Biotech Alt History Brainstorming Thread

This is a thread for proposing techs, civics, wonders, buildings and units for the proposed "Biotech" alternate history and for debate on their overall design philosophy(How it is different from its contemporary other history)

Suggestions that are not objected to in 24 hours or whose objections have been resolved to the satisfaction of both parties go up on the list. Objects on the list will be credited to their original suggesters.

When making suggestions about technologies it is helpful but NOT necessary to also suggest what tech(s) the technology may come from and what it may lead to, what civis, buildings, wonders and what units might be attached to it or provide an involved civilopedia entry but ask that you include a note about what it entails to guide people in finding appropriate connections with other suggested techs, civics, wonders, buildings and units. Suggested format below:
Tech name
Requires:
Leads to:
Wonders:
Buildings:
Units:
Special effects:
Civilopedia:
Notes:

When making suggestions about Civics it is helpful but NOT necessary to link them to a technology or give it an involved civiloedia entry but we ask you to include a detailed account of what the civic does. Please refer to existing civics for examples of what can and probably should be be done by a civic.

When making suggestions about wonders it is helpful but NOT necessary to link them to a tech or to provide an involved civilopedia entry but we ask you to include other building and resource requirements, it's proposed effects, and some notes about what it entails to help people connect it to appropriate techs. Suggested format below:
Wonder name
Requires: technology/building/resource
Effects:
Civilopedia:
Notes:

Buildings are similar
Building Name
Requires: technology/buildings/resources
Effects:
Civilopedia:
Notes:

When making suggestions about units it is helpful but NOT necessary to link them to a tech or provide a long civilopedia entry but we ask you to include other building and resource requirements, a detailed account of the units stats including what category it is, and some notes about what it entails to help people connect it to appropriate techs and buildings.
Unit Name
Requires: technology/building/resource
Stats:unit type(flying, gunpowder, high tech)/strength, speed, first strikes/bonuses or penalties/free upgrades
Civilopedia:
Notes:

The object is to get as many ideas up in a coherent list as possible and worry about putting them together later.

While we are brainstorming connections can be made in the following way:
Hey I think unit X belongs under tech Y. I agree. Me too. *relevant entries have been changed*
Hey I think tech 1 should lead to tech 2. I agree. Me too. *relevant entries have been changed*

Changes to existing entries are made in a similar fashion.
Hey I think Building A is too powerful/not powerful enough and should be This Way. I agree. Me too. Let's ask/PM the original contributor if he/she has any input about the proposed changes. Everyone agrees? *relevant entries have been changed*"
Hey I think Unit Alpha is redundant/no longer fits and should be removed. I agree. Me too. Let's ask/PM the original contributor how he/she feels about that. Everyone agrees? *entry deleted*

Technologies

Genetic Artistry - CREDIT: steampunk1880
Requires: Artificial Life and...
Leads to:...
Wonders: Jurassic Park
Buildings:
Units:
Special Effects: +1 happy from zoos
Civilopedia: QUOTE: "We've made living biological attractions so astounding that they'll capture the imagination of the entire planet." John Hammond from Jurassic Park
Notes: This tech represents the idea of making life forms from the ground up to suit aesthetic purposes. Like, for example, making living approximations of fantastic or long extinct animals such as griffins or dinosaurs. See also Biomimetic Droids in Cybertech.


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Civics

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Wonders

Jurassic park - CREDIT: steampunk1880
Requires: Genetic Artistry/Paleontology lab (5 total), Good (fossils)/...
Effects: +2 happy from all: paleontology lab, dig site, Good(fossils), +20% science in city, +20% gold in city, can turn 2 citizens into scientist
Civilopedia:
Notes: these are NOT cloned from fossils. Scientists currently agree that this is impossible. What these are are animals made to order to look and act like what we know dinosaurs to be like. This of course requires a decent understanding of what dinosaurs were like, hence the number of paleontology labs required.

Buildings

All Purpose Gene Therapy Clinic - CREDIT: steampunk1880
Requires:...
Stats: 4 unhappiness, 3 gold, +6 happiness and +7 gold from running superhuman civic; Free building Good (biological enhancements) in all cities connected by trade routes
Civilopedia
Notes: the biotech equivalent to cybernetic enhancements. More base initial unhappiness because if there's anything normies hate it's a supremely healthy long lived athletically and mentally gifted upper class of genetic supermen.

Good (Biological Enhancements) - CREDIT: steampunk1880
Requires: free with All Purpose Gene Therapy Clinic
Stats: 4 health, 4 unhappiness, 1% hammer 1% science; +2 health +4 happiness, +3% hammer +3% science when running superhuman civic.
Civilopedia
Notes:in a basic way the elimination of genetic disease through the widespread use of gene therapy results in a healthier society than one that depends on cybernetic enhancements, at least for those that don't go full prosthetic body. The backlash from messing with genes however is stronger than replacing body parts with machines.

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Units

Neoraptor - CREDIT: Hydromancerx
Requires: Genetic Artistry/.../...
Stats: Clone/150 strength, 4 movement/.../.../invisible except to special high tech units, +5 gold maintenance cost
Civilopedia:
Notes: Strength: Strong enough to fight units of its time. Abilities: Should be fast and stealthy. Appearance: The raptor unit that use to be used as the "Komodo Dragon"

Chimera - CREDIT Hydromancerx
Requires: Genetic Artistry/.../...
Stats:Clone/220 strength, 1 movement/.../March/+5 gold maintnance cost
Civilopedia:
Notes: Strength: Should be very strong compared to units of its time. Abilities: It should have regenerating powers to heal quickly and be immune to biological attacks. Appearance: Some mythical animal unit.

Suggest:

Tech:

Genetic Artistry
Requires: Artificial Life and...
Leads to:...
Wonders: Jurassic Park
Buildings:
Units:
Special Effects: +1 happy from zoos
Civilopedia: QUOTE: "We've made living biological attractions so astounding that they'll capture the imagination of the entire planet." John Hammond from Jurassic Park
Notes: This tech represents the idea of making life forms from the ground up to suit aesthetic purposes. Like, for example, making living approximations of fantastic or long extinct animals such as griffins or dinosaurs. See also Biomimetic Droids in Cybertech.

Wonders:

Jurassic park
Requires: Genetic Artistry/Paleontology lab (5 total), Good (fossils)/...
Effects: +2 happy from all: paleontology lab, dig site, Good(fossils), +20% science in city, +20% gold in city, can turn 2 citizens into scientist
Civilopedia:
Notes: these are NOT cloned from fossils. Scientists currently agree that this is impossible. What these are are animals made to order to look and act like what we know dinosaurs to be like. This of course requires a decent understanding of what dinosaurs were like, hence the number of paleontology labs required.

I think if we are going to have units they should not be just animal but a super animal. Here are my 2 ideas ...

Neoraptor
Strength: Strong enough to fight units of its time
Abilities: Should be fast and stealthy.
Appearance: The raptor unit that use to be used as the "Komodo Dragon"

Chimera
Strength: Should be very strong compared to units of its time.
Abilities: It should have regenerating powers to heal quickly and be immune to biological attacks.
Appearance: Some mythical animal unit.

a ballpark estimate for the neoraptor would be about 150 like the antipersonel robot, this can obviously be changed if the circumstances change. for fast and stealthy you want it to have 3 or 4 movespeed or something and be invisible except to special high tech units?

for the chimera what do you think about 230 strength for starters putting it between assault mech and the dreadnaught tank.

for both what do you think it should cost for extra gold mantenance (all contemporary units do). And do you want to attach it to genetic artistry (which i considered to be mostly for civillian use) or leave it in case someone suggests a bioweapon type tech.

they're both animal units right?

1. Yeah something like that which could hide like a sniper but move fast too.

2. Yeah this would be a beefy unit that could take on mechs.

3. yeah the gold would work and or course genetic artistry tech. Maybe linked to another war tech too that already exists on the tree.

4. I am thinking perhaps they should be classified as "Clone" units.

Adding 1 tech, 1 wonder, and 2 units to the list. The units could use a little more fleshing out though, imho.

Uhh, do we have a regeneration type promtoion? It could start with march. or maybe a unique promotion should be made for it that acts like march plus some personal healing. heals after battle?

I am not sure, but I think a special Clone Unit promotion is in order. Perhaps other promotions specifically for that type.

and over here, a biotech analogue to the cyber prosthetics factory

All Purpose Gene Therapy Clinic
Requires:...
Stats: 4 unhappiness, 3 gold, +6 happiness and +7 gold from running superhuman civic; Free building Good (biological enhancements) in all cities connected by trade routes
Civilopedia
Notes: the biotech equivalent to cybernetic enhancements. More base initial unhappiness because if there's anything normies hate it's a supremely healthy long lived athletically and mentally gifted upper class of genetic supermen.

Good (Biological Enhancements)
Requires: free with All Purpose Gene Therapy Clinic
Stats: 4 health, 4 unhappiness, 1% hammer 1% science; +2 health +4 happiness, +3% hammer +3% science when running superhuman civic.
Civilopedia
Notes:in a basic way the elimination of genetic disease through the widespread use of gene therapy results in a healthier society than one that depends on cybernetic enhancements, at least for those that don't go full prosthetic body. The backlash from messing with genes however is stronger than replacing body parts with machines.

The biotech alt history could synergize quite well with megafauna domestication, couldn't it? Allowing those who went for mammoth trainers to build some kind of Mammoth 2.0 might be a cool way to make earlier tech choices relevant in the later game.

Up until we gain the ability to make designer lifeforms and can make dragons or whatever, modification of existing species would be a big part of the biotech age's military. Do you have any specific ideas/stats and such? Maybe there's something that can make horses relevant again but my steampunk project is distracting me from thinking overmuch about other ages and stuff.

No specific ideas yet, but I'll see if I can come up with something.

Moving two buildings to the list

Every time I think biotech I think about
Grey goo - which could also be alternately created by nanotech.
inspired by one my favorite books - Blood Music by Greg Bear
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Music_(novel)

In the novel, renegade biotechnologist Vergil Ulam creates simple biological computers based on his own lymphocytes. Faced with orders from his nervous employer to destroy his work, he injects them into his own body, intending to smuggle the 'noocytes' (as he calls them) out of the company and work on them elsewhere. Inside Ulam's body, the noocytes multiply and evolve rapidly, altering their own genetic material and quickly becoming self-aware. The nanoscale civilization they construct soon begins to transform Ulam, then others. The people who get infected start to get genetic faults such as myopia and high blood pressure fixed. They eventually assimilate most of the biosphere of North America in to a region seven thousand kilometres wide.

I think an episode of the New Outer Limits tv show was based on it.

Is grey goo really biotech? That is more nanotech than biotech.

There is some good fiction on green goo. I'm Blood Music technically is green goo.
I read a short story in 1989 where a bacterium engineered to clean up oil spread across the earth.
I will try to locate it as time permits.. It was in a yearly science fiction anthology.

We do need a bunch of bioweapons if we reserve robots and mecha for cybertech. But, giant blobs that eat everything....ehh.... that's cybertech's nightmare. I'm thinking more targeted genetic plagues for biotech.

A few ideas:
Maybe Biotech spray dissolving weapon or

Tailor-made viruses that are meant to wipe out limited areas of population and then die.

Possibly a technology that allows people to insert animal or custom DNA into there own genetic structure, basically it was genetic manipulation/gene therapy gone wild. Jack Chalker wrote about it in his 'The Soul Rider' book series.
There were many positive and negative implications, people could accidentally wipe out their own humanity. Genetic freedom pushed to it's absolute limits and consequences.

yes, gene splicing, absolutely. If someone could think of a tech or series of techs and a bunch of buildings and such for that aspect of biotechnology that would be great. Anyone remember that batman beyond episode about the splicers? at least one aspect of the whole gene splicing suite of techs and buildings and such could be a new kind of tattoo parlor type building.