Map generation questions (homeworld placement)

[Vinraith]

Two (hopefully) simple questions:

1) How close can an AI home world be placed to a human home world?

2) How close can an AI home  world be placed to another AI home world?

[carlosjuero]

Good questions, I have thought about those things myself. I have also wondered this one:

Why are all bonus ship worlds always clustered together? Why not spread them out across the galaxy?

[ShadowSirius07]

I think I read somewhere around here that AI Home Worlds as as far away away from your's as possible or something like that. Dunno if that changed.

[keith.lamothe]

Human homeworlds are clustered together to make the maps friendly to co-op (and multi-hw starts).  AI homeworlds are placed to maximize the distance between them and the human homeworlds and secondarily to maximize the distance between the two AI homeworlds.

[Vinraith]

Thanks Keith, that's straightforward enough.

[CogDissident]

I've found a good "practical" rule of thumb to be: Find the furthest location from where you started, there will be a AI homeworld at that location or any other location within 3 jumps-distance away (ie: if the furthest place is 14 jumps out, the AI can be on any world 11 jumps out).

Also, if you're looking for AI homeworlds, remember that every adjacent world to an AI homeworld will be tech level 4, and have a large number of special structures.

[keith.lamothe]

Yea, once you get within one hop it isn't hard to figure it out