Quote:
Originally Posted by FrackingBiscuit
Space 3e does exactly that, determining size/mass/gravity first and atmosphere second. It works just fine.
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It only works “fine” by glossing over the physics of the atmosphere, with the result that it will produce some planets that have an unrealistic combination of mass, diameter, surface temperature, atmospheric pressure, and atmospheric composition (such as presence of water and absence of helium).
If you’re happy with a few unrealistic planets, that’s fine. But if you want to get rid of them, be able to design habitable planets at will, and perform only straightforward calculations, then determining atmospheric column mass before mass-and-diameter and surface pressure after seems a small price to pay.