PQ question

I need to know!!!

i saw it work once but i realy don't pay anttion to it i had some planet i think pq was 12 and i had like a 10% boosrt and it went up one pq point

Yes it works. But it doesn't seem to be a straightforward 10 or 20% addition to the number of tiles...it does something a bit odd with the number of extras you'll get after soil enhancement/habitat improvement/terraforming.

For example, on Earth you'll start with 1 extra tile with the 10% ability and 2 extra tiles with the 20% ability. So far as expected. However, after terraforming, with the 10% ability you'll STILL only have 1 extra tile, but with the 20% ability you'll have 5 extras! This behaviour does NOT appear to repeat all that often though so I highly doubt it's worth taking the ability.

From what I've seen, the PQ bonus you can get only applies to newly colonized planets. You will see the class of a conquered planet increase by your bonus, but no new tiles will be available.

Wether a planet gets one or two tiles per level of terraforming seems to not have any direct relation to initlal planet quality with the exception that really low quality planets, 6 and below, seem to not gain any extra tiles with terraforming techs. Wether a planet gets one or two tiles per tech seems random. Planets with a really high class initially usually only get one tile per tech, while class 12 - 17 seem to get two per tech more often than one, but like I said, it appears to be random to me. I am sure their is an explanation somewhere, but who knows.

Also, as I mentioned earlier that the racial PQ bonus only affects newly colonized planets, do not destroy a colony and then re-colonize it. For some reason the colony loses any tiles you upgraded from terraforming techs and can not be returned, at least that is what happened in v 1.1 beta 3.

Planets with a really high class initially usually only get one tile per tech, while class 12 - 17 seem to get two per tech more often than one, but like I said, it appears to be random to me.

Is that with the 20% PQ ability? Or are you just speaking generally?

8 pts is way too much for the magical thumb ability if it's only getting you a couple of extra tiles on average. But if it's getting you 5 extras after terraforming on "medium" quality planets...well that's pretty significant.

The amout of TILES a planet can acquire through Terraformig depends on the TYPE.

And by that I mean this:

Take the Yor.

They have a Class 10 and a Class 4 to start with. If your starting planet (Class 10) is GAIAN (IE: looking like a level 26 planet from the MAIN SCREEN [green with purplish tinges] and NOT desert [reddish in color]) you will get MORE tiles from terraforming than one that looks like Earth of an icy planet. Even though BOTH are class 10's. This is REALLY easy to see, again using the YOR, by looking at that class 4 you also have nearby. If it is GREEN you WILL be able to terraform it for 3-4 more tiles. But if it is icy, or desert-like in color, you will be stuck with the 5 and NO terraforming. This goes for all planets.

So while it MAY be a Class 10, you will more likely get MORE tiles from terraforming, the more habitable it looks. Utopian (class 26-like) is better than green, which is better than earth, which is better than icy, which is better than desert-like. By appearance on the main galaxy view.

I always CTRL-N until I get green+ main and secondary (where applicable) planets.

Take a look at the PlanetDescriptions.XML file, you will see some stuff in there that could randomize the tiles usable based on heightmap used and etc.

Hope that sheds a LITTLE light.

Interesting.

So it would seem, then, that the 20% PQ ability not only gives the standard +20% tiles on colonization, but also tips your STARTING world from a "3 tile" terraform type to a "6 tile" terraform type. The question is whether it can ALSO do that to other planets you colonize? Is there a way to save just the map from a game? If so, I could just start with and without the PQ abilities on the same map and see what various planets have to offer in each situation. Otherwise, I have no idea how to test it!

wow, interesting, im glad I asked this question So Rogue, you say that planets are divided into there PQ rating then under that there are green/purple, earth like, icy, dessert, each having there own number of upgradable tiles? Im sleepy..................... seems this would go really well with a neutral civ..hmmm.......