Novel ways to gain technology

from Elemental Forums

So this is most certainly too little too late and I recall a few months back this topic was visited already.  But I thought we'd visit it again :-)

So I've been reading these forums for a long time, and if there is one big thing people seem weary of its the technology system.  While it is somewhat different than the Civilization series, it's virtually the same at the roots: you accumulate points from your "base" and once you reach a certain threshold, you get a technology which improves your performance in a certain area.  Usually, the place that you gain these research points from has little to do with the activity that you are innovating and it is for the most part static.  This mechanic is probably one of the eldest and most enduring concepts in gaming history, even predating the First Person Shooter.

So I'd like to dedicate this thread to truly novel tech system ideas.  That is, systems that don't revolve around the concept of an abstract scholar sitting in a "library" in a city researching "super death weapon X."  So allow me to start:

A Tech System For Warfare: This system was inspired by Spartan culture.  As we all know, Sparta wasn't exactly the most culturally advanced city state nor did they have the most sophisticated city infrastructure.  But they were, of course, the most exceptional soldiery.  How did this exceptionality arise?  They fought hard and they fought often.  So, for my idea, requisites for gaining new "techs" in warfare would revolve around... warfare.  Fighting more would give you more warfare tech.  Now before you protest, let me get to the end. 

You would gain warfare tech based on your Kingdom's per capita military experience + a benefit from sheer volume of experienced soldiery.  In other words, if you have a society with vast swaths of untrained peasants and only a few experienced soldiers, you would gain military tech very slowly.  However, if half of your civilization is mobilized for war, you gain military tech very quickly.  This allows small Kingdoms who fight constantly for their survival to keep up with the big guns who would otherwise spam tech gaining buildings for military supremacy.  Now, the dynamic part about this system is that your tech gain is contingent on a shifting infrastructure.  If you throw away your mighty army, you also throw away a lot of your tech gain in military endeavors.  Also, if your empire grows during a lull of peace but your experienced soldiers don't, you begin to gain military tech more slowly. 

Now, I'm not saying that every single tech used in warfare should be gained from this system.  Techs that belong to the civilian tech trees and magic tech trees could occasionally bleed over into military use.  For instance, if you are exceptional in magical or civilian techs, you would be able to use them to prop up your military.  For instance, researching magical flaming swords would be a function of the magic tech tree and techs that help support a large military would be a function of the civilian tech tree.  Also, when you civilian technology becomes sufficiently advanced, you might be allowed to construct special military academies that give you a modest stipend toward your military techs.  You might also occassionally get special armor or weapons from civilian techs that are unversatile, but help you stay at least a step behind of warmongers if you are strictly a peaceful kingdom.

I've got a few other ideas for civilian and magical tech advance systems, but I'll open the floor to alternate ideas.   

11,415 views 6 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

Not sure I would like the system per se. But have to admit it is a damn interesting idea. :\

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

I think this is a terrific idea, as it models technological progression in a realistic way. If your society values warfare and devotes a lot of time to it, then a lot of your best and brightest people will probably be in the military. Those people would want to innovate (create new weapons, tactics, etc) and find more efficient ways to apply their existing weapons and tactics, thus progressing military technology independently from the academic research. Great idea  :thumbsup:

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Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting warrich, reply 2
I think this is a terrific idea, as it models technological progression in a realistic way. If your society values warfare and devotes a lot of time to it, then a lot of your best and brightest people will probably be in the military. Those people would want to innovate (create new weapons, tactics, etc) and find more efficient ways to apply their existing weapons and tactics, thus progressing military technology independently from the academic research. Great idea 

Right, and that's not to say that civilian tech couldn't afford some degree of military application.  For instance, your civilian techs may be able to grant soldiers leather tunics and long spears, but military techs would give you things like higher morale, superior tactics, specialized weaponry, etc.  So while a civlian tech focused kingdom would field vast swathes of cowardly peasant with longspears, an empire with an emphasis on military would have specialized soldiers with superior tactics and superior and specialized weapons.  And while those that focus on civilian techs lose the bulk of their technical infrastructure by losing civilian buildings (naturally), those that focus on military techs lose the bulk of their technical infrastructure by losing their military. 

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

What about extending your idea to beyond the military?  That is, a techology has to be used in some capacity before you can research the next updgrade.  In other words, just THEORETICAL research is insufficient in many instances, one must apply the technology to move onward.  By example, the first level of FARMING tech must be used by building a farm with that tech prior to the NEXT level of farming technology becoming available.  This might preclude Civ-Like technolgies (such as Alphabet) which really didn't serve more than an intermediary step, but I suppose you could mix-and-match.  In other words many technologies would require the pre-requisite of implementation (e.g. field 3 companies of short bowmen achieving X-experience before developing the Long Bow).

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

Really think this idea is interesting. Either you could have different actions going to war, building farms or ships give you a research point bonus on their particular field or have them lead to technologies that are only available through doing things. I would also like to see some techs that are special resource dependent such as ironwood longbows with better range that can only be researched and produced as long as you control the resource.

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

I do like this idea too.  Nations that didn't fight tended to become outmoded militarily (the English after the 100 years war, the Americans after pretty much every time until WWII, ect).  Want to keep up in the arms race but not be at war?  Well, you can always sell your swords to the highest bidder to keep that experienced pool of manpower!