Non Linear Tech Tree Remake

[URL=http://www.firaxis.com/smac/tech.cfm]SMAC[/URL] said:

Technology in Alpha Centauri manifests itself in a variety of areas, from weaponry to city improvements to social engineering. None of these achievements will come easy; researchers must choose which of the four paths to focus their attention on: Explore, Discover, Build, or Conquer.

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The main idea here would be, that you could have a research focus, and that you need to research most techs to be able to access other techs that you'ld like to have.
Kinda like in Alpha Centauri, but more elaborate, and specific towards the civ4 concept.
Perhaps something like this :

• Gouvernamental
• Cultural
• City Improvements
• Tile Improvements
• Resource
• Military

Yes, completely : Means a totaly detached tech line.
Yes, partially : Means a tech line, that might have certain elements that crossover, or that are common to other tech lines.
No : Means, you'ld like to keep it as it is.


Thoughts coming from this thread :

+ Make all rescources visable from the start, and allow usage of those when the associated tech is researched.
+ No tech tree. but a council of the enlightened that proposes techs based on the civs circumstances (Fiend777Fits)

It's ridiculous a leader of a tribe in 4000 BC planning what to research in the next 6000 years.

Asperger said:

It's ridiculous a leader of a tribe in 4000 BC planning what to research in the next 6000 years.

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I consider it to be divine premonition.

It would very much overhaul the current tech tree - turn it into more of a tech garden (if that makes any sense whatsoever). I'd like to see it done, at least partially.

For example it's ridiculous to research bronze working, then find out there's no bronze anywhere. How could you research bronzeworking without seeing it? How could you research fishing in the mongolian desert?

Asperger said:

For example it's ridiculous to research bronze working, then find out there's no bronze anywhere. How could you research bronzeworking without seeing it? How could you research fishing in the mongolian desert?

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hehe.


There should be a metals identification tech first to show ore loads on the map, I guess.

As for fishing in the desert? That is clearly remnant from when an alien culture visited our civ in the distant past. Maybe about 4,100 BC, I think.

drkodos said:

There should be a metals identification tech first to show ore loads on the map, I guess.

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All resources should be visable from the start, but the possibility to mine them or to build manors around them should come with the researched tech. You can see the difference between horses, pigs, cows, etc. Even the mininable resources have features by which they can be seperated from each other.

separate tech trees. good idea. how about this:

no tech tree. instead a council of the enlightened. from time to time, the council will approach you with new "idea(s)", they have thought up (corresponding to the time period) and you would get to choose among them what you would like researched. these "ideas" may be spread from contact, proximity, and trade with other civs as well. this probably sounds like everybody will gain technologies at the same time but it will not. instead the more civilized civs (those with economical and enlightening buildings, i.e. marketplace, library, temple) would be among the first to be enlightened. and some "ideas" would only be thought up according to their relevance to the civilization. i.e. non-coastal civs could only gain access to maritime "ideas" from relations with coastal civs. those with only one or two coastal cities would be more inclined to other areas of enlightenment first. trade with other civs would be limited to only a couple "ideas" per set amount of time. and they would have to be researched after the trade, of course. rushing research of an "idea" would depend on the size of your pockets. this would ultimately keep the small civs from wallowing in the dark ages, while everyone else rolls over 'em with tanks. your choice of civics and state religion would have a hand in enlightenment as well. i.e. communism = bad for philosphical and religious enlightenment, democracy = good for all areas of enlightenment. rival civs with a different state religion will be more resistant to catching "ideas" from you and vice-a-versa. catching "ideas" from a civ with the same state religion would be much easier than if you were religiously-open.

in real-world scenarios i would like to see:
every civ having traits that helped boost their enlightenment of certain "ideas" based on that civ's contributions to history. i say to include this only in real world-scenarios because to give the greeks seafaring traits when a random map could throw them far from the coast would contradict what i said earlier.

I'm intriged by your suggestion, it's yet another way to implement the techs in the game. And I must say, it's a way I'ld like to see adopted, instead of the current one. It makes it a lot more flexible, adaptive, and ever changing.

great idea

it'd be nice if we could take the best ideas for improvement, run a poll or a vote on which ones were the best for each category, type 'em up in a single document, and submit 'em to the civ5 guys. a sort of manifesto of what we'd like to see.

I was actualy thinking of something just like that as well.
It sure would be a great way to get firaxis to make a new civ based upon the things, a majority of their players would like to see.

Perhaps we'ld have to organise it as a linux release.
You could make suggestions till a certain date, after which they will be sorted and put into a survey (or alike), analysed, and sent to firaxis.

Even if they would use just some of them, it would be a success

whats linux? and whatever it is i'm onboard.