Cybertech Alt History Brainstorming Thread

This is a thread for proposing techs, civics, wonders, buildings and units for the proposed "Cybertech" 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

Biomimetic Droids - CREDIT: steampunk1880
Requires: Biomimietics and...
Leads to:
Wonders:
Buildings:
Units:
Special Effects: +1 happy from all zoos
Civilopedia: QUOTE: "Do androids dream of electric sheep?" - Phillip K. Dick
Notes: consists of the construction of robotic animals, both mundane and fantastic, that are virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. Like the electric sheep mentioned in the above cyberpunk classic. See also: Genetic Artistry from the Biotech age.

Netrunning (Transhuman Era Tech) - CREDIT: Vokarya
Cost: 18000
Requires: Brain Machine Interface
Leads to: Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics
Wonders:
Buildings:
Units: Netrunner (Espionage Units)
Special Effects:
Civilopedia: Quote: "Information wants to be free."
Notes: Netrunning is the specialized art of penetrating computer security, especially across a global network.

Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics (Transhuman Era Tech) - CREDIT: Vokarya
Cost 20000
Requires: Advanced Computers, Netrunning
Leads to: None
Wonders: Data Haven
Buildings: Black ICE
Units:
Special Effects:
Civilopedia: Quote: "In formation is what we want." -- Kenneth Hite, "GURPS Y2K"
Notes: Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics (ICE for short) are computer programs that defend against or outright attack netrunners.

+++++++++
Civics

Mercenary Warfare (Warfare Civic) - CREDIT: Vokarya
Requires Multinational Corporations
High Upkeep
+2 national stability bonus per turn
+2 local stability bonus per turn
-30% war weariness
+1 gold support per military unit
+2 Experience Points for new units
+10% espionage in all cities
No unhappiness from Terrorist Compound
Notes: This civic represents using mercenary soldiers from other countries as an alternative to having your own citizens fight for you. It increases stability and reduces war weariness as your own people are insulated from the negative effects of the fighting, but it's expensive.

Corporatocracy (Power Civic) - CREDIT: Vokarya
Requires Megacorps
+25% subsidy for Corporations
+50 one-time instability penalty for adopting civic
-10% instability (Labor)
All Corporations: +10% production, +10% gold, +10% science, +1 unhappiness, +1 unhealthiness where present in a city
All Corporate Headquarters: +25% gold
+1 unhappiness per 10% tax rate
+25% gold from Global Stock Exchange
+50% growth of improvements (like Farm and Mine)
Can spend gold to finish production
Damages relations with civilizations using Marxist, Nationalist, Communalism, Barter, Mercantile, Planned, Green, Regulated (-2)
Allows training of Corporate Raider
Notes: This is a Power civic. It represents the movement of real power to corporations. If they call the shots, then they can accomplish more at the cost of their workers and the cities around them. The relations penalty is for any civic that has "Corporations have no effect" or "Foreign Corporations have no effect". The diplomacy penalty would be "You give corporations too much power!"

=========
Wonders

Data Haven (National Wonder) - CREDIT: Vokarya
Cost: 1500
Requires: Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics/Computer Network/...
Effects:+1 Great Person point (Spy)/-25% maintenance/Computer Network in all cities: +10% gold, +20% espionage/+100% defense against espionage/Helps thwart rival spies
Civilopedia:
Notes: A Data Haven offers heavily protected memory for storing off-site backups of crucial information.

Buildings

Black ICE - CREDIT: Vokarya
Cost: 500
Requires: Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics/Computer Network/...
Effects:+2 unhappiness, +8 espionage, +100% defense against espionage, Helps thwart rival spies
Civilopedia:
Notes: Black ICE is the term for ICE programs that can kill a netrunner. Often illegal, but governments and megacorporations use them.

+++++++
Units

Netrunner - CREDIT: Vokarya
Cost 300
Move 3
Requires: Netrunning/Computer Network/...
Stats: (Espionage Unit)/ Move 3/.../Starts with Commando I, Security I, Security II/Invisible to all units, Can explore rival territory, Helps thwart rival spies
Civilopedia
Notes: This is supposed to be a powerful Espionage unit. It may require that the targeted civilization have Computers technology so it has something to interface with.

Corporate Police - CREDIT:Vokarya
Cost: 800
Requires: Corporate Warfare/Corporate Headquarters (any HQ of a Corporation)/...
StatsHigh Tech Units)/Strength 100, Move 1/-100% vs. Helicopter Units,-100% vs. Assault Mech Units, -50% vs. Wheeled Units, -50% vs. Tracked Units, +50% City Defense/Starts with Riot Control 1, Urban Tactics 1/Can only Defend, Cannot capture Enemy Cities or Units, Helps thwart rival spies/+2 gold cost per turn
Civilopedia:
Notes: What I am trying to do here is a cyberpunk version of the Guard/Town Watchman line of troops. The 100 Strength is to keep them in line with other units of this era (like Tesla Infantry). They don't usually have the firepower to stand up to heavy military forces, thus the -50% vs. wheeled/tracked and the -100% vs. assault mech/helicopter.

Corporate Raider (Ntnl Unit limit 5) - CREDIT: Vokarya
Cost: 250
Requires: .../.../.../Corporatocracy civic
StatsUNIT TYPE)/Move 3/.../.../May conduct Hostile Takeover
Civilopedia.
Notes: This is supposed to be the corporate equivalent of the Inquisitor unit. A Hostile Takeover is an attempt to purge particular corporations from the target city. You would be able to pick certain corporations to remove, with a success chance based on how much gold you spend and how many corporations you target. If successful, it removes the corporations and grants you back some gold.

Suggest:

Tech:

Biomimetic Droids
Requires: Biomimietics and...
Leads to:
Wonders:
Buildings:
Units:
Special Effects: +1 happy from all zoos
Civilopedia: QUOTE: "Do androids dream of electric sheep?" - Phillip K. Dick
Notes: consists of the construction of robotic animals, both mundane and fantastic, that are virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. Like the electric sheep mentioned in the above cyberpunk classic. See also: Genetic Artistry from the Biotech age.

Another day, another tech goes by unchallenged. It doesn't feel right posting in the same thread 5 times in a row. Moving 1 tech up to the list.

I offer, from the fake goods thread, my idea for a new building and good.

Cyber Prosthetics Factory
Requires: Brain-Machine Interface
Stats:2 unhappiness, 2 gold, +6 happiness and +8 gold from running superhuman civic (or cybertech equivalent if superhuman becomes a biotech only civic); Free building Good (Cybernetic Enhancements) in all cities connected by trade routes
Civilopedia:
Notes: a manufactory for mass producing everything from a mechanical eye to a leg to a full prosthetic body. A certain percentage of Normies hate the factory that produces the things as much as they hate the people that use them.

Good (Cybernetic Enhancements)
Requires: Free from Cyber Prosthetics Factory
Stats: 2 health 2 unhappiness 2% hammer 2% science; +4 happiness +3% hammer +3% science from running superhuman civic (or cybertech equivalent)
Civilopedia
Notes: symbolizing the people that use prothestic body parts either out of necessity or from a want to "improve" themselves. The latter kind of person creep normies out. doubling up on happiness penalties (bonuses with civic) is intentional

So sort of like "Ghost in the Shell" sort of stuff?

Exactly like ghost in the shell sort of stuff, i even had Cyberbrain Sclerosis up as a suggestion for a disease back in the unhealthiness mod thread.

Are you planning on going into the political/social aspects of the cyberpunk genre? Like the power of megacorporations? Or just the technical side?

I have a couple ideas for technologies (pulling out my copies of GURPS Cyberpunk and Cyberworld):

Netrunning
Requires: Brain Machine Interface
Leads to: Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics
Units: Netrunner (Espionage Unit)--a very powerful espionage unit, but only if the target has computers that can be interfaced with.

Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics
Requires: Netrunning
Buildings: Black ICE -- protects against espionage, causes some unhappiness in your city
Data Haven--could be a building or a National Wonder. It provides extremely high security for data, giving you a large bonus to defend against espionage.

Just like the regular timeline has techs representing social and politcal movements such as liberalism and marxism and fascism, alternate histories absolutely should have techs and even a couple civics that represent the expected cultural and political changes that the new era brings. for example, in steampunk i'm kind of working on a string of techs which branch, one way leading to a kind of aristocracy of unscrupulous scientists operating on the supposedly scientifically proven principle that the ends justify the means and the other way leading to a kind of workers paradise as might be invisioned by the Victorian age as a reaction to the other way.

With cyberTECH you can go two ways. Past the initial setting up techs representing the invention and dissemination of cybernetic technologies it can either go full cyberPUNK with technologies a civic and buildings requiring that civic that represent megacorps taking over governments and the common man being just data in a vast uncaring system in a scary dystopian future that would make Phillip Dick proud (i'm thinking lots of science and gold and unhappiness. Or your cybertech civ can go POSTcyberpunk with governments striking a balance with powerful corps in a not quite as dismal future where things aren't perfect but there's hope for a better future, like Ghost in the Shell.

If i had my way, taking a cyberPUNK approach to the cybertech age would exaggerate both the advantages and disadvantages of the cybertech age as a whole while the Postcyperpunk approach to the cybertech age would mitigate them.

problem is i'm not entirely sure how exactly to distinguish the cybertech age from biotech age save that i wanted biotech to focus far more on terrain improvemnts and terraforming and biological weapons and clones while cybertech would focus on city improvements (with barely any terraforming) and robotic units and mech warriors.

Vokarya. do you have stats to go with those buildings and units you have attached to those two techs and a little something to say on the techs by way of notes. I want to hold off putting those techs up there as is until I can type out the unit and buildings too.

edit reply below without a new post:
of course there will be mechs, there already are but if clones and stuff are going to be exclusive to biotech and robots and mechs exclusive to cybertech we're going to need a few more. Does anyone have an idea of what kind of stats to give a tachikoma lookalike/ where in the tech line it might be/ any kind of new tech that would be needed?

Battletech: the video games, the books, and the roleplaying system by FASA has alot of useful material.

I vote for Mechs!

a couple of people might like robotech as well. heard there was some good material there.

Also check out
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberpunk
to inspire some conversation.

some interesting discussion on merging gurps and civ iv tech trees for future mods
http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?p=974875

Originally Posted by Fish View Post

TL7
Rocketry (from Flight + Artillery)
Industrialism (from Assembly Line)
Fission, Refrigeration, Radio (from Electricity)
Satellites (from Rocketry)
Plastics (from Industrialism)
Computers, Mass Media (from Radio)

TL8
Composites, Fiber Optics (from Satellites)
Ecology (from Plastics)
Genetics, Robotics (from Computers)
TL9
Focused Beams (including Ladar, Beamed Power, and Laser Pistols; from Composites)
Quantum Computing (from Fiber Optics)
Brain Scanner (from Computers + Mass Media)
Xenogenetics (from Ecology)
Neural Interface (from Robotics + Genetics)
Psi Scanner^ (from Brain Scanner)
Human Cloning (from Genetics)
Biopolymers (from Genetics)

TL10
Broadcast Power^ (from Focused Beams)
Artificial Intelligence (from Quantum Computing)
Fusion (from Fission)
Microbotics (from Biopolymers)
Biostasis (from Human Cloning)
Broadcast Neural Interface^ (from Psi Scanner^)
Holograms^ (from Broadcast Power^)
Weather Satellites (from Artificial Intelligence)
Androids (from Biopolymers + Artificial Intelligence + Robotics)
Braintaping (from Brainscanner)
Transporter^ (from Broadcast Power^)
Gene Surgery (from Biostasis)
Bioroids (from Androids)

TL11
FTL Radio^ (from Transporter^)
Ultrascanner^ (from FTL Radio^)
Stargate^ (from Ultrascanner^ + Temporal Tech^)
Temporal Tech^ (from Transporter^)
Antimatter Power (from Weather Satellites)
Nanobotics (from Microbotics)
Antigravity^ (from Antimatter Power)
Bioreconstruction (from Biostasis)
Neogenetics (from Bioreconstruction)

TL12
Disintegrator^ (from Antigravity^ and Temporal Tech^)
Replicator^ (from Stargate^)
Proteus Virus, Nanoreanimation (from Bioreconstruction)

and more

Don't we have mot of these already as techs?

We do.
Catching loose pieces.
I was trying to highlight conversation on the subject. Looking for material.

Okay, a bit of a rewrite.

Netrunning (Transhuman Era Tech)
Cost: 18000
Requires: Brain Machine Interface
Leads to: Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics
Units: Netrunner (Espionage Units)
Quote: "Information wants to be free."
Notes: Netrunning is the specialized art of penetrating computer security, especially across a global network.

Netrunner (Espionage Unit)
Cost 300
Move 3
Requires Netrunning
Requires Computer Network
Invisible to all units
Can explore rival territory
Helps thwart rival spies
Starts with Commando I, Security I, Security II
Notes: This is supposed to be a powerful Espionage unit. It may require that the targeted civilization have Computers technology so it has something to interface with.

Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics (Transhuman Era Tech)
Cost 20000
Requires: Advanced Computers, Netrunning
Leads to: None
Buildings: Black ICE
Wonders: Data Haven
Quote: "In formation is what we want." -- Kenneth Hite, "GURPS Y2K"
Notes: Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics (ICE for short) are computer programs that defend against or outright attack netrunners.

Black ICE (Building)
Cost: 500
Requires Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics
Requires Computer Network
+2 unhappiness
+8 espionage
+100% defense against espionage
Helps thwart rival spies
Notes: Black ICE is the term for ICE programs that can kill a netrunner. Often illegal, but governments and megacorporations use them.

Data Haven (National Wonder)
Cost: 1500
+1 Great Person point (Spy)
Requires Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics
Requires Computer Network
-25% maintenance
Computer Network in all cities: +10% gold, +20% espionage
+100% defense against espionage
Helps thwart rival spies
Notes: A Data Haven offers heavily protected memory for storing off-site backups of crucial information.

I also worked up some ideas for the social side and the rise of megacorporations.

Multinational Corporations (Modern Era Tech)
Cost: 12000
Requires: Applied Economics
Leads to: Megacorps
Civics: Mercenary Warfare
Special Effects: -5% maintenance from corporations, -5% gold cost to spread corporations
Notes: Multinational Corporations is a modern era tech. I put it in because I wanted something to represent a step between the first Corporation tech (which is Renaissance-level) and the Megacorps tech.

Megacorps (Transhuman Era Tech)
Cost: 18000
Requires: Conglomerates, Multinational Corporations
Leads to: Corporate Warfare
Civics: Corpocracy
Special Effects: +25% gold from Global Stock Exchange.
Notes: Megacorps are corporations so large they rival governments. In some cyberpunk stories, they are the de facto government.

Corporate Warfare (Transhuman Era Tech)
Cost: 20000
Requires: Megacorps, Modern Warfare
Units: Corporate Police, Corporate Raider
Notes: Once corporations make the leap to megacorporation size, their battles start to spill out into open war.

Corporate Police (Hi-Tech Units)
Cost: 800
Strength: 100
Move: 1
Requires Corporate Warfare
Requires Corporate Headquarters (any HQ of a Corporation)
Can only Defend
Cannot capture Enemy Cities or Units
-100% vs. Helicopter Units
-100% vs. Assault Mech Units
-50% vs. Wheeled Units
-50% vs. Tracked Units
+50% City Defense
Helps thwart rival spies
Starts with Riot Control 1, Urban Tactics 1
+2 gold cost per turn
Notes: What I am trying to do here is a cyberpunk version of the Guard/Town Watchman line of troops. The 100 Strength is to keep them in line with other units of this era (like Tesla Infantry). They don't usually have the firepower to stand up to heavy military forces, thus the -50% vs. wheeled/tracked and the -100% vs. assault mech/helicopter.

Corporate Raider
Cost: 250
Move: 3
Requires Corpocracy civic
National Unit (5 allowed)
May conduct Hostile Takeover
Notes: This is supposed to be the corporate equivalent of the Inquisitor unit. A Hostile Takeover is an attempt to purge particular corporations from the target city. You would be able to pick certain corporations to remove, with a success chance based on how much gold you spend and how many corporations you target. If successful, it removes the corporations and grants you back some gold.

I'll do the civics in the next post.

Cyberpunk Civics

Mercenary Warfare (Warfare Civic)
Requires Multinational Corporations
High Upkeep
+2 national stability bonus per turn
+2 local stability bonus per turn
-30% war weariness
+1 gold support per military unit
+2 Experience Points for new units
+10% espionage in all cities
No unhappiness from Terrorist Compound

Notes: This civic represents using mercenary soldiers from other countries as an alternative to having your own citizens fight for you. It increases stability and reduces war weariness as your own people are insulated from the negative effects of the fighting, but it's expensive.

Corpocracy (Power Civic)
Requires Megacorps
+25% subsidy for Corporations
+50 one-time instability penalty for adopting civic
-10% instability (Labor)
All Corporations: +10% production, +10% gold, +10% science, +1 unhappiness, +1 unhealthiness where present in a city
All Corporate Headquarters: +25% gold
+1 unhappiness per 10% tax rate
+25% gold from Global Stock Exchange
+50% growth of improvements (like Farm and Mine)
Can spend gold to finish production
Damages relations with civilizations using Marxist, Nationalist, Communalism, Barter, Mercantile, Planned, Green, Regulated (-2)
Allows training of Corporate Raider

Notes: This is a Power civic. It represents the movement of real power to corporations. If they call the shots, then they can accomplish more at the cost of their workers and the cities around them. The relations penalty is for any civic that has "Corporations have no effect" or "Foreign Corporations have no effect". The diplomacy penalty would be "You give corporations too much power!"