New Concept: Risky Techs

from Stardock Forums
I am a huge 4X gaming fan. I love the MOO series, the CIV series, Space Empires series, and others like Galactic Civilizations. One problem I always felt was that Research always produced something. I think of real-life experimental research as risky; you never know if you are going to produce something, or just waste time and resources.

For example, I think in the 1970's the CIA experimented with psychic powers (they called it Remote Viewing). The project was shut down when it failed to produce acceptable results. In other words, they researched a project and came out with nothing.

I'd like to see a 4X game with 'Risky' techs. Obviously, the entire tech tree would not be risky. But it would be cool if at least a few peripheral techs had uncertain results. Maybe Risky techs have the chance to give major positives to your empire. Or, they give access to special branch of technology (I like this result more). Researching 'ESP' could allow you to develop psychic technology, or be a complete waste.

It wouldn't be a random chance in-game. The randomness would come during game set-up. When constructing the universe, the game would randomly decide which 'Risky' techs were real, and which were not a reality in that universe.

Of course, I also think that Risky Tech should be an option in game setup. I don't think everyone would like it.

Does anyone else like this idea? Or wish to add on? I know this won't be easy to implement. The point is, I'd like to see this option in some future 4X game.
411 views 8 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
Whatever risky tech you discover would have a chance to create a random event based upon that tech.
Example:
Risky Tech:Realistic Holograms
Possible random Events:

Your entire population has become addicted to Galciv version #342367 done in complete realistic holovision.
Do you:A:Tear down the holodecks:+5 production,-75% moral
B:Force them to take 3 hour work breaks.
C:Boost the concession stand prices 500% +10% economy.(truly evil)

This may not influence the game as much as you want but you could have a fairly high chance of the event happening.Would also like to see events specific for each race.
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
That sounds like very good idea. First it would bring some variety to tech tree and it would be fun if research wasn't 100% sure.

Perhaps other little bit related idea could be to make research so that research time wouldn't be 100% certain. Meaning that if you had put 80% of estimated points into research you would have certain chance of getting tech, and if you were just unlucky it could take longer than estimated ...or like in your idea they could scratch whole idea.

Not sure if creativity pick does something like that, but at least haven't seen anything that would mean it did. And does anyone know what creativity actually does? I have had it in most of my games and haven't ever seen anything that could be caused by it.

Galactic Civilizations III
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
I think also having variable benefits from research and social projects would be interesting. For example, soil enrichment might give 5% PQ in one game, 10% in another game, etc. These values would be the same for everyone in a given game, but could vary from game to game, and would be unknown until the research (but not the social project itself) is complete. It might lead to more replayability, as different research breakthroughs would be of importance in different games, possibly benefitting one style of play more than another. Maybe taking a creative pick would allow the player to know the benefit even before doing the research.
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
The way I see it, all you have to do is think of some scifi-ish concept that has not been proven yet, that is either purely hypothetical or just fantasy. Maybe it is really possible.... maybe it is not...

Here are just a few ideas for Risky Tech branches:

- psychic technology
- organic weapons & armor (maybe new ships with higher repair rates)
- special cloaking & sensors
- Hyperspace travel (like in Babylon 5)
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
jK.MkIII, I seem to recall a game (can't recall the title) where the research you put in upped the percentage chance to get the tech. You started out with 0% cance to discover, put in the equivalent of say 10 points, then next turn you had a 10% chance of discovering it that turn. If you were extremely lucky you could hit it after 1 turn researching, but either way, put enough into it and you would eventualy get it, at 100% chance there was no way you couldn't get the roll.

Of course, concidering 50% as the break point if you implemented this and didn't change anything in your existing tech tree, on average everyone would be researching in about half the time.

The explanation for this could be like that Bell Labs guy that left some "goop" in a beaker and when he came back the next day it had hardened into clear plastic... Eureka, fiberoptics.
Or was that just their commercial?

Pinky
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
That game was Master of Orion (both one and two did this). Actually, it started doing this after you put in the base amount of research into the tech, and the percent was based on the base amount.
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
Yeah, I always liked the MOO way. Gave you a little uncertainty of just when you would complete research. For me, it made the completion turn just a tad more exciting.

As a side note, I also liked how in MOO2 you had to choose 1 out of 3 techs to research in each field, at each stage. You couldn't research all 3, unless you had the special racial trait. It made each race feel more alien, more specialized.
Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
'Of course, concidering 50% as the break point if you implemented this and didn't change anything in your existing tech tree, on average everyone would be researching in about half the time.'

This is the function of the Creativity ability. I'm not sure how well it works, as I rarely have techs with more than six turns to research anyway, but I suspect it's generally only a few turns or so before finishing when there's much chance of getting the tech.

~SDC~