Life in Pioneer

[Ittiz]

I'm a molecular biologist with an interest in astrobiology, who also dabbles in space art and programming. Anyway I think I could make some useful contributions this project.

After playing around with a game a bit I've got a few grievances with the life bearing planets. I noticed a lot of worlds had highly complex ecosystems, but carbon monoxide, hydrogen, helium or some times even no atmosphere. The way I see it life is quite possible on non-oxygenated worlds (used to be deadly to life on earth), however the arrival of oxygen made it's possible for organisms to become multicellular due to the higher energies available. Not saying highly complex ecosystems couldn't evolve without O2. However they would no doubt take a lot longer since life would have to evolve more complex mechanisms to get the needed engery. So it'd be unlikely to find such life beyond the unicellular stage. At least by this point in the universe's development.

Also I think ammonia life, and mixtures there of, should exist, although maybe a little more rare than water life. Especially if your talking about high pressure ammonia worlds (between 3 and 50 bars) ammonia actually has some advantages over water. Ammonia woulds would never have much O2 because it would be explosively reactive with the ammonia. Because of the ability of ammonia to dissolve some metals the animals and plants may not need to "breath" at all. Also cold worlds, whether they're water, o2 or what ever should developed more slowly, so hence would be less likely to contain complex life. Chemistry just proceeds more slowly at low temps. The max temp life should be able to endure (at any pressure) should be about 250C, above that it becomes difficult for complex molecules to remain stable. Also life should be able to form on volcanic ice worlds like Europa. Lastly use to word "World" instead of "Planet" when referring to most things in the game. Since you can have a "life bearing world" whether it's a moon or a planet.

Anyway enough ranting, beyond all this I can make useful contributes like art or programming. I played around with FFE3d's code and my version is one of the most used these days. My art is well known, I'll see about replacing the graphics for the stars and planets first off since I find that aspect to be the most fun.

[impaktor]

Any contribution is welcome, as long as it improves the game and takes it in the right direction I guess.

You can post your plans here for discussion, and if you have something finished, just post it as a pull request on github, or ask someone here to post it on github for you.

I guess the information shown when selecting a system will be redone at some point in time, since right now, some systems show up as inhabited although they are lacking spaceports, and the faction information will be redone. But I'm no expert when it comes to these things.

My art is well known,

Do you have any sample of your art to tease us with? :)

[robn]

The system generator is up for rewrite or significant reactor as soon as it gets high enough on someone's list. It's a complete mess and needs a lot of love. Sounds like you could be just the person to tackle it!

[lwho]

The system generator is up for rewrite or significant reactor as soon as it gets high enough on someone's list. It's a complete mess and needs a lot of love. Sounds like you could be just the person to tackle it!

It's quite high on my list (see http://pioneerspacesim.net/forum/viewto ... ?f=4&t=133). I've some ideas of first steps which I probably should write up in the other thread soon. I just want to finish the SectorCache works first, as that's kind of ground works for all the generation stuff.

So, if anyone is intending to (un)mess with sector/system generation we should definitely coordinate!

[Nyankosensei]

And far space pure energy life form are possible (Star Treck have hypothesized them) ?

[FluffyFreak]

Please no, Star Trek has pulled that stuff out of their backside and it's rubbish... obviously just my personal opinion but every episode with a "pure energy lifeform" was unbearable.

@Ittiz, when you say "I'll see about replacing the graphics for the stars and planets first off" what exactly do you have in mind? Do you mean the 2D graphics used in the system and sector views? Or do you mean the 3D rendering?

If you mean the 3D rendering then speak up because I'm working on that right now and the more hands the merrier :)

[Ittiz]

Do you have any sample of your art to tease us with? :)

Some of my art: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Ittiz

And far space pure energy life form are possible (Star Treck have hypothesized them) ?

I'm not going to say energy life is impossible, but I find it unlikely that if it did we would ever know if it. For all we know were burning up millions of "energy aliens" every time we turn on a light bulb.

what exactly do you have in mind? Do you mean the 2D graphics used in the system and sector views? Or do you mean the 3D rendering?

If you mean the 3D rendering then speak up because I'm working on that right now and the more hands the merrier :)

Yeah, I mean the 2d icons and graphics for the most part. I can do planet textures as well, but the planet textures in this game look procedural so those are iffy. I haven't done much 3D modeling.

[baobobafet]

Ittiz
Working in the dark as I write this, not to start any wars with 'Edison's aliens' ;)

Very nice textures, welcome to the party :)

[baobobafet]

Pretty fertile ground for discussion. (nice to have another brain to pick, about such issues ;)

If history is any indication of our reverence for other life forms - will we turn them into commodities to be traded for
profit? At what point does an alien lifeform have the right to self determination (ie: Only when humanity gives it the
distinction of being sentient?)

Other lifeforms (primative or not, by our standards) might percieve us as slave drivers to be destroyed by every means
possible.
Worlds populated with such organisms could represent an opportunity to become a threat or an ally depending on how the individual player reacts to each individual situation.

edit:
Newly discovered corrosive elements in hostile atmospheres could require special ship coatings that if not applied might cripple a ship upon entering such environs. (shields may prove little defense)

Chemical or electro-chemical reactions, such as this might even be incidental as the byproducts of very primitive alien life forms with no malice intended.

Our initial interpretation may be somewhat different prompting a defensive or even offensive posture that could cascade into an all out attack by the planet's biosphere against intruders. Much as antibodies attack common viruses in the human body.

[baobobafet]

Attack of the Swarm
I could imagine some variant of the existing Police swarming code (when a player is attacked by police) being used as a model for a 'natural' enough looking swarm attack on a known hostile intruder ship by a 'hypersensitive' biosphere.

The attack might materialize as a lot of kamikaze type micro ships, in the guise of tiny self propelled amoeba or crystalline shapes. Each impacting micro ship contributed some damage to a player's ship.

The player would have to adopt different strategies to be able to co-exist peacefully in such sensitive biospheres in order to have access to potential mining resources without hindrance of attack.

Edit:

Some possible ways to NOT be provocative in approaching a potentialy biosensitive environment:

1> Don't go into biosensitive areas with military drives.
2> If possible, refrain from equiping your ship with a shield before entering. -or any potentially interfering ECM systems.
3> Don't shoot weapons in bio sensitive areas (or in some cases even carry armaments) {mining lasers excepted]
Biosensitive areas may be able to "see' your rep and whether you have displayed ill intent in the past, making the
biosphere's response to your approach more wary or alternatively, potentially more friendly than usual.
4>?

Edit2:

Why would I want to do any mining on a world that is so difficult to access?

Short answer is: Money.
Long answer is: The biosphere benefits from your taking this specific (and highly valuable) waste mineral/material out of it's domain. (perhaps there can be large deposits in some visible or easily found geographic location. (Poles?)

Ultimately it can evolve into a beneficial symbiotic relationship between the biosphere and the player, allowing the elevation of ones rep while making a good pile of money.

Such biospheres might also be thought of as a sanctuary for players being attacked by pirates, as the biosphere would likely make quick work of them - were they to get too close.