Though I like the idea of potentially adding more planets to the system, there is another factor to consider.

There are a tremendous number of unoccupied "garbage" planets out there, and there are a vast many ways, and now players, that can build planets almost at will.

Perhaps the reason he doesn't is because he's forcing us to use this stuff. Maybe allow us to feel good about helping a Universe mostly packed with junk planets become more beautiful and productive.

I think we should have a CT lab item called "Death Star"
500 Ship bots
50 star chart purges
200 Energy.

Wipes out a planet from existence (limitation, can only be used on unoc planets). I know realistically no one is going to spend that much to blow up a planet, but reality is, it's a major OP. Remove a planet or just purge it. Now you'd have a choice.

I don't know i think alot of high ranker may use this,

Gets rid of Ship bots, check
Helps make more planets Check
costs very little Check.

ummmmm,


I would rather purge the same planet 50 times than waste 50 purgers to kill 1 planet (unless said destruction created rings around one of my existing planets in my database).

+100000
get rid of the purgers and replace them with say 100 flux probes, and bring the cost of the ship bots down to say 50 or 100, otherwise we won't make much of a difference even with all the spare ship bots everyone has

So...
100 Ship bots
10 Star Chart
But we'll keep it at 200 E

Or we keep it as is and could have it become a planetary core extraction. Size of core would depend on the size of the planet AND the production bonuses would vary based on type (similar to adaptive spires really). And it could even add some space to the planet. Once again, would vary by size.

"You have successfully extracted the core of the planet. The planet has collapsed and been removed from the database. You received Planetary Core (Artifact)."

Costs 200 E but... "You have successfully put the Planetary Core into orbit around you planet."

simpler method
create a repeatable mission based upon rank goal (500,1000,1500, etc....)
----very difficult mission; the difficulty increases as you increase in rank
it rewards a new planet that is the average of the planets currently occupied by those above your rank along with naming rights.
This is an average of artifact production planets since research/mining eventually become worthless the higher your rank.
It's not going to be a great planet but it will not be bad either and it'll be improvable with your own unique name.
I do think Dan should give one GREAT planet that is named and not able to be lost until after rank 100 to all players (newbies) below rank 100. Giving new players encouragement. Provided Dan can really block multi-accounts.

This also opens the door to what could be the dirtiest reprisal I've ever considered in this game.

Conquer a planet, abandon it, and destroy it. That would hurt my feelings, even if I didn't like the planet.

XD

100 ctp to the first person who does this to a Dyson if implanted.

haha 100 ctp more like 100k ctp

Is the "planets dilemma" the same thing that allowed one of our Rank 200s to scan an unoccupied MC 22x Oceanic?

Well, based on the original solution posted it sounds like the dilemma is that planet scanning is too easy, so yeah, that might be a sign off the problem.

Wowsers, I didn't read the OP that way at all, could have sworn the problem was that there were so few good planets left.

Admittedly, as I am in legion with the OP I probably see the whole planets dilemma somewhat differently:

OP Rank: 585
OP Scans Performed: 4419

Rank 215 that found the unoccupied MC 22x
Scans Performed: 8538

I think with scanning planets, as in life, you have to be in it to win it.
From what I have seen, there are still plenty of good planets out there, some fully maxed and ready to rock and roll courtesy of resets.

That is what was stated as the problem, I'm just commenting on the proposed solution, which boils down to "Add more planets to the pool that will be average (i.e. comparable to what is already out there and scannable) but require 21 times the energy as a normal scan".

Oh yeah, absolutely ICBLF, I totally agree that the proposed solution to the supposed "dilemma" is not something I'd ever be keen for myself.
Personally, I would just scan more, for sure.

I just like blowing things up XD