Redrawn Space Connections

This mod algorithmically redraws all connections on the space map to improve navigation between modded planets.

• No planets are moved.
• The lengths of the routes are in proportion to their lengths on the map.
• The routes to and from moons (defined as the PlanetsLib subgroup satellites) are left alone.
  • This is to make them more visually distinct from planets on the space map.
• Asteroids are generated on each route.
  • For new routes, asteroids are chosen based on the orbital asteroids of the planets at either end.

In order to keep this mod effective and composable, it performs only the mathematical heavy lifting and avoids making exceptions for specific planets. Instead, it provides a modding interface to other authors per the documentation below. As described, certain vanilla locations have the modding interface preactivated, but modded locations do not.

See also

• Cosmic Social Distancing
• Organized Solar System

Documentation for modders

• This mod deletes all routes and draws them afresh. However, one part of the original space connections is considered: asteroids.
  • Before deleting all the routes, the algorithm records all their asteroid_spawn_definitions. If any routes gets recreated, the asteroids for that route are reapplied.
  • Otherwise, each new route between two planets will examine the orbital asteroids at either end to construct the asteroids for the route. It is not a direct interpolation and the midpoint will generally have more asteroids than either end.
• The algorithm is sensitive to the following fields on prototypes.
  • redrawn_connections_keep — Boolean — If true on a space connection, this route will not be deleted.
    • In a future version of the mod it is planned that this route will gracefully be included in the triangulation.
  • redrawn_connections_exclude — Boolean — If true on a planet or space location, the location and its connections are excluded from the algorithm.
    • This defaults to true for the shattered planet, hidden locations, and any locations on the subgroup=satellites row in PlanetsLib.
    • In a future version of the mod it is planned that these routes will gracefully be included in the triangulation.
  • redrawn_connections_rescale — Boolean — If true on a space connection that is kept due to the above fields, the length of the connection will be rescaled in proportion to the other newly generated connections.
  • redrawn_connections_length_multiplier — Number — All newly drawn connections from this planet or space location will have their length multiplied by this value.
    • This defaults to 4.8 for the solar system edge such that the length of the route from Aquilo in vanilla is preserved, and 100 for the shattered planet as a sensible fallback.
    • If both ends of a newly drawn connection possess this field, the higher of the two values is used.

Special thanks

• AnotherZach for collaborating with me on the algorithm to build route asteroids from orbital asteroids for new connections.
• Boomshroom for writing a bugfix for real-space triangulation and suggesting we make it the default.