Tinkering with Techs

[elpadrino87]

Just creating this thread for people who have ideas or suggestions for editing what techs do (new commands, units, etc) in civ. I'm sure many good ideas will come out, which all of us here at the Mac forum would enjoy trying out once the editor comes out (don't know what we'd do without you, Macsoft & of course, Brad).

I'll let some people post here first, I wouldn't want to be rude.

 

[heikeott]

I think that satellites should reveal the world map, and perhaps allow you to build a small wonder (satellite network?) that would pretty much keep it up to date (city sizes, exposed unit locations, etc.). I won't argue the "realistic" aspect here, we have that going enough places, but anyway that's what I would like to see. I think we all know that the AI Civs are aware of the whole map throughout the game even though there are some restrictions on their cheating, so after this they could use what they already know and the human player could finally have that knowledge also!

I would like to see "smart weapons" tech give me a guided missile that can seek enemy units and chase them automatically, even if I can't see them, but fails and disappears if it doesn't hit the target when it reaches its limit of range.

I also would like to have my Civ II style Solar Plant back. Okay, so it isn't realistic to be able to eliminate pollution, but Cure for Cancer is still in the game, so why not the pollution-eliminating solar plant?

Oh, and after computers (isn't there an Internet something in PTW) I want to be able to build Network Administrators that, when "garrisoned" in cities, reduce waste and corruption. Don't tell me that's not realistic, I know! Either that or be able to built "the Internet" and have it reduce corruption and waste overall....

JMHO - you did ask!! :rant:

 

[dojoboy]

Something needs to be done w/ Advanced Flight, which is one of the most neglected techs in the tree. Perhaps helicopters and paratroopers should be improved upon. In fact, I intend to mod the paratrooper into a special forces unit w/ stats of 8-8-2 (I've finally settled on it). Also, Flight and Mass Production should be "cleaned up." Carriers ought not to be available before planes - maybe an airplane should be built before carriers can be built.

 

[DiamondzAndGunz]

Heike, some of the things you mentioned would, sadly, not be doable with the editor. Mainly everything in the first 2 paragraphs. The rest are pretty good. A solar plant that reduces pollution is doable, just give it the flag that reduces pollution. Adding wonders is a little harder (I know, I've tried), but it's still basically doable. I'm not sure if reducing corruption for every city is the best thing for it to do... Maybe it would place some sort of corruption-reducing improvement in every city?

As for advanced flight, you could just flag it as a required tech. But increasing the stats of the units could also be a good idea. I doubt you have to require a certain unit to be built before you are allowed to build another, though. That might take some work.

Or, we could kill two birds with one stone. Stick the carrier under advanced flight. That would almost guarantee it being researched, and it would still sort of make sense (more sense than building carriers before planes, at least).

One thing I'm gonna do is perhaps add an engineer back into my game, and flag motorized transportation to increase worker speeds. It just gets really annoying when you have to maintain a large force of workers, just for cleaning up pollution n such. Increasing worker speed cuts the time it takes them to clean that stuff up.

 

[MacBaldrick]

How about giving Radio something useful to do like improving happyness in all cities where radio station (improvement is built) or making all pop happier via minor wonder - Broadcasting network.

Also can we fit in the telephone and giving it some effect like increasing resources or trade (where telephone exchange is built) or even increasing the effectiveness (i.e. reduce corruption) of a public administrator improvement (better / easier than unit mentioned by heike ?).

All will depend on the capabilities ofthis editor of course.

 

[DiamondzAndGunz]

I don't believe we will be able to add techs yet, so adding a "Telephone" tech most likely won't be possible. But adding telephone improvements might be possible, as long as we can fit them in somewhere. Again, there could be a small wonder provided by this that can reduce corruption due to distance, or something of that sort.

I agree- the radio is kind of useless. I was thinking of adding some sort of improvement or wonder, but never really came up with anything. Some sort of "Broadcasting Network" would be great. Perhaps it can do more that just "increase happiness," since that seems to be the one thing that applies to almost all new addable wonders. I'm not sure what else it could do, though.. the editor is soo limiting...

 

[heikeott]

Maybe that's part of the problem... those of us who ONLY have Macs and have never seen the editor have no understanding of its limitations, so we tend to think (or at least I do) that units, civs, terrain, resources, techs, wonders, city improvements, etc. should all be able to be changed within reasonable parameters.

For example, after I thought about it I think I understand why a guided/seeker missile is impossible (although the AI units going after privateers do a good imitation! ); there's nothing remotely like that in the game structure to work from.

On the other hand, I don't understand why the satellite idea is unworkable. There are mechanisms in the game for lifting the FoW, and the Apollo pgm in Civ II did it!

I'm not arguing with you, I'm just saying that those of us who've never seen the editor will probably keep coming up with "impossible" suggestions as long as we don't understand the limitations.

 

[DiamondzAndGunz]

Yes, I understand that some people have never seen the editor. That's why I'm telling you what you guys won't be able to do, so you won't be disappointed when you fire up the editor and find you can't do half the things you wanted to! Anyway, there should be things for lifting the FoW, but they just aren't programmed in as flags for wonders/improvements in the editor. So although you could mod your game to have something life the FoW, it would probably require some programming skills..

The only things that you can really change via the editor are most of the things that you see in-game already. You can reassign different flags to different things, but you can't really add anything new that something in Civ doesn't already do. So you can add a new wonder that adds happiness, but not one that reveals the map.

 

[heikeott]

@DiamondzAndGunz

Tell us more, O Wise One!

:worshp: :worshp: :worshp: :worshp: :worshp:
:worshp: :worshp: :worshp: :worshp:

 

[DiamondzAndGunz]

Uhh, I think I'm kinda.. sorta... all out of advice right now.

Except that, some of the best things that we still probably will be able to add will be multiple Forbidden-Palace-like small wonders. It's a very good way to decrease corruption. And, combined with the appropriate techs, would enable you to not get them too soon, and be able to incorporate them into the whole strategy-thing.

Anyway, to sum it all up, there are a lot of things the editor can do- but a lot more that it can't.

 

[Sid]

Here's a Small Wonder: 'Fleet Street' ['cos we Anglo-Saxons get such a rotten UU, but I'll be fixing that up in my new BIC files]. Anyway, when you build Fleet Street -- which is only available to Republics, Democrazies [sic] and Mono-archies [sicker] -- you can increase war weariness in most other civs. In addition, you make one person Happy in your Capital (they're reading the cartoon page).

 

[Beamup]

Originally posted by Sid
you can increase war weariness in most other civs.

I don't believe that's possible to do with the editor.

 

[heikeott]

Originally posted by DiamondzAndGunz
Except that, some of the best things that we still probably will be able to add will be multiple Forbidden-Palace-like small wonders.

You think multiple FP's are a possibility?

That was one of the first things I suggested, but someone said they didn't think it could be done. I was hoping it could be set up so that you could build FP#1 after 8 cities, FP#2 after 16 cities, FP#3 after 24, and so on... Although I probably would set the limits at 10, 20, 30, or even 12, 24, 36 ... but that's probably a matter of personal preference.

I also think that under republic and democracy you should be able to build/do a "propaganda" that reduces war weariness among your own populace.

 

[DiamondzAndGunz]

Originally posted by heikeott
You think multiple FP's are a possibility?

That was one of the first things I suggested, but someone said they didn't think it could be done. I was hoping it could be set up so that you could build FP#1 after 8 cities, FP#2 after 16 cities, FP#3 after 24, and so on... Although I probably would set the limits at 10, 20, 30, or even 12, 24, 36 ... but that's probably a matter of personal preference.

If we are able to add improvements, then yes. But to make them pop up at different city intervals isn't possible. They would always pop up at 1/2 of the OCN. What I was suggesting was to allow them to be built only w/ specific advances. Now, I'm not really sure what advances, but I'm sure they could be fit in there, somewhere.

Originally posted by heikeott
I also think that under republic and democracy you should be able to build/do a "propaganda" that reduces war weariness among your own populace.

Well, If we are able to add improvements, this would most likely also be possible. You could stick it under Democracy, or perhaps Espionage (dunno) and give it the same flags as Universal Suffrage. It could come in really handy, if you hate war weariness that much....

 

[heikeott]

I don't know that I do. I was just thinking about democracy & republic and current world events, and propaganda.. and thinking...

However, the one time I did get into a war (I foolishly signed an MPP and got dragged in), the WW was killer. Most of my cities went into starvation because I had to make so many entertainers...

Well, it's an idea, anyway. I'd MUCH rather have the FPs than WW reduction though ... The waste and corruption I really do HATE ..

 

[snoozz]

Why not use the radio to give one extra movement per turn to all land units. The radio is an organizational tool in the modern world, right? And the lighthouse already gives this advantage to sea and ocean units, so it's already incorporated into the game. Possible, no?

 

[DiamondzAndGunz]

@snoozz: Good idea. Sadly, it isn't possible. The flags in the editor that give ships one extra movement point are too specific. They specificly target only ships, and only give one more movement point.

 

[ejday]

Originally posted by heikeott


You think multiple FP's are a possibility?

That was one of the first things I suggested, but someone said they didn't think it could be done. I was hoping it could be set up so that you could build FP#1 after 8 cities, FP#2 after 16 cities, FP#3 after 24, and so on... Although I probably would set the limits at 10, 20, 30, or even 12, 24, 36 ... but that's probably a matter of personal preference.

The "per city" idea is good, but I'm not sure it's possible (doubt it).

One thing that might be possible is to turn FPs into regular improvements. Call them "state capitals" under your federal capital. I was planning on doing that with "Iron Works" as well. If you think about the old industrial belt from Chicago, through Detroit and out to Pittsburgh, it would seem they all had "Iron Works."