So, in order:
leeuw01: I literally just copy and pasted that entire post into my notes.
Assuming that we don't discover a system that makes happiness "leaner," the suggestions you posted may very well become our new happiness check.
Gedemon: I too am worried about the AI not being able to understand what is happening. Granted, they get outrageous bonuses to happiness anyway, but still.
Fires: I think it was Spatz who figured out a way (may be mistaken), but it is a nasty workaround. It would just be better to wait for DLL
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Ok, so Fires just sent a preliminary description of the new tech system, and I am blown away. If I understand everything correctly, it essentially boils down to this:
There are now four Technology Categories: Growth (food and production), Economy (gold), Society (research and culture), and Military (offensive and defensive techs). In addition to these new Categories, there are three Major Breakthroughs per era. These breakthroughs represent major scientific achievement (ahem: breakthroughs
) that occurred in that era. Each tech is tied to at least one breakthrough. Once a breakthrough has been achieved, techs associated with that breakthrough are unlocked from all of the different Categories. In essence, this adds another layer of sophistication: First, the player selects a breakthrough, then they select a tech within one of the four categories.
I can tell you right now that it is going to take
a lot of work shifting the tech tree around to accommodate the new system, but when it's all finished I know it will be worth it. I can also tell you that doing this without any input will seriously limit the awesomeness that this new system can achieve. So, I'm asking for help.
Specifically, we need to come up with sufficient breakthroughs for each of the eras (three apiece). These breakthroughs must be general enough to contain techs from each of the four categories, yet distinctive enough so that they don't overlap badly. For example, Fires came up with these three breakthroughs for the Ancient Era: Simple Tools, Cultivation, and Number Theory. As an example of the tech association, the Trading tech requires both a Cultivation and Number Theory breakthrough. Another tech, Mining, would require Simple Tools and Cultivation. And so on and so forth.
So, if you want to list some Breakthroughs, post below, along with the reasoning behind your decisions. Remember, there are only three Breakthroughs per era (the Technology Categories stay static throughout the eras) and each Breakthrough should be applicable to more than one Technology Categories. I don't need a lot of detail about which techs can fit under which Breakthrough, but you are more than welcome to if you want. Just be sure to explain why you think your proposed Breakthrough(s) should be in the era.