on the subject of triggers

[daimajin]

Throughout the Civilization series, most events, particularly the building of wonders, but other things as well have been based on discovering the appropriate tech. While I understand its importance, I find it important that the tech tree should not be the single deciding factor in deciding what one can or cannot build.
Thus, I would like to see triggers, based on specific in-game events, rather than just the discovery of techs determine the possibilities open to the player.

The clearest example of this, is wonders. As a random example, I will take the Great Library. Is it not ridiculous that any civilization with literacy can build it. Should it not be the first civilization to ten libraries which should have the option of building it in its city with the highest science output, as an upgrade to the library.
Furthermore, this can be expanded into other situations. Being able to build railroads all over the countryside is not plausible. Rather, two cities, which have a certain traffic of goods, units, and other factors, determined by the computer going between them should give you the possibility to build a rail link between them.
Should iron working not be only unlocked by discovery of an iron ressource in your territory. This ressource remaining useless until iron working has been researched.
There are dozens of other examples of improved gameplay by giving triggers a more important role. This has been tried on a small scale with the Iron Works, Forbidden Palace, Heroic Epic, etc in Civ 3, but I think the game would be much improved by seeing it on a larger scale.

 

[Mewtarthio]

The trouble is, it could lead to some complex relations. The Great Library is fine, although I wouldn't mind a few prerequisite libraries (although ten is a bit much. Maybe two or three). I don't understand what you're saying about Iron Working (a tech). Perhaps you're confusing it with Iron Works, the Small Wonder? By the way, most of what you're trying to change can be done in CivEdit.

 

[Aussie_Lurker]

I have a feeling that I know what Daimajin is on about and, to a point, I agree with him.
As I have said elsewhere, I do think that having access to a certain resource should help you in discovering techs which make use of that resource! To illustrate, by way of example, lets say that you have just recieved the 'Mining Tech'. Using this technology, you begin building mines in your surrounding hills and mountains. During this process, you 'discover' a large lode of Iron! This iron resource should give you a bonus to discovering 'Iron Working'-the larger the lode, the greater the research bonus! For instance, lets say you find a size 6 lode (on a size scale of 1-10) then you would get, say, a bonus of +15% to researching 'Iron Working'. Of course, this system works even better, in my opinion, if you don't have direct control over what techs you can discover. Again, by way of example, instead of researching 'Iron Working', you instead allocate a % of your budget into 'Industrial Techs'. The amount you invest will dictate the frequency at which you discover techs from this category! For instance, if you allocate 35% of your science budget into industrial, then you will discover these techs with 3.5x greater frequency than a tech sector that you have only invested 10% of your science budget into! In this system, therefore, having a specific resource, will increase the likelihood of getting that tech-over other techs of the same category. To use the previous example, having a size 6 lode of iron will give you a 15% BETTER chance of finding iron working over any other industrial tech in that era-say Bronze Working, for instance!
Other factors which would boost the chance of getting a particular tech would be having one (or more) of its 'prerequisites', or by hearing of that tech, through the grapevine, and focussing your attention on getting it!
Again, by way of example, say you have the bronzworking tech, already, then your chance of getting ironworking is much better than getting masonry (another industrial tech). Also lets say you hear, from one of your embassies, that one of your neighbours/rivals has discovered the 'Wonderous Technology of Iron Working'. You can now go into your science advisor screen, click on 'Industrial Tech', and this will bring up specific techs, within that category, that you are aware of. You click on 'Iron Working', and your science advisor will ask you: 'do you wish us to focus our efforts upon this tech?' If you say yes, then the 'bulk' of your industrial research budget into getting this tech!

Anyway, not sure if thats what you meant, but I hope I'm right !

Yours,
Aussie_Lurker.

 

[daimajin]

you got my basic intent right.
anyway, this more in depth, and more functional elaboration on my idea seems like a very good step for me. the ideas i brought up werent specific improvements i was looking for, but rather just examples of how i believe that triggers would help improve the game.
more ideas or comments are more than welcome

 

[Aussie_Lurker]

OK Daimajin, I've taken a more thorough look at your original post and, as for point 1 (and as has been said here already) you can already edit the Great Library to make it require X libraries-or even a certain city size if you wanted !
I'm not sure that I like your second idea but, as I pointed out above, I do like the third idea, and have in fact been an advocate for it for quite some time!

Yours,
Aussie_Lurker.

 

[Ballazic]

Your idea rocks(with tweaking)