Ringworld PDB

[BKrani]

While constructing my first Ringworld (I stuffed it up by not building it on top of a star - won't do that again!) I started thinking about some of the features possessed by one writers vision of a Ringworld (you know - the classic, and original AFAIK, Niven RW).

The RW had numerous features but the one that seemed most immediately adaptable to SE4 was it's enormously powerful planetary defence system. For those of you not in the know (probably not many of you I'd guess) the original RW could manipulate the encircled star's photosphere magnetically. The star could be made to flare and the resulting hydrogen stream was 'pinched' to create a hydrogen laser of titanic proportions. Easily capable of reducing entire planets to constituent ions. It was however, a rather slow weapon and took some hours to fire. As such, it was almost 100% effective against any single body approaching the world (whether that body be ship, comet or tightly grouped fighters). Now this was not necessarily an inherent feature of the RW, but was instead the resultant combination of a facility located (hidden actually) on the RW and the RW structure itself.

The point of this diatribe was to ask the question - Has anyone thought of creating an SE4 facility to mimic the features of the original RW?

Either a separate facility, or built into the construction of the RW itself. Adding these defensive capabilities to the RW might increase the value of RWs in the game. As things currently stand, I've found little use for them as the game is usually almost over, or already over, by the time the structure is completed (let along populating it and building the facilities it requires). Making the RW a highly defensive structure in addition to it's storage capabilities might improve it's value. This is of course begging the question of whether or not modifications of this sort can even be done by modders, or whether it requires the intervention of the developers. You could probably simulate it by creating a number of PDBs but it doesn't have the same feel. A PDB is an artefact created to sit on the planet's surface. The RW is an entire artefact in itself (essentially one big PDB). I'd suggest that the current size limitations of PDB would be insufficient to simulate the effect of the RW.

Any comments?