For Velociryx & Co

[MyOlde]

I've read some of your thread on what's fundamentally wrong with Civ III -- design decisions that close loopholes but cause other problems, etc.

Would it be too simplistic a notion to just make every tech advance optional. In this way, you would have absolute freedom to choose your own way to victory rather than being saddled with having to research a bunch of techs you don't really want. Yes, this means that you could try a wholly pacifist route and never research a military tech -- if that's what you want to do. There would be concommitant penalties, obviously, but it would be your choice as to how much of what route you wanted to follow.

Too simple?

[FrantzX]

I think that World War II has taught us all that pacifism is a other way of saying 'Please conquer us, Mr. Hitler'. I the AI loves to hit a person when he is down. Why let a player commit sucide?

[Arrian]

Well, if that's what the player wants to do... why NOT let him/her?

-Arrian

[Carver]

I don't claim to be in the same class as Velociryx, however, FIRAXIS created the notion of required techs to advance from one age to another to add realism. This way you have to have the tech for steam power before you build ICBMs. But I see your point and I think it would be fun to play without required advances. Maybe this should be a toggleable feature at startup.

[DaveV]

Erm, I think making all the advances optional would mean that you could research any tech in the left-hand column of any of the four eras (e.g. Feudalism, Nationalism, Computers). Kind of unbalancing if you can build Mech Infantry in the ancient period.

[Arrian]

Originally posted by DaveV
Erm, I think making all the advances optional would mean that you could research any tech in the left-hand column of any of the four eras (e.g. Feudalism, Nationalism, Computers). Kind of unbalancing if you can build Mech Infantry in the ancient period.

Well, there would be balance issues, but keep in mind that you need various resources to BUILD mech inf (oil, rubber?), and it costs 110 shields or so to build. I wouldn't want it in the ancient age. Nationalism would be ugly, too, because riflemen are what, 70 shields?

Clearly you would have to re-do the tech tree so that the techs are all interconnected, instead of the four age divisions there are now.

-Arrian

[MyOlde]

Sorry, I think I've been a touch unclear. To get a new unit or ability, there would still be required tech advances. For example, to get to tanks, there would be a particular series of required techs to research as well as the current resources to find. But, if you wanted to head off in a different direction, you might not have to go through gunpowder, for example, to get there. The four eras could still stand, I think. You would pass through the eras more quickly because you would be required to research fewer techs in each era.

That help?

[Arrian]

Yeah, I figured you meant something like that. In other words, a tech tree that worked more like Civ II.

-Arrian

[Calvin Vu]

Originally posted by Arrian
Yeah, I figured you meant something like that. In other words, a tech tree that worked more like Civ II.
-Arrian

Or like SMAX where I can try to get to Industrial Automation before researching any military techs.