several weeks of concerted work to effect the limited environmental changes. But given enough time, history demonstrates that nearly every beneficial advance has been perverted to a warmongering angle. (And conversely, many weapons have been found to have useful civil applications as well. Such as, the atomic bomb led directly to the develop of nuclear power reactors.) Sooner or later, some military genius _will_ figure out how to make a T-bomb. Another HOWEVER is: How does this differ from indiscriminately dropping nukes on a planet during Planetary Invasion?
I think that's enough points along these lines for now.
