Easter Eggs

[Gus Smedstad]

I got the Careless Parent achievement while on my way to the Core.  I think it's very difficult not to, because there will be ecodisasters and Grox invasions while you're on your way, and you can't afford to return, or you'll never make any forward progress.

Space is big.  Not even the beloved Star Control 2 captured how big Space is quite as well as Spore.  But even beyond that, there's a penalty to your jump distance once you start getting close, and it gets worse as you go in.  You absolute MUST have the level-5 drive, and even so there are several places where the gaps between the stars are too large to permit progress, despite the star density near the Core being very high.

 - Gus

[J. M. Pescado]

Space is big.  Not even the beloved Star Control 2 captured how big Space is quite as well as Spore.  But even beyond that, there's a penalty to your jump distance once you start getting close, and it gets worse as you go in.  You absolute MUST have the level-5 drive, and even so there are several places where the gaps between the stars are too large to permit progress, despite the star density near the Core being very high.

I don't think *ANY* game in memory has ever truly captured how BIG space is like Splotch has. As Adams puts it, "Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is.".

[Faizah]

I have had that same quote running through my head since hitting the space stage, and seeing the relative size of my planet to the entire galaxy. Nothing, and I mean nothing, has impressed upon me just how vast space is, not like this. I've long been a fan of sci-fi, countless sci-fi, some spanning multiple galaxies, but, to mangle the quote, "that's just peanuts to Spore." It actually feels vast. Even with my high tech engine, there are planets I can't reach. Arms of the galaxy going completely unexplored. It's mind-boggling, that's for sure.

[Zazazu]

If it weren't for wormholes, I'd probably feel like I'd never get to the center. As it is, I'm avoiding it.

[Gus Smedstad]

I was going to say that "The trip to the core is a lot farther than the chemist's," but I thought it would fall flat.

At least we know that our critters would survive the Total Perspective Vortex, for pretty much the same reason Zaphod did.

 - Gus

[kuronue]

I got Careless Parent for losing the same colony 5 times - it doesn't differentiate. I had a tiny cargo hold, and since I was running back and forth getting it's T score up, every time I turned my back my enemies would take it (no buildings yet = easy steal)

[Insanity Prelude]

As for actual easter eggs, I hear our own solar system is in this game...

[Gus Smedstad]

I've been to Earth.  The system has Merury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.  No Pluto.  Earth, despite what you might think, is not guaranteed to be T3 nor is it inhabited by humans.  It was T1 when I got there, and had all sorts of weird creatures on it.

 - Gus

[Insanity Prelude]

Poor Pluto. XD It gets no respect anymore.

[witch]

[Zazazu]

Feh. Pluto is a planet if I say it is. We defined what planets are in the first place.

[J. M. Pescado]

I've been to Earth.  The system has Merury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.  No Pluto.  Earth, despite what you might think, is not guaranteed to be T3 nor is it inhabited by humans.  It was T1 when I got there, and had all sorts of weird creatures on it.

Wouldn't be surprising. If we mess it up badly enough, it might stop being T3. As for inhabited by humans, we'll be extinct soon enough.

[Li'l Brudder]

I'll bet Steve was sent out thousands of years ago in game so that we get to the center to find that the race that sent it out no longer exists.

[Faizah]

I've been to Earth.  The system has Merury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.  No Pluto.  Earth, despite what you might think, is not guaranteed to be T3 nor is it inhabited by humans.  It was T1 when I got there, and had all sorts of weird creatures on it.

 - Gus

Mine was T1, but only had trees on it.

I have heard that there is an 'achievement' for destroying it, and that the achievement sticks even if you quit without saving, thus not actually losing Earth. (Which is handy, if you wanted to have more than one race find it, or had other plans for it.)

I kind of feel like I'm in Mostly Harmless territory, here. It's a very "Now what?" moment for me.

[Surelyfunke]

Palm Greaser: Pay 50 bribes in Space Stage

[Li'l Brudder]

I found out that if you spin the galaxy fast enough in the beginning, it vomits pictures of the developers or coders or commissars, or whatever.  How many rare stellar formations have you found?  I've seen the binary system, the black hole, and the stellar disk.  Are there any others?

[kutto]

I've seen the binary system; it's my favorite so far. I have yet to see a black hole, and I'm beginning to wonder why I paid 1.5 million for that wormhole thing. I'll keep an eye out for the stellar disk and any others.

[Li'l Brudder]

I love the stellar disk most.  It was awesome.

[Faizah]

If you look where your badges/missions/etc are, one of the tab lists artifacts you've found. Galactic formations count as 'artifacts', and are ticked off there after seeing them. Basically there's the stellar disk, the black holes, and a bunch of different binary star combinations.

[Li'l Brudder]

Bah.  There are plenty of odd RL stellar combinations.

[kutto]

I ended up finding a black hole and a crap load of binaries today. The black hole was cool. I started my approach to the core, but my attempts thus far have been fail. Still looking for that stellar disk.

[songsmith]

I was sent on a space mission to retrieve three llama artifacts. Really makes me wonder about Will Wright.

[Li'l Brudder]

Llamas have been with Maxis since the first SimCity, IIRC.  Some of the earlier games, like SimLife, SimAnt, SimSafari, and SimTown didn't have llama references, but those are OLD.

[Insanity Prelude]

I'm sure there was a llama somewhere in SimAnt. Might have just been in cheat codes though, and I don't have the game anymore to check.

[J. M. Pescado]

I don't thnk I remember any llamas in SC1. They definitely appeared in SC2K, though, and I think that's when the llamas business really took off.