Possible future era in BtS?

[Idiodyssey]

I know some of you abhor the thought of a future era in BtS, but I think it would be nice. We already have SDI and space elevator, why not take it one step further with realistic possibilities with future tech/units? Note that I don't think mechs are realistic future units, but there are some units we can speculate on or are in development that would see action between now and 2050.

Some new technologies I would like to see are:

Nanotechnology: requires robotics, composites; all units heal additional %20, can build better SS casings
Quantum communication: requires computers, fiber optics; -50% espionage from enemies
Gene Therapy: requires genetics; +1 happiness per scientist specialist
Cloning: requires genetics, ecology; amount of each animal/plant resource doubled
Life extension: requires gene therapy, nanotechnology; can build better life support for space ship, +5 happiness in all cities
Antimatter: requires fusion, superconductivity; can build faster space ship engine than the one you can build with fusion
Superconductivity: requires composites; can build DDX advanced destroyer units
Artificial Intelligence: requires fusion, nanotechnology; -50% maintenance cost for all units, can build supercomputer "building"(which increases research 50% in the cities it's built)
Cybernetics: requires nanotechnology, gene therapy; can build better stasis chamber, units get +3 XP in all cities
Focused energy: requires superconductivity; unlocks SDI, can build laser tank

Changes to existing modern era tech:

Fusion: requires superconductivity, all cities on all continents powered automatically when this tech researched
Genetics: can build world wonder project Human Genome Project
Robotics: nanotech would be the new technology that unlocks space elevator
Future tech: pushed back to end of tech tree and requires life extension
Satellites: no longer unlocks SDI

New units:

Urban combat soldier: 30 strength, unlocked by composites, free city raider 1 and 2 promotion, upgradeable from marine
DDX advanced destroyer: 45 strength, can bombard units within a certain grid range without being directly adjacent to grid, upgradeable from destroyer, battleship
Laser tank: 45 strength, can shoot down enemy aircraft, upgradeable from modern tank


Anyway, I'm sure what I wrote would not be balanced in anyway or be too complicated, but I'm just trying to think of how a future era could be structured. Post what you'd like to see!

 

[Tronicoz]

some things are very good, but... a tech that gives power to all cities? then the power stuff isn't good, and maybie fusin should get a fusion power plant whit no pollution no meltdown and maybie gp points?

also a lot of stuff there i don't understand

 

[Danicela]

I want also a new future era for Civ4, CTP had it since the beginning and it didn't need any expansion ...

 

[Vietcong]

units i can see are
advanced infanrty, simmilier to the first post.
atomated combat tanks, *robotic tanks, controled off the filed of battle*
dron aircraft

 

[GoodGame]

I'd love it. An early-SMAC, Transhuman, or "Genetic Era" would be great, especially if the exact flavor of the future depended upon what you researched, but the whole future techs would be unreachable without say Settler difficulty.

Even just abstracting the "Future Tech" +1 this, +1 that to different categories would be cool.

 

[zoidberg76]

It is said that in a few days the next version on the genetic era mod will be released;

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=184182

it already has hovering tanks, attack drones and cyborg;

hope there will be a bts version on this mod

 

[MusX]

It is said that in a few days the next version on the genetic era mod will be released;

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=184182

it already has hovering tanks, attack drones and cyborg;

hope there will be a bts version on this mod

i was going to tell him the same

 

[Psycadelic_Magi]

Even if they don't add any further ages to the main game, I am pretty sure there will be tonnes of stuff from the scenarios for the genetic era modders etc to play with, so t'will all be good

 

[primem0ver]

Many if not most of the things you are asking for already exist in the mod mentioned above. I am the team developer for that mod and if some of our internet troubles cease... the newest update (which will include events and a new invisibility system) should be online in a week or so... but that depends on when I hear back from the other team member... it is frustrating because his internet does not work at home right now.

 

[brianshapiro]

i dont mind a future era as long as its done tastefully and conservatively, more like alpha centauri than the future era in call to power

 

[Antilogic]

Looking at the complete list of scenarios, it looks like 4 or so (Final Frontier, Afterworld, Next War, and Superrobo) are going to be futuristic. My bet is all the weird futuristic stuff we have been seeing from Firaxis is going to be solely in these four scenarios, and the expanded epic game will simply work on the Industrial and Modern eras.

I'm against the futuristic stuff in the "main game"--please just make it a mod. I'm already angry enough that the space race is so goofy, and I don't want anything else like that in the main game.

The problem with a SMAC-style futuristic age is the first third of the SMAC tech tree--it's figuring out to do what humans already know with more limited resources on Alpha Centauri. Remember the quote from Spaceflight, or one of the other early space-faring techs? People ask why we haven't gone back into space sooner, and it's because we don't have the same materials and industrial base as before? Plus, the transcendence victory would just be too strange for a standard civ game--that is definitely a mod (they may be doing something along those lines for the religious victory in Gods of Old).

 

[primem0ver]

i dont mind a future era as long as its done tastefully and conservatively, more like alpha centauri than the future era in call to power

Well... our mod is pretty moderate. Many of the ideas came from CTP2 like sea floor colonization (which is possible in our mod). Some of them are our own... ours may be a bit too extreme for your tastes... but maybe not. Like it has been suggested, it is fairly well in line with the requests made in this thread.

 

[brianshapiro]

Well... our mod is pretty moderate. Many of the ideas came from CTP2 like sea floor colonization (which is possible in our mod). Some of them are our own... ours may be a bit too extreme for your tastes... but maybe not. Like it has been suggested, it is fairly well in line with the requests made in this thread.

Well the main point is not to have sexy female mecha babes shoot lasers. The reason SMAC was so appealing was because it was serious, and as far as it did have advanced futuristic developments, it took them seriously and didn't go overboard; it also limited how extreme it was. Obviously a future era scenario couldnt work exactly like SMAC, as mentioned, because part of that is limited by the storyline.

 

[Idiodyssey]

Wow just read the new info and they actually added Laser and Superconductivity and the Stealth Destroyer! I really hope they add a new ground infantry unit like the urban combat soldier I described. Urban warfare is the future of war, and I think a new unit that reflects that strategy should be implemented.

 

[GeoModder]

Urban Warfare sounds more like a promotion then a unit to me... after all, it's only a kind of training...

 

[Lord Neil]

Cloning: requires genetics, ecology; amount of each animal/plant resource doubled
Life extension: requires gene therapy, nanotechnology; can build better life support for space ship, +5 happiness in all cities
Antimatter: requires fusion, superconductivity; can build faster space ship engine than the one you can build with fusion

Ha do you even know how half these things work?

Cloning: We already have it and it basically gives us better control over breeding... and gives us the super soldier ... in the future.
Life extension: I do believe you mean the longevity vaccine.
Antimatter: faster space ships... Anti-matter is the opposite of matter... it is like an endless vacume that weighs nothing at all and takes up no space at all...

 

[Idiodyssey]

Ha do you even know how half these things work?

Cloning: We already have it and it basically gives us better control over breeding... and gives us the super soldier ... in the future.
Life extension: I do believe you mean the longevity vaccine.
Antimatter: faster space ships... Anti-matter is the opposite of matter... it is like an endless vacume that weighs nothing at all and takes up no space at all...

I do know what these mean, it actually seems like you don't.

Cloning: I know we already have the ability to do this, not everything I listed is something we haven't done yet. My idea for cloning was just a simple way of applying a complex biological process to the game, without yet another tech that adds health or food. Doubling resources works well with the new corporation system, which benefits those with multiple instances of resources.

Life Extension: Life extension, longevity vaccine, whatever you want to call it. It means preventing oxidative damage to cells and preventing the ends of our DNA from fraying, the two main things that cause aging.

Antimatter: Ok you're dead wrong about this one. Antimatter does have mass, just like regular matter. It has a very high energy density, the highest of any form of matter. Colliding a molecule of anitmatter with its complimentary matter molecule yields more energy per unit mass of any other reaction known. An antimatter engine wouldn't need huge volumes/masses of fuel, and would have a very high specific impulse, perfect for a long space voyage. Refer to these links for info about a space ship engine based on antimatter propulsion:

http://science.nasa.gov/NEWHOME/headlines/prop12apr99_1.htm
http://www.tfot.info/content/view/88/64/
http://science.howstuffworks.com/antimatter2.htm

 

[Idiodyssey]

Urban Warfare sounds more like a promotion then a unit to me... after all, it's only a kind of training...

Yah it just seems weird to me that after upgrading all ground units to mechanized infantry, there is no longer any ground infantry unit, which is absolutely vital in urban warfare. Armored vehicles don't really fare too well in urban settings, you need units on the ground able to storm buildings. Instead of SAM Infantry, I would like to see a modern era ground infantry unit that could be promoted to be anti-air, anti-armor, or urban combat.

 

[GoodGame]

I think your "DDX Destroyer" will actually be lumped under the new "Stealth" tech, and probably the same for the Superconductors tech you mentioned.

EDIT: Also Cybernetics and Quantum Commo (at least if taken to Quantum Computers) should be a huge information revolution, so there should at least be a whole new level of research buildings and research bonuses, and probably new spies/corporations/tech trading abilities. Perhaps even free science specialists in each city. Though I do like the +3 XP idea.

 

[Healz]

There should be an advanced robotics tech which unlocks the ability to build primative mechanical warriors. These carry things such as missiles and may be given specialized missions such as hunting vehicles and getting bonuses from terrain that wheeled and tracked vehicles can't go into. Also there should be the option of a ray gun vehicle that disables the enemy for a set period so that they are easier for you to attack. Also an EMP bomb would be nice that affected production and a temporary loss of happiness where it goes off (Could be defended against by EMP hardening research). It simulates knocking out the electricity grid of a city. When used against a unit it immobilises that unit for a set number of turns and there is a chance that it might fail (simulates avoidance and possible mechanic's interference). These are all ideas which might improve Civ IV's modern era...