Building Sphere World without collateral damage

Change this in the component.txt file:

Name := Sphere World Placement Generator
Description := Provides the gravitational matrix needed to assemble a sphere world.
Picture Number := 83
Maximum Level := 1
Tonnage Space Taken Formula := 1000
Tonnage Structure Formula := 1000
Cost Minerals Formula := 60000
Cost Organics Formula := 90000
Cost Radioactives Formula := 90000
Supply Amount Used Formula := 1000
Ordnance Amount Used Formula := 0
Can Be Placed On Vehicle Types := Ship, Base
Can Be Placed In Ship Sections := Inner Hull, Outer Hull
Component Type List := Technological
General Group := Stellar Manipulation
Custom Group := 0
Number Of Requirements := 8
Requirements Evaluation Availability := AND
Requirements Evaluation Allows Placement := TRUE
Requirements Evaluation Allows Usage := TRUE
Requirement 1 Description := Empire must have at least tech level 20 in Stellar Manipulation.
Requirement 1 Formula := Get_Empire_Tech_Level("Stellar Manipulation") >= 20
Requirement 2 Description := Sphere World can only be built if there is a single star in the solar system.
Requirement 2 Formula := TRUE
Requirement 3 Description := No other stellar constructions can be present in the solar system.
Requirement 3 Formula := TRUE
Requirement 4 Description := No colonies or can be present within 2 sectors of the star.
Requirement 4 Formula := TRUE
Requirement 5 Description := No vehicles other than those carrying required components can be present within 2 sectors of the star.
Requirement 5 Formula := TRUE
Requirement 6 Description := All planets, asteroids, and storms within 2 sectors of the star will be destroyed.
Requirement 6 Formula := TRUE
Requirement 7 Description := Any warp points within 2 sectors of the star will be moved.
Requirement 7 Formula := TRUE
Requirement 8 Description := All vehicles containing Placement Generator, Gravity Plating, and Hyper-Dense Cables will be used to build the Sphere World.
Requirement 8 Formula := TRUE
Number Of Abilities := 4
Ability 1 Type := Constructed Planet - Create
Ability 1 Description := Sphere World Placement Generator can create a Sphere World around a star. Must be placed on a ship that has movement.
Ability 1 Scope := Space Object
Ability 1 Range Formula := 0
Ability 1 Amount 1 Formula := 2
Ability 1 Amount 2 Formula := 2
Ability 2 Type := Constructed Planet - Requirements
Ability 2 Description := Must have [%Amount2%]kT of Gravity Plating present at location.
Ability 2 Scope := Space Object
Ability 2 Range Formula := 0
Ability 2 Amount 1 Formula := 1
Ability 2 Amount 2 Formula := 20000
Ability 3 Type := Constructed Planet - Requirements
Ability 3 Description := Must have [%Amount2%]kT of Hyper-Dense Cables present at location.
Ability 3 Scope := Space Object
Ability 3 Range Formula := 0
Ability 3 Amount 1 Formula := 2
Ability 3 Amount 2 Formula := 20000
Ability 4 Type := Constructed Planet - Clear Radius
Ability 4 Description :=
Ability 4 Scope := Space Object
Ability 4 Range Formula := 0
Ability 4 Amount 1 Formula := 2
Ability 4 Amount 2 Formula := 20000
Weapon Type := None

This reduces the cleared radius to 2 instead of 6 hexes.
However you should adapt all descriptions for the sphereworlds in the StellarObjectTypes.txt file too with these two lines changed:

Hex Size := 3
Blocked Hex Radius := 2

And last you have to adapt the XFileClasses_Stellar.txt file with something like this:

Name := Sphereworld
XFile := Sphereworld.x
Override Texture Filename :=
Base Model Radius := 60.0
Starting Rotate X := 0
Starting Rotate Y := 0
Starting Rotate Z := 0
Starting Scale X := 50
Starting Scale Y := 50
Starting Scale Z := 50
Starting Position Offset X := -2
Starting Position Offset Y := -50
Starting Position Offset Z := 100
Continual Rotation Vector X := 0
Continual Rotation Vector Y := 0
Continual Rotation Vector Z := 25
Continual Rotation Speed := 0.0001

I made the last change after try and error to get the placement and rotation of the sphereworld over the center of the initial star. Somebody certainly can give you a more precise information about the exact values needed for this entry.

It would just hide anything that is beneath the large sphereworld in the system view. Not very practical, but I didn't see any major other problems.

Since a Sphere World is going to need massive amounts of materials to make, it makes sense if it used up all stuff in the radius.

FYI, I made a Sphere World in a heavily populated system, and I had 28 BILLION people I had to move off of a few large and huge planets.
So, despite loosing everything in 6 sectors of the star, I still more than doubled the effective population and facility capacity I had before. (capacity for 64 billion people and 200,000kt facilities)
If you build a Ring World or Sphere World, worrying about now comparably 'small' things like asteroids seems like a minor concern.

Judging by "Mount Fist of God" in the Ringworld setting (game I got, Return to Ringworld, based on a book of someone named Nivel iirc), keeping ANY sort of largee rocks (or planetary bbodies for that matter) anywhere near a Ring/Sphere World is typically a bad thing.

Also, what happens to the game if it ends up with TWO 'celestial bodies' in the same sector?
Can the game safely handle an asteroid field/planet IN the Sphere World occupied areas?
Wouldn't that be the same as having a planet and asteroid field or two planets occupying the same space?
Or could it possibly cause unforseen problems?

it can handle the planet in an asteroid field

You tend to get a lot of model clipping in the display of the objects, but the game engine is ok with multiple stellar objects in the same hex.

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Yeah.... You can't see squat inside a sphere. You can't even see the sun.

Thanks for the very detailed changes!

I was toying around with these changes on a full tech game yesterday, must say i loving being able to have a smaller sphere, so cheers
tis just a shame that the game is hard coded to only allow spheres in systems with 1 star.. yes yes i know they would probably collide, but i like pushing physics to breaking point.. makes things 'interesting'
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Grand Lord Exelsiar of the Azra-Dun Commonwealth, at your service

I don't know but you could probably destroy all stars in a system, leaving it empty, then creating a star in the middle and build a sphere around it. :x

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