"Blind" Research / Alternate Research Model
Elemental Forums
OK, so just joined (very excitedly), and I admit I have a lot to catch up on. However, I'd like to point out that I very much like Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (alternate) research model.
The classic TBS/RTS tech-tree model prompted user to think: "Oh, I want to research Animal Husbandry" or even more specifically, "I need to research Animal Husbandry, so that I can research Horseback Riding, and then I also need to research feudalism so that I can create a Knight unit."
However, this alternate model required investment into high level goals without knowing what was going to happen. It ran more along the lines of "Let me put 50% of my research into Military Applications, and 50% of my research into Economic Applications." Then it was sort of a roll of the dice as to what your scientists came up with next. You were pretty much guaranteed not to come up with something like "monotheism"...but instead of "animal husbandry" you might have come up with "the wheel" .
Bear in mind that this system was not completely random, nor did it remove pre-requisites. You still needed to know "roads" before you could discover "construction." What this system did, though, was hide the direct choices for specific technologies and I think it worked well to simulate macro-management of research from a head-of-state level. In other words, you weren't the small lab working on Projext X77D1, you were the emperor saying "We need better soldiers." An additional benefit was that it also simulated different technologies being the initial domain of various factions. Instead of 7 different factions racing to be the first to discover "ceremonial burrial," one country ended up with ceremonial burial, another with potery, another with alphabet, another with hunting, etc. And once these factions met..there was genuine incentive to trade for technology.
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In short, I think this model works well to emphasize the idea of "discovery" rather than "targeted achievement". I also think that this model, which is reliant upon existing resources and areas of focus compliments the "Earth + fire = Volcano" magic demonstration we've seen recently.
Of course, I'm all about choice. I dont think this should be THE model to use, but rather a checkbox on the gameplay options menu. (and of course, this may have already been suggested/implemented).
Thoughts?
Check out the developers journals for more information about the game and a new update concerning the start of the open beta.
As for randomness, I like the idea that some technologies/magics may not be included at all in the world, during certain playthroughs. 