Guide:Planet creation

The Planet creation guide is to help users create new worlds as well as environments for their species to live in. It may be wise to read this article if you are unfamiliar with the terminology we use on this wiki.

Geography and positioning
Though we are tempted to believe it, not every planet is going to be exactly like Earth. Of course, Earth can be used as a template, but from there, start thinking about what makes your planet unique. First of all, its geography and positioning in its solar system will make it different from Earth already.


 * What kind of star does it orbit?


 * How close is it to its star? (Earth is 1AU)


 * Where in the universe is the star?


 * What is the planet's gravity? (Earth is 1G)


 * Are there any satellites that orbit the planet?


 * Or is it a moon?


 * How does this planet's satellites affect it?


 * What kind of atmosphere does the planet have?


 * How much water is on the planet?

Once you have answered the above questions, you should be able to figure out what sort of biomes the planet should have. Generally, if a planet is farther from the sun, it should be colder, but maybe its a Greenhouse planet and it traps heat. As a result, the planet will have a high atmospheric pressure.

Ecosystem
Now that you have created a planet, it needs some organisms. The system on Earth is highly efficient so it's likely some aliens can be classified as insect, reptile, mammal etc. But what if there are other types of life forms found on other planets but not on Earth? Your next step would be to create a basic food chain.


 * What sort of flora is on the planet?


 * Where does it get energy from?


 * To what scale do the creatures vary in size?


 * What are the planet's herbivores like?


 * And the carnivores?

Sentient species
Some habitable planets will have a sentient species. Users have natural tendency to make them relatable to humans, but in a completely different environment, the odds of another alien evolving to look exactly like a human is slim to none. When it comes to appearances, the sentient species will have adapted to its environment to survive.

Carnivores tend to be the most intelligent creatures. For example, a lion has to be able to sneak up and ambush its prey. A creature such as an antellope simply has to know how to run when it spots a predator. Therefore, the sapient species of the planet is likely going to be either a carnivore or omnivore. Secondly, where does the sapient species stand in the food chain? If there are bigger carnivores, the species has to be able to hide or run from predators.

Sentient species also need a means of communicating and using tools. A common form of communication is a spoken language, so take mouth shape into account. For handling tools, sentient species will often have opposable thumbs allowing them to lift and manipulate objects. Humanoid shapes (i.e. two legs and two arms) are ideal for these situations, though not all sentient species are humanoid.