A City Floating over a Gas Giant

A floating city, you say?

Looming over the clouds, this facility could be used to siphon the rich elements of its parent planet, filtering them through a sophisticated air separation system in the bottom. It keeps buoyant over the thick atmosphere like a cork settling on the undisturbed surface of a pond. Although the city is quite large (or perhaps the size could vary), it utilizes an anti gravity field to keep itself afloat. Smaller cities could get away with using a large fan in the center, with four fans stationed at all directions of the compass to stabilize it.


What does it look like?

Appearance-wise, the facility would look like a small base or an entire town resting on a thick disk decorated with fans, defense turrets, windows and antennas. Its color would correspond to the race that inhabits it, though the most likely builders of these cities would be The Apex.


What's there?

The player would possibly find beauty in cities like these, immersed in the heaven-like appearance of the planet's thick atmosphere of fluffy clouds. While the monsters in this environment could only be guessed at (floating balloon monsters?), the presence of hostile humanoids is a great possibility. Or the player might get lucky and come across an organization of simple gas miners that would first shake hands rather than draw weapons.


And the living spaces?

The cities would obviously have an upper level, an actual city with buildings, walkways, landing pads for ships, even leisurely things like fountains, gardens and recreation centers. This first level is wear the miners rest and go about their casual life away from their duties of maintaining the facility: checking the filters and the engines, making repairs wherever they may be, janitorial duties.


They would work mostly in the sub-levels, which house the inner workings of the facility. There would be multiple levels depending on the size, the highest level tending to the mechanisms of the city above, the next one down for the machines they use to keep the city afloat, and in the very bottom would be the economic end, where the mining systems lie.


To conclude...

I would really find it amazing to be able to visit the gas giants in a way that was not only futuristic and cool, but also beautiful. And even so, this is already a beautiful game. No doubt there are many people that want to suggest this and my topic is not the only one out there, but maybe mine can help represent the lot of my like-minded friends, that is unless there is already a like-minded topic receiving enough love. Yes, I love Star Wars, and No, it doesn't have to look exactly like the Cloud City in Bespin (And that other planet in Rogue Squadron) Copying Cloud City's looks outright is not my intention, and I'm sure many of us believe that too.

Be fair with it, mates. This is my first suggestion. Who am I kidding, tear into it if you'd like.

 

Yes this is something of Playability the Gas Giants can have. Gas Giants do have mad and unstable gravitational fields that literally crush everything that comes near. But it can be tweaked if it is in the high atmosphere, where there is less pressure.

But i sounds a nice idea and an unique gameplay to explore such floating islands. :alien:

 

Thanks. I'm happy that someone likes it, but it doesn't look like it's getting too popular. Ah well, I spoke up about something and that's what matters.

 

I really like this idea. It makes me think of the tower in Crystalis.

 

Thissir, would be awesome. +1 on the suggestions list for you!

 

Thank you both. I was a really stoked that the idea managed to stay on the first page of the environments suggestion. It's because of you guys that support it.

You're all awesome!!

 

Yeah, hopefully gas giants will have uses aside from being the parent anchor to the explorable moons.

These facilities could even be derelict (Combining with the space station suggestion) and you might have to destroy it, or possibly take it over, and use it to make tons of fuel for your ship?

 

Indeed. There is a great deal of opportunities for a floating city. I just realized though that a derelict city would have to have its levitating apparatus working well after it was abandoned, or else it just plummets to the denser atmosphere and gets crushed. Though there's plenty of purpose for a 'ghost' city. The engines could still be on and running on their own. There could be dozens of sidequests to attach to places like these.

And smaller facilities can be as small as a large lot with a house, a plot of land. That would be amazing.

 

This needs to happen

 

It could be like, the inhabitants died or something, but the maintenance bots are still running because they repair themselves too (maybe take resources from the clouds and synthesize them or something. We do have 3d printers, so its not that much of a stretch).

Also, I believe research is in, so we have a sort of tech tree (Confirmation if known, please. ) so such facilities could contain new techs and goodies, being artificial rather than some random cave.

 

Fine addition to the suggestion, mate. I am loving it.

Maintenance bots seem like such a huge possibility too. Abandoned space stations is the highest thing on the list and will probably stay there, so places like that could ALSO have maintenance bots. Add that to monsters, quickly.

A tech tree would be amazing. It'd be a bit like Civilization, wouldn't it? Working your way up from PDAs to pocket sized atom splitters.

 

I am not sure if the tech tree is still in. It WAS back when the space station was too. (God I hope we get that one back. Or I am making one on the skied of the homeworld)

I imagine your facilities sort of like how in Metroid 3 Elysia's Skytown was handled, it was abandoned but kept running via drones. And it was over a gas giant. (SUPPOSEDLY, that gas giant was Earth sized and had something stuck to a surface, so I think it just a Venus world instead. )

 

W

Which Metroid 3 is this? Prime 3? Or Super Metroid?

 

Prime 3 Corruption, yes. Sorry, tend to forget to mention the Prime part since I started with that saga so i consider it the center of my metroid fever. (Like one of the few FPS game I like, due to being exploration centric rather than shoot, thats all.)

Elysia was rather steampunk-ish in design, but the overall feel was like your idea, it was a research facility but resources were mined from the clouds and bots kept it from collapsing (They are not up to the task tbh. )

In case you had not seen it/someone else needs a visual:
http://www.revogamers.net/Imag/dolphin/Dolphin Metroid Prime 3 01.jpg

Although I get a feeling your idea leaned more towards that cloud city on Star Wars over a gas giant, which was an actual, working city. Skytown is more of an outpost in comparison.

 

Sweet

Sweet Jesus of Badass City. I need to hurry up and play that game.

Yeah I suppose I could draw CA for this place. It'll get more appeal, probably.

 

Trust me, you will grow to hate it. (See those rails? Only method of travel. Enjoy falling.)
But plotwise it is pretty fun, I like that game a lot, it also gave me the idea for derelict stations, once you play you will get it. I do not wish to spoil it.

You ARE on the second page of the overall top suggestions, not sure you can get that much more well known.
But yes, concept art always helps. But why draw it? You can always add that pic, or the Star Wars city one if its more like it. (Never saw the movies, so i lack a name)

... Turns out it is called Cloud City (CREATIVE!) here is some pics for extra ideas.
Overall view: http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080131144131/starwars/images/6/6a/Cloud_City.jpg
Drawn closer view, better resolution: http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100514134207/starwars/images/c/c3/MCQ-cloudcity.jpg
Cross section of it, ITS BIG! http://images.wikia.com/starwars/images/e/ee/ITW_Cloud_City.jpg

 

*Immediately starts whistling the Cloud City theme from Star Wars*
Man, what a wonderful place. It's seriously up there with the Citadel from Mass Effect, or at least sorta in the same field. Cloud City was the place to be back then.

 

The Citadel? I want to explore something like that. *is massively butthurt that the Citadel was never explored properly outside some small shopping strips*

I never really liked Star Wars, too fight-y for my style, and way too many aliens. (I just know their Asaris are those chicks with pigtail like tentacles. Thats just fanservice. )

 

That means I can recreate Bespin from star wars!