1.0.9n Beta - Have not seen a lost library in 3 games

No in my 1st game my 1st base was near one and just to the north I found another one.

They do seem a lot rarer, especially on the large map. Several games now I have not sighted one in about 1/4 of the map.

They are much much rarer.

Pretend you've never seen one before ever. Then when you see one, it's cool!

<jedi mind trick>

You've never seen a Lost library

</jedi mind trick>

What is a Lost Library? 

Playing some turns in a game right now just before going to sleep...

Frogboy, your jedi mind trick worked on Lantros.

I think they're too rare... in fact I thought they had been taken out because I never saw a single one in playing since Friday.  (I did however see two Temples seeded right next to each other!)

After revealing the whole map through the cheat, I noticed that there was only 1 lost library on the whole map.... on an island...far off.  At first I had assumed it was a glitch, and thus recreated the map 2 to 3 times noticing that indeed there were about 1 or so lost library on each one; I really think this is a good idea in the long run however as a sort of super bonus. 

I would say they've become almost worthless, not nearly cool enough to be worth exploring for. Barely worth building in my cities with hundreds of studies.

Trick?

Making Lost Libraries rarer is fine, but I think we need smaller, less rare versions as well (kind of like the variety of food resources).  That way, we still have tech boosting resources to help balance the equation.

In my current game I've found A single Lost Library, after exploring about half of the map.  It was a ways from home though, and I had to break up a stack of units into blockers to keep Capitar and Tarth from claiming it before my improved Pioneer (designed with a 4 move instead of 2) could get on scene and claim it for the Kingdom.  I was successful and Capitar/Tarth were denied.

I found plenty of Arcane sites though...

Any less effective and they would not be worth going after.

That's easy.  If you feel 5 tech points a turn is not effective enough, make it 6-10 tech points, with the rarity Brad alluded to.

Then have something else that produces 5 points.

Personally, even if the 'lesser library' produced 2-3 tech points, I'd still build on it, as long at the build cost wasn't extravagant.  The Study only does one point now, so 2 or more points is an improvement in my book.

In that other Game (Galactic Civilizations II), resources came in a 100%, 300%, and 700% variety.  That didn't stop me from utilizing the +100% sites.  That'd apply in this case as well.

5 Studies takes 5 tiles and 25 population to produce 5 tech.

1 Lost Library takes 4 tiles and 10 population to produce 5 tech.

I would say that is about the lowest level of productivity it can have and still be worth having. How about have a +10 resource that is a specific lost library (that cannot have more than 1 per map) and some in between.

True Gwenio, but you also have to take build time into account.  If I can get a 2 point baby library online in about the same time as a study, and the population cost is appropriate (say 6), then losing 4 tiles isn't that important to me, at least in the early game.  Again, it comes down to how much it'll cost me to build it. 

Plus, if it ever DID become an issue, you could always decomission it later, freeing up your tile count for something else.

AND, if resources didn't count against your tile limit... then they become even MORE attractive.

And if there was a 'baby library' upgrade via tech research, that could be used to make them more useful later.

I've yet to max out my city tiles... usually I've wrapped up the game before that becomes an issue.  That may change in 1.1 though...

What, you mean like not connecting them to your city?

surely a lost library takes no tiles not four.

If the libraries and stuff are rare, they need to provide some unique benefit.

I suggested creativity in another thread.

One option would be to tie the discovery of said bonuses to adventure tech and/or quests/goodie huts, and not have them at start.  That said, if you did this, you'd need to make it where the adventure techs don't work for other players, and the bonus resources are buildable on (though it eliminates the bonus if an improper improvement is on it), and invisible to players who haven't researched it, unless it is built.

I think this is a good idea. I'd go further and have it unlock technology that is only accessible by controlling a lost library.  This would be somewhat similar to what the MOO series did when you took out the guardian and gained control of the Orion system. 

Is creativity even in the Elemental engine?  I think it should be, as a lot of other GC2 concepts were ported right in originally.  What about arcane creativity- is that possible?  (don't see why not, though it may take a little bit of coding)

BTW: for those who didn't play GC2: Creativity was a trait that allowed civs a chance to finish their research that turn. 

There have never been "lost libraries" in Elemental. I think you're thinking of a different game...

Please, I have been playing elemental for several months.  I have never seen a lost library.  What is a lost library?  Could someone please, post a snap on one?

Lost what???? Is this one of those North America only things? My mind draws a blank on this   

Look at Wintersong's screenshot above ... Frogboy, quit teasing the weak-minded.

I sort of cringe at the idea that the majority of research now comes from overloading your cities with Archivists and such. I've run into the issue already in 1.09n where research is the only thing worth building in my cities. Which has undercut the value of specialization. Added to the fact there's no scaling or diminishing returns on city-built research....yeah. Lost library is a perk, but it's going to be amount to drop of water in the bucket in a mature game.