Recently, I have been thinking about the addition of special planet types that could be unlocked as rewards for completing certian tasks. For example, you could change the gravity level of your planet, forcing you to, say evolve weird body shapes and behaviors to survive on these planets. Achivements could be made, and if you would complete these achivements, you could unlock these types of customizations. I really hope this feature gets added in the game, and it could allow for a lot more diversity in this vey ambitious game you guys are making.
1 Like
if i recall correction. most details about your planet will be able to be changed. including gravity.
Thanks for the reply.
i would also like the ability to put special elements on my planet such as that stuff in avatar that made the floating mountains.
Iâm not super keen on this idea, scifi stuff should be exclusively reserved for the later part of the space stage.
I disagree. Thrive is sci-fi stuff, itâs about aliens. I think itâd be better to embrace the sci-if weirdness, even if we prioritise a simpler path to ascension before adding in âextraâ features like this. It would give the game a more consistent theme, and improve replayability by allowing for more varied environments to evolve in.
1 Like
I canât agree with this position. Thrive is meant to be science communication, adding in non realistic elements before the end (and having a popup saying something like âwelcome to scifiâ) will make that questionable.
This is why LAWK is a concept (and the option to turn it off).
2 Likes
Well sci-fi doesnât necessarily preclude science. It is science fiction after all. For example, while something like thermoplasts might count, I donât think life evolving on planets with a different gravity than Earth is unscientific.
yes, science fiction, itâs fictional science, whatâs the definition of fiction? right from google: something that is invented or untrue.
so the gameâs goal is to be scientifically accurate, with the LAWK option to activate/deactivate sci-fi in the game.
1 Like
My point is that Thrive is already inherently fictional. It includes fictional planets with fictional aliens on them. By putting elements into the game that are theoretically sound, but donât exist on Earth, you are not sacrificing any additional realism.
If it isnât going to be base game it might make for a good mod though.
3 Likes
Yes
Maybe
Thrive is trying to be realistic as possible but also keeping the game fun.
So your ideas may be implemented into the game somewhere in the future. 
it might be fictional, but all of is meant to be realistic and scientific.
well, yes, but itâll basically be sci-fi, the LAWK option is meant to seperate the science we actually know, and the science that is fictional.
the game shouldnt contain sci-fi by default, as that would make it less realistic and scientific (that is why the LAWK option should exist), sci-fi is is fiction that might or might not be true, weâre not sure, but to use it in a game where scientific accuracy matters is bad.
1 Like
Yes, thrive is meant to be scientifically accurate
Turning off LAWK is what you would need if you want sci fi planets
1 Like
I guess youâre right. Iâm just afraid that non-LAWK is gonna be treated as a catch-all category for everything that doesnât exist on Earth. Now that Iâm thinking about it maybe a binary choice between âpractically Earthâ and âcompletely bonkersâ wasnât such a great idea in the first place. Just because I want a more interesting spawn location to explore scientifically doesnât mean I want some of the crazier ideas that get thrown around on the forum.
1 Like
I think there should be a spectrum in the lawk and non lawk category to customize how realistic or bonkers your playthrough is going to be
1 Like
thats actually a good idea! though it should be more like a scale to make it more feasible.
Yes
A scale would be easier to implement
Problem: we probably already know all elements that have stable isotopes:
How so? Weâd have to debate on each individual feature that arenât realistic on where to put them on the scale.
Right now we can just look at thing, go, well that doesnât seem scientifically plausible, and throw it into the non-LAWK pile.
Itâs not exactly as the name implies, that only things that exist (or have existed) on Earth can be included, it also includes things that are like so that they could very well exist but they just havenât popped up on Earth. For example I think I recently read somewhere that the colour of chloroplasts on Earth might be partly a random chance why they are the colour they are, so quite easily a planet in Thrive could have different coloured chloroplasts even with LAWK turned on.
3 Likes
I was thinking about a scale so you could differentiate from slightly unrealistic to sci fi. Although switching the LAWK switch on and off would save more time and trouble.
I guess its harder to do so. Maybe doing 3 modes in a segmented bar?: LAWK - non-LAWK - very scifi/âfairyâ science
LAWK - life as we know it, we literally know what that is
non-lawk/lawk off - adds, for example, thermoplasts, theire quite plausible but not found in earth
âFairy scienceâ - with many non plausible and plausble things, a lot of possibilities, but can be unlocked after to not generate confusion for new players.