The Beard
Chieftain
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2008
- Messages
- 54
This.
This what?
This.
This what?
Along with using the cottage mechanic, what about having upgrades via formers?
Late-game techs give formers that ability to build a 3rd level thing [=town], but it takes 20 turns?
True. The number of techs available at any one time IS too high. In fact, if randomly going through the Planetfall tech tree, it will on average get this high:The problem then isn't so much the number of techs available, but the fact that more than dozens of them are available at all times without much of a prerequisite structure. SMAC and SMACX were careful to put things into a structure of Build 1, Conquer 2, etc., where Planetfall's system feels a bit willy-nilly. And more of the initial tile improvements need to be available grouped together. I think I got to around 2191 without being able to build mines, and only recently discovered the farm. SMAC and CIV both have paths that seem intuitive and connected, so you have an idea as to what you are doing, and that there is a natural progression to research. So rather than reducing the number of Techs, we just need to consolidate unnecessary ones and re-organize a bit, so that the player isn't at a loss as to what is important in the early game. I suppose some writing in the descriptions of the techs would be useful--I could do some of the writing materials for you guys if you want. I was almost a Creative Writing major, but I switched to just mathematics. So I can at least flesh out some of the stuff we currently have to be beyond just the Dan Quayle quote that is on everything now.
Also, it would be could if we could get the interludes back into the game. Both some "classic" interludes and newly created ones for new events and whatnot.
Also, (again, not related really) we should shorten the length of the audio clips for religions--I like Deidre's voice, but I don't need to hear it say the same paragraph every time a religion spreads.
I suppose some writing in the descriptions of the techs would be useful--I could do some of the writing materials for you guys if you want. I was almost a Creative Writing major, but I switched to just mathematics. So I can at least flesh out some of the stuff we currently have to be beyond just the Dan Quayle quote that is on everything now.
Also, (again, not related really) we should shorten the length of the audio clips for religions--I like Deidre's voice, but I don't need to hear it say the same paragraph every time a religion spreads.
I've checked years ago (Alpha Centauri made me obsessed with tech trees since I first saw the poster): unless stealing or trading techs out of order, the absolute maximum number of techs available in SMAC at any one time (assuming a third of them aren't spending their turn being hidden) is 11. Those 11 are Silksteel Alloys, (Nonlinear Mathematics or Superstring Theory), Applied Relativity, Organic Superlubricant, Advanced Ecological Engineering, Planetary Economics, (Centauri Empathy or Centauri Meditation), Orbital Spaceflight, (Bio-Engineering or Retroviral Engineering), Doctrine: Initiative, and Mind/Machine Interface.I'm not sure, but I think in SMAC you could get this many tech options at once, but it never seemed that way because the game would only show you a set number, if you were playing without blind research [which I always played with].