different approach for research

[Lambiorix_be]

I was wondering if the research concept in Civ could not be changed in a next installment. It hasn't really changed over the last years. More things to research and dividing it in epic ages did not change the basic concept that there is research tree which you need to follow 1 tech at a time (in the early game you steal or trade tech but even that doesn't change the nature of the research concept)

This does not reflect reality (I know the game doesn't have to be 100% realistic ) Would it not be more challenging that you are forced to make a choice between a number of domains (ex. communication, ecology...) with every domain to have its specific added value. Combined with some unpredictable breakthroughs and the fact that some domains should only be available after some other discoveries.

This should not be controled with just a slider but by building a certain amount of buildings (ex. experimental farms, art schools, labs for nuclear research...). Those buildings should be rather expensive to avoid a civ is capable going for everything. The players would then be forces to choose what kind of society he would like (agricultural, technological, militaric....).

Civs that are similar could then combine their effort for specific projects that cannot be done by one civ alone. Look today for example to to the ITER project (goal is to make a viable fusion reactor, participants are the USA, EU, Japan....). If you look at the discussion on where to build this first reactor you could have good spin off in diplomatic exchanges.

Does this make any sense to anyone

[Kuciwalker]

Re: different approach for research

Originally posted by Lambiorix_be
This does not reflect reality (I know the game doesn't have to be 100% realistic ) Would it not be more challenging that you are forced to make a choice between a number of domains (ex. communication, ecology...) with every domain to have its specific added value. Combined with some unpredictable breakthroughs and the fact that some domains should only be available after some other discoveries.

That was called SMAC.

[Ari]

I always turned ON "blind research" in SMAC, and indeed, for "role playing" reasons, never even altered the initial priorities of whatever leader I'd chosen (I was constantly praying that the the "white" tech I was working on was flight or fusion).

I completely agree that it's hilariously unrealistic to "research" the alphabet, or guilds or liberalism. Having said that, I'm pretty sure my SMAC playing style puts me in a tiny, tiny minority of SMAC players. You definitely lose some strategic depth when research isn't directed. I suspect that though it's pretty unrealistic, this is going to be the model for subsequent civs.

On the other hand, it *would* be nice to tweak that a bit. Perhaps you could have a 25% bonus to your research for having undirected research. Or maybe a certain technology would "turn on" directed research (scientific method, say). Perhaps certain buildings could give bonuses to specific kinds of research. A temple might make researching music easier, but not gunpowder. A library might help with chemistry, but not as much with banking.
Perhaps certain civs would help/hinder certain kinds of research. Theocracy might impair researching biology.

Outside of scenarios, it's rare for a civ to like you so much that you freely share techs, but perhaps a particular tech (mass media? radio? scientific method?) should enable "beaker sharing," perhaps at a penalty, so two civs can focus on a single tech.

[Petrus2]

Some great ideas, Ari! The risk would be making the game too complex and killing the fun, so would have to be implemented cautiously, I think.

Anyone ever play Master of Orion? The first one, and maybe second also but I don't remember... You had six areas of research and had to divide your research effort among them, using sliders. Also, except for the one science-heavy race, you would have some things NOT be available directly from research! Now in Civ, that would be a problem, but in MOO it wasn't a game-ending feature.

[LzPrst]

I would very much like to see a differentiation in tech production. for example, you now research iron working by putting X nr of science beakers into the tech. a more realistic and IMO more interesting way would be if your production values and number of mines would contribute to the discovery of Iron Working.

the same would go for other areas as well, culture production would add to your development of culture techs such as literature, drama, music etc.


this way a civ would tend to dig themselves deeper into one part of the tech tree merely by what priorities they have.