Planets have a position in space and a name, which can not be changed during the game. Normally, you see the complete map from the start of the game on. The popular ExploreMap add-on provides a dynamic map, that is, you only see planets you're close enough - like for ships.
Planets have varying amounts of the four minerals in their core, as well as already-mined minerals on the surface. Only the surface minerals can be used for building things. The core minerals must be extracted using mineral mines, depending on their density, you can extract minerals at different speeds.
Planets have a temperature which affects the maximum population on the planet. The temperature can be changed by terraforming. See Population Formulas.
Each planet can either be unowned or owned by one player. No planet can be shared by two races. A planet is owned when the player has at least one colonist clan on it. When that clan dies or is taken away, the planet gets unowned.
There can be a native population on some planets. Natives can have one of 9 races and a government. The race determines how beneficial the natives are for you, the government determines how "civilized" the natives are which affects your taxation.
| Native Race | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Amorphous | Don't pay taxes, eat colonists |
| Amphibians | Give you free Tech 10 for beams when you build a starbase |
| Avians | Don't get unhappy so fast when you tax them |
| Bovinoids | 100 clans give you one extra supply each turn |
| Ghipsoldals | Give you free Tech 10 for engines when you build a starbase |
| Humanoids | Give you free Tech 10 for hulls when you build a starbase |
| Insectoids | Pay twice as much taxes as others |
| Reptilians | Double your mining rate |
| Siliconoids | Give you free Tech 10 for torpedoes when you build a starbase |
| Government | Tax collection | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Anarchy | 20% | 1 |
| Pre-Tribal | 40% | 2 |
| Early-Tribal | 60% | 3 |
| Tribal | 80% | 4 |
| Feudal | 100% (as colonists) | 5 |
| Monarchy | 120% | 6 |
| Representative | 140% | 7 |
| Participatory | 160% | 8 |
| Unity | 180% | 9 |
You can tax colonists and natives in order to earn money. This affects their happiness. If you overdo it, the population will riot or even start a civil war. Colonists and natives have separate happiness, so it can happen that natives fight and colonists do not, or vice versa. You need colonists to collect the native taxes. Normally, one colonist clan collects one megacredit, everything above is lost. Benefits from Insectoid natives and improved NativeTaxRate apply after this limit (i.e., on an Insectoid planet, each colonist clan can collect two mc). See Happiness Formulas, Taxation Formulas.
Note that the percentages given in the above table affect the amount of money you get, not the maximum tax rate. When taxed at 15%, a Participatory population gives you twice as much as the same population in Tribal form.
You can build structures on planets. The amount you can build is determined by the colonist population.
- Mineral mines extract minerals from the planet core and deposit them on surface. More mines extract more minerals.
- Factories produce one kiloton supplies each, per turn.
- Defense posts provide weapons to defend the planet in combat.
Many mines or factories can make the population unhappy. Planetary structures cannot be destroyed when they are no longer used, so build with care. However, if colonists are taken away or die after the structures are built, the buildings will decay due to lacking maintenance. See Building Formulas, Production Formulas.
Planets have experience. Experienced planets are better in combat.
You can build one starbase per planet. The starbase will then orbit the planet. It does not affect the population on the planet.
