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Let’s delve into a bit more detail with planets and how to manage them. If you’ve played Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion with its DLCs, this won’t seem too different on the surface, but the devil’s in the details.

Gravity Well Types

In the first Technical Preview build you may see the following gravity well types (note that we’ll switch between planet and gravity well but are referring to the same thing):

• Terran

• Desert

• Ice

• Volcanic

• Ferrous

• Oceanic

• Gas Giant

• Asteroid

• Moon

• Pirate Base

• Star

Terran

Players begin on a terran planet as their homeworld. These are lush worlds full of planet and animal life and feature large populations. Terran planets also feature both metal and crystal resource types which makes them very versatile.

• Maximum Credit Income: Extremely High

• Maximum Resource Income: Below Average

• Maximum Military Slots: Extremely High

• Maximum Civilian Slots: Above Average

• Maximum Surface Slots: Average

Desert

Desert worlds are arid and fairly inhospitable due to the lack of water resources. Due to the scarcity of water, populations tend to center around oasis with additional water pulled out of the atmosphere via moisture collectors or from ice asteroids. Desert planets can contain both metal and crystal resources, plus allow for more orbital facilities.

• Maximum Credit Income: Below Average

• Maximum Resource Income: Extremely Low

• Maximum Military Slots: Extremely High

• Maximum Civilian Slots: Extremely High

• Maximum Surface Slots: Extremely Low

Ice

What desert planets lack in liquid water ice worlds make up for in solid form. Ice planets feature rich crystal resources, making them extremely valuable for empires to obtain. Colonization of these planets requires specialized research and the initial investment required for them to break even is quite high.

• Maximum Credit Income: Below Average

• Maximum Resource Income: High

• Maximum Military Slots: Extremely High

• Maximum Civilian Slots: Above Average

• Maximum Surface Slots: Extremely Low

Volcanic

These hot, hostile worlds are rich in metal ores but little else. Special research is required to allow settlers to control volcanic planets since their surfaces are several thousand degrees with molten lava coursing over them.

• Maximum Credit Income: Below Average

• Maximum Resource Income: High

• Maximum Military Slots: Extremely High

• Maximum Civilian Slots: Below Average

• Maximum Surface Slots: Extremely Low

Ferrous

Ferrous planets are thought to come about either when a volcanic world finally solidifies, or when a gas giant’s atmosphere is ripped away by some event. Whatever their origin, they are extremely rich in metal but lack any kind of surface life. What’s more is that they rarely have any kind of atmosphere, so special research is needed to facilitate colonization.

• Maximum Credit Income: Below Average

• Maximum Resource Income: Extremely High

• Maximum Military Slots: High

• Maximum Civilian Slots: Low

• Maximum Surface Slots: Extremely Low

Oceanic

Oceanic worlds tend to be 95%-99% water, with deep oceans and very little land mass. With so little land available to build upon, special research is needed in order to establish oceanic bases for living space.

• Maximum Credit Income: High

• Maximum Resource Income: Extremely Low

• Maximum Military Slots: Above Average

• Maximum Civilian Slots: Above Average

• Maximum Surface Slots: Average

Gas Giant

The ability to colonize gas giants is a recent development and is accomplished by a series of low-orbit space stations. This requires special technology to construct, but the short-term investment pays off due to the huge surface area of the giant world.

• Maximum Credit Income: Extremely Low

• Maximum Resource Income: Extremely Low

• Maximum Military Slots: Below Average

• Maximum Civilian Slots: Extremely Low

• Maximum Surface Slots: High

Asteroid

Little more than large hunks of rock and ice, these planetoids typically serve as waystations or mining colonies. Asteroids are one of the most common gravity well types.

• Maximum Credit Income: Low

• Maximum Resource Income: Average

• Maximum Military Slots: Above Average

• Maximum Civilian Slots: Extremely Low

• Maximum Surface Slots: Minimal

Moon

Moons are small bodies that orbit other gravity wells (which is to say a moon may orbit a planet or a pirate base, etc.). These create interesting phase lane choke points since outside lanes will typically connect to the moon before its parent world.

• Maximum Credit Income: Low

• Maximum Resource Income: Average

• Maximum Military Slots: Above Average

• Maximum Civilian Slots: Extremely Low

• Maximum Surface Slots: Minimal

Pirate Base

The home base of the perfidious pirate faction! This small asteroid base is heavily defended by structures and a plethora of enemy ships.

Star

A lovely, massive ball of hot gas, magnetic fields and explosions.