Two simple questions

1. AFAIK the tiles that were set to upgrade before Xeno Ethics has been researched will stay like they are. Only when you colonize a new planet then the tiles where the correct terraform-tech has been researched is upgraded instantly.

Solution: Built the Orbital Terraformer-wonder

1) Works for me.
Step 1: Research Xeno Ethics.
Step 2: Choose Neutral.
Step 3: Research appropriate terraforming techs.
Doesn't seem to matter if I research the terraforming techs before or after Ethics.

I do remember at least one version of the game where Ethics alone did it, without regard for the actual terraforming techs researched, but I'm fairly positive that's no longer the case even in DL.  (Do note that I don't play much DL these days, so it's possible I missed that there.)

2) Not possible.
Some of us are still hoping for a toggle option there.

Same here, SS you are very right on that. Hmmm, but I could swear a few months back I ran into exact the same thing as described above. Porc, any more info on that? Could you somehow resolve the prob?

Well it happened to me all the times I was playing as a neutral civ, no matter if i had terraforming techs already or not, the tiles were all upgraded. But it was in DL. This was my first game as a neutral civ in ToA and so I asked, because I thought it was intended this way, but as I see I misunderstood.

So the upgrade is istantly available after i research the proper tech, right?

 

As for 2) yeah, a toggle option would be nice.

 

#2) Actually, the planets are not generated until they are colonized. You can rerun the colonization and get a different result.

In DA this is not true, there the planets are generated invariably at map-setup, with the sole exception that IF you get a PQ colonization-event, those additional tiles might also contain bonus-tiles.

But still interesting. In what version/expansion did you notice that?

I got that with DL v1.5 and DA v1.8g as well as DL v1.4x prior to that. I didn't have enough experience with TA v1.96 to form an opinion.

Note that I always got the same number and type of bonus tiles every colonization, that was certainly fixed, however where the bonus tiles were and in fact the pattern of how the usable tiles were distributed over the planet was randomly regenerated each time I colonized. Also of course the total number of tiles stayed the same. However I *never* got a PQ event that gave me extra bonus tiles in those revs and given PQ events were usually my favorite event I did experience a *lot* of them.

This is not to be confused with ctrl-n which does regen the galaxy and definitely can change the number and type of bonus tiles on your homeworld, and every other planet as well. However IIRC ctrl-n otherwise keeps the galaxy the same as to number of systems and planets and I think even number of total resources although I'm pretty sure the numbers of each type of resource can change.

I haven't had enough experience with DA v2.01 or any of the other current revs to notice one way or the other how it works. Although I will be generating a few new DA v2.01 starts soon and I'll certainly be watching for this (particularly the PQ event exposure of new bonus tiles, potentially very useful for the third planet you colonize, although sometimes I do prefer the 60% research bonus).

I experienced this in a ZYW, although ony one time. I was colonizing the 3rd planet, building a starport and buying a ship; but subsequently I couldn't follow my research-order to the last tech.

So I reloaded to colonize but built a lab instead, just to get a colonization-event which yielded a 100% research-bonus-tile, which was not there game the before. Was positively surprised about that. The game stuck well into my mind because, actually in the same turn/game, my FlagShip found a 1000bc anomaly, which on reload was someting different. And that I didn't knew previously also not, that asteroids et al hold varying bonuses.

I reloaded this turn for quite some, when I got the PQ-event again the 100% tile was again there.

Nevertheless, the possibility is there that it was only a glitch. I remember Arunodayt once had a MV-game which started out on a PQ19 planet. (Why do such things never happen to me?) Such things can happen actually, randomly, who knows when a small info on harddrive gets corrupted?

*Very* interesting. Can this be confirmed? I actually asumed otherwise - because if you do Control-N you'll have to have a connection established to the MV.

Although that doesn't prove anything - you could be very right after all.

It would be really hard to confirm on a gigantic however I do know the number of systems and total number of planets do stay the same.

However this was specifically DL v1.4x so caveat emptor. But basically in the days of the MV league we played tiny to medium galaxies and if you look at your mini-map you can actually count the total number of stars and planets. Of course you can't tell how many of those planets were inhabitable or what their PQ was but you could at least get a total count and ctrl-n after ctrl-n the total systems and total planets stayed the same whereas if you went back through and setup the identical game configuration then those totals would change.

So to at least maximize the number of systems I got per any particular setting I would reload a number of times to get an idea of the variation and then settle on a configuration that seemed to be a maximum case and then from there I would do my ctrl-n to select home planet bonus tiles.

I also remember this being discussed way back when. But as far as truly verified, I suppose you could test this using cheat mode for small galaxies fairly easily. Then you could actually count resource numbers and type as well as number of systems and number of habital planets and even class.

Again what value this has is pretty unclear but I suppose it allows you to define your starting configuration a bit more precisely, like if for say you really wanted as few systems as possible (or vice versa as many as possible) in a particular galaxy size for some reason or other.

  I just realize that in the last gigantic I had my nose pressed to the screen for half an hour for... actually...

nothing!   

Does total number of planets vary in the same manner as habitable does with Ctrl+N?  It's still kind of crap shoot for resources, but knowing they changed or were static could be useful.

ToA latest version is where the planets are generated on colonization.

I've used the ctrl-N a few times but the results seem to suggest a preset % amount in bonus tiles. BUT I use created maps where all races start with three planets so it's easier to see the changes in values over the use of ctrl-N where as one planet will not show you much info.

I *think* that the total number of habitable planets does stay the same on ctrl-n but like I said you should be able to verify that in cheat mode on a small or tiny galaxy reasonably easily if that feature is important to you.

I think this is true of all versions and revisions of the game. I think that the number of bonus tiles are basically fixed within some range by the size of the galaxy and that's why the ZYW folks like rare settings because there will be far more bonus tiles per planet with rare settings versus abundant settings.

I can verify that for latest (or even marginally current) DA and TA Ctrl+N does not keep the habitable count consistent.

Strange. I have the opposite results - planets are determined at setup. I play v2.03.

However, personally I'd prefer if the ability to change that would be there. Esp. for the 3 starting planets it could be easy to get some "optimization" hehe.

So, question is, how are you actually doing it? You are a modder, isn't it? Could it be related to that perhaps?

I don't use mods. I just rollback to the previous turn and then run it and colonize. I've done this numerous times with different result on each colonization. I do use a PQ modifier for my race so I usually get 1-2 more tiles to start. I also have 2.03 ver but I do use a huge map. that may be the difference as there are many planets versus less. Basically, I can't answer your question as I don't know why I get it. It could be the racial modifiers, the game setup options, It could be just about anything.

More relevantly, I'm seeing an issue in DA 2.x (haven't bothered to look at TA yet, for complex reasons) whereby the difficulty seems to reset (to Cakewalk) upon Ctrl + Ning from any loaded save, whether it be quick, auto, or manual.

This bug would seem to remove any ability to do a headcount on planets and use that galaxy's range of variance.

Additionally, this bug resets the AI relations to unknown as well.

Anyone else seeing this?

Never noticed the reset to calkwalk, didn't look.  The AI relations happens every time for me.  DL too IIRC.  Donno TA, I finally learned my lesson and don't do it anymore.

Same here, too. In a way it's okay to get relations f** up, that means: start new game; which, at least, is suicidal again then.

I've seen this in DA v1.80g and DA v2.01. It happens every time you ctrl-n from a reload. I didn't consider it a bug, just something to avoid.

After I ctrl-n I always pay attention to my income and the instant it goes up it means that the game went back to cakewalk. This was a common problem that occured randomly in DL v1.40x. Not sure whether or not this has been fixed in DA or not but old habits die hard. Anyway the only time I've had any reset to cakewalk it's been because I forgot what I was doing and did a ctrl-n on a reloaded game.

Never really noticed whether or not relations changed, it's not like I'd be willing to play the game out that way.

Don't understand can you clarify

Control n Can you identify what it supposed to do and how it works are there any other keys.I use twilight of the arnor. I don't usually play neutral rarely use zeno ethics.