((B won, 4-3.
Last turn before the final PC slot closes.))
Exciting news, kaptain! The planet has cities!
This supports the many civilizations theory of planetary development. These don't seem very smart, unfortunately, since we can't find any presence of a space program. We tried radioing them, but the antennae didn't survive the voyage. We can't say much more about them for sure, since we spent most of our time on those surveys.
Our first proposed landing zone, in the bay, would take us directly to a major city. We could land out in the bay, to minimize the damage done by crashing.
We can't find any cities on the small continent, probably because it looks fairly barren. We did find a single small coastal port-town on the western cape. It's pretty far away from our proposed site.
Not only do we get to explore as new system, we get to meet aliens! I'm thrilled to serve here under you, kaptain!
Each region (or planetoid) will have 2-3 mineral layers (surface, underground, deep), depending on size. At game start, you have no way to prospect or mine deep layers. Each layer will have its own minerals, ignoring what is above it.
Mineral veins are rated by type, amount, and quality. Rather than tracking how much steel you have, I'll be tracking general availability of common metals. You'll be unable to stockpile anything, but may be able to, say, build a warehouse to keep a few turns' worth of supplies in case the supply line gets disrupted. You may be able to increase the amount or quality with buildings.
Amounts range from tiny, small, moderate, abundant, to overflowing. Generally, it takes 3 sources of one level to reach the next. If you have a moderate-sized stockpile, several people may work on moderate-requiring projects at the same time, but there may be minor problems if absolutely everyone is trying to do so.
Expect a fighter-sized vessel or component to require a tiny amount, a mid-sized ship to take a moderate amount, and a dreadnaught an overflowing amount.
Quality usually ranges from 1-5. Some parts may require a specific quality, but it usually just improves construction outcomes.
Planned types are:
Common metals (ex. steel), useful for structural components.
Rare metals (ex. copper), useful for electronic or special components.
Fuel (ex. oil), useful for explosions.
Radioactive materials, useful for glowly ornamentation.
Crystals, useful for lasers.
(I'm not sure on crystals. Other types might possibly open up later, but I'll probably keep this as fairly hard (if abstracted) science.)
Region 1: 8:1
Surface: Moderate 1-quality common minerals
Small 2-quality rare minerals
Region 2:
Surface: Tiny 4-quality common minerals
Tiny 2-quality rare minerals
Region 3:
Special: Higher altitude allows easier launches. Difficult agriculture.
Surface: Abundant 1-quality common minerals
Moderate 1-quality rare minerals
I) There's a big continent. It looks to be mostly green, with some mountains scattered around. There's a nice equatorial bay, with river access to a few mountains nearby. It's surrounded by flatlands. Warning: The locals have a major city here.
II) Deeper inland on the first continent, also on the equator, is a large forested valley with plenty of mountains nearby.
III) There's a smaller continent. There's a big plateau near the middle, which should make launching more craft easier. Agriculture will be difficult. We should have an easy time avoiding the notice of the locals.