Future Tech Question

donarumo · October 22, 2001, 16:24

Maybe this is not the right forum but I don't think we have a civ3 mod forum yet.

I am planning a future mod for Civ3 and I am looking for ideas for future techs. Things like mag trains, nanobots, space ladders.

I have just started planning this in my head so feel free to post any future techs and units that could appear going out to the year 3000.

Thanks.

Ralf · October 22, 2001, 16:46

Quote:

Originally posted by donarumo
I am planning a future mod for Civ3 and I am looking for ideas for future techs. Things like mag trains, nanobots, space ladders.

Just dont forget future cultural & lifeview/lifestyle progressive techs, as well. Futuristic tech-trees with only "technical" or "tecnocratic" knowledge becomes so dry and boring.

Lemmy · October 22, 2001, 17:04

you look at the tech trees from SMAC and CTP, there were some nice techs in there, with an explanation and everything.
You would have to balance it properly off course, too much tech can make it too complicated.

Here are some future techs i find interesting :
Fusion power, don't know if it's included in civ3
True AI, there already exists an AI with the intelligence of a 4 year old.
Quantum computers, they are supposed to be so fast, that they have computed everything you wanted before you even hit the power switch
Neural interfaces, complete human/machine integration

there should definitely be cultural techs also, but i can't think of any right.

EnochF · October 22, 2001, 17:39

Hey, I'm working on one too! I never finished my mod for Civ II, so I'm just going to "upgrade" what I've got to Civ III and hopefully finish it this time. ^_^

Redoing all the graphics is gonna take a lot of time, though...

donarumo · October 22, 2001, 17:43

Thanks for the ideas. Yes, some cultural techs will be needed.

For graphics, I am planning to use existing graphics from other games to start off with anyway. It might be kind of weird to have still graphics next to animated ones but we will have to see.

MustPost · October 22, 2001, 18:20

The Americans invent Civilization(the computer game that is)

That might be a cool advance. Dawns the age of culture.
Or it could possibly be a wonder instead.

SerapisIV · October 22, 2001, 18:35

Quote:

Originally posted by MustPost
The Americans invent Civilization(the computer game that is)

That might be a cool advance. Dawns the age of culture.
Or it could possibly be a wonder instead.

Nah, it'd cause work slow downs as a large portion of the population call in sick for weeks on end and people who do actual show up to work aren't productive because they had to have "just one more turn" the night before.

Invent Civ3:
-50% Shield Production
+3

GodSpawn · October 22, 2001, 18:54

Some ideas off the top of my head:

Anti Gravity (lots of applications)
Quantum Pair "radio" (instantaneous communications over any distance)
Deep Core Power Generators (drilled into the crust of the earth)
Deep Core Mines (lots of resources from anywhere)
Molecular Sieve (sp?) (allows fast, cheap extraction of fresh water from sea water)
Iceburg Tugs (also allows cheap delivery of fresh water to any coast)
Gas Fuel Cells (significantly reduces transport pollution)
Robotic Workers (increases happiness and/or production)
Arcologies (increases max city pop)
Gene-Specific Viruses (only infect a certain civilisation)
Brain Implants (increases intelligence, science output)
Matter Transmission (transport non-organic units instantantiously over large distances)
Fusion Power (more production)
Room-Temperature Superconductors (more production, superfast computers, less power usage)
Smart Materials (better combat units)
Advanced Hydroponics (better food production)
AI (higher science output - possibly a prereq for Robotic Workers)
Computers that don't crash (nah, too unrealistic)

ndnls · October 22, 2001, 19:16

For cultural techs, think of the social consequences of a technological development. How would a cyborg or inteligent computer react to a normal human? Would owning an advanced AI computer be considered slavery? what about the technological have-nots? Do the laws of physics impose fundamental limits on the development of technology?

Sarxis · October 22, 2001, 19:50

Advanced Space Flight, and also any advanced medical techs would be appropriate and would fit within the game.

And also any sort of recycling technologies and energy sources (yeah, like Fusion Power).

Also, advanced manufacturing processes (fully robotic assembly plants, nano assembly).

Colonel Kraken · October 22, 2001, 20:02

Quote:

Originally posted by GodSpawn
Some ideas off the top of my head:

Computers that don't crash (nah, too unrealistic)

Some other ideas:

Nano-medicine: microscopic robots injected into the body to repair tissue and attack viruses/bacteria.
Human Genome: mapping out human DNA and knowing what each gene does.
Bio-neural net computers: using grown organic matter/neurons to make superfast/semi-intelligent computers.
Geo-core power plant: tapping the earth's core for unlimited power.
Interactive holography: allows engineers to design things and actually interact with them before building them.

I have a lot more from my modifications to CtPII, but I'm not at home right now. Perhaps I'll list more later.

EnochF · October 22, 2001, 20:11

Define Advanced Space Flight. How is it different from Space Flight? I always thought adding "Advanced" or "Space" or "Interplanetary" in front of pre-existing techs was a bit of a cop-out. I tried to avoid it as much as possible.

(would have been glad to see "Advanced Flight" taken out of Civ III, but oh well...)

Is this mod earth- or space-based?

From Call to Power: Asteroid Mining, Digital Encryption, Cryonics (Cryogenics), Arcology, Neural Interface, Smart Materials, Fuel Cells, Cloning

From SMAC: Ecological Engineering, Frictionless Surfaces, Fusion Power, Matter Compression, Monopole Magnets, Unified Field Theory... everything else is pretty much meaningless future-babble.

Alex 14 · October 22, 2001, 21:50

How about creating a new Government?

Sarxis · October 22, 2001, 22:42

Yeah- just about any techs from SMAC.

TechWins · October 22, 2001, 23:12

Human Cloning - Decreases happiness & increases shield production.
Immortality - Revives units (better barracks)
Gene Splicing - Creates all veteran units
Virtual Religion - an improved temple that will increase culture/happiness

Those are just a few suggestions I have, right off the top of my head.

Mars · October 22, 2001, 23:17

Humm... Something religious...

Man - God comlink

Transcend device
At home religion kit

you could call advanced spaceflight - starships, light speed travel, Space Colonies, Artifical Enviroments (i.e space colony)

Sentient computers
- AI/alien rights act (? - cultural) (+ productivety, +happiness)
Smart Robots (+ productivety)
IPBM (interplanetary ballistic missile

)
Beam Weapons (units)
Force Fields (units + improv)
Fusion Power
Instant commerce (?)
Matter Transmisson (units + improv)
Frictionless Surfaces (Units)

Elucidus · October 23, 2001, 00:04

I've been thinking of doing the same type of thing. I've tried it with Civ II and all, but without any ability to work with graphics (Yes even most of my little bmps sucked) I haven't been very successful in the past. I had some good ideas; at least I think they were anyway. So here I go just spouting stuff.

Thinking of things like weather control, you got Nano-tech already...

What other than military uses for gauss tech or maybe plasma (The military aspects are obvious)?

What about subterranean things (don't know how doable that would be), housing, farms, mines (I guess that would be deep core).

What about advanced Mental Abilities...I know I'm grasping...Telepathy, Mind Control, or Telekinesis, maybe?
Lasers...I'm sure everyone thought of these, but for medical purposes as well...maybe even mining purposes.

How about the Holodeck from Star Trek?
Mechs...Like from MechWarrior?

What about Matter/Anti-Matter Technology?

Photon Manipulation (or is that part of the Holodeck thing? not a big trekkie here so I don't know)

Core Waste Dumps...Like from MoO2 (deep Core Mining Made me think of that one

)?
Android workers like from MoO2 as well?

Space Stations...Maybe help with defense...Don't know how that would work either?
Anti-Gravity Tech?
One of these civ games had what they called a body exchange from like human cloning. I think that could work.

Stealth and Cloaking Techs? Don't know if you could differentiate the two...doubt it

Maybe Shields like CTP had?

Cybernetics...Was this mentioned already? I think it was, but ohh well.

Energy transmitters...what this would do in game terms...I don't know for sure.

Cryogenics...or whatever it would be called. Don't know a purpose for that either. Some form of advanced genetic engineering or manipulation (mentioned...I believe so)

I liked the Sea colonies and Space colonies from CTP two (I was annoyed when they got rid of Space ones from CTP2). These are probably not doable either.

Biomachinery...or is that cybernetics? Ohh well

Miniaturization...I guess could be a precursor to Nano-tech

Liquid metal...oh sorry saw T2 recently

Secrets of the human brain, from SMAC; precursor to psionics (mental prowess)

A non-organic fuel source (not oil/gas)

How about DNA Viruses that kill a person only with specific DNA matches...of course I don't know anything about DNA so don't know if this even fits.

Not all of this is from the top of my head, as I flipped through a couple of books real quick. Hopefully, it will spur some sparking in your gray matter, and we can go on from here.

I don't mind if you don't like any of the ideas here, but don't get all-scientific on me, please. Like I said this was just spouting ideas, bouncing them off of you guys, if you will. I would like to here what you guys think, as well.

Thanks for your time and sorry for the length of this post.

donarumo · October 23, 2001, 00:29

I think Miniturization leads to Nano Tech which leads to Liquid Metal (molecular sized robots) but not sure how this fits.

Maybe nano-tech brain enhacements could add to culture by increasing inelligence and appreciation/creation of higher arts.

Also, I think a nano-tech unit could almost act like intelligent chemical warfare and be a stealth unit amongst other more offensive units.

Holodeck would certainly lead to less disgruntled people and could easily fit into the small wonder category.

Although I like space colonies, I don't think they would be possible under the current architecture of the game. I could be wrong about that though.

Wow, great ideas from all. Definately sparks the imagination.

Rasbelin · October 23, 2001, 01:41

Advances

Time Traveling

WoW's

These can already be found, but they are
doing future research or they are future projects.

Abilene Project
MIT
International Space Station
Star Wars Defence System

Lemmy · October 23, 2001, 05:01

Quote:

Originally posted by donarumo
...
Maybe nano-tech brain enhacements could add to culture by increasing inelligence and appreciation/creation of higher arts.
...

nano-tech sculptures as a cultural advance, artists use nano-bots to create statues and other forms, with nano-bots and maybe neural interface, they could really make whatever they imagine. When you have both techs, you can build nanosculpture studios (or something like that), an improvement that increases culture.

donarumo: maybe you can edit your first post and put in a list with techs you plan to use, so not everyone has to read every post to see if their idea hasn't already been mentioned

The Templar · October 23, 2001, 05:13

You know, it would be great if CTP sprites could be imported for units. Nah, won't happen.

Ribannah · October 23, 2001, 07:46

Cargo Pipeline
Global Marketing
Hydrogen Engine
Regeneration
Superconductor (!)
Unified Field Theory
Virtual Reality

Not really future techs anymore, but not in civ3:

Ceramics
Cybernetics
Optical Fibre

art_vandelai · October 23, 2001, 10:29

[QUOTE] Originally posted by Rasbelin
Advances

Time Traveling

Time travel is already in Civ 2, and is discovered in 3990 BC. It's called save and reload.

donarumo · October 23, 2001, 10:36

Quote:

Originally posted by Lemmy
donarumo: maybe you can edit your first post and put in a list with techs you plan to use, so not everyone has to read every post to see if their idea hasn't already been mentioned

To be honest, although I see how this would be helpful, I don't know yet which ones will be used. I should be able to finalize my list of advances, improvements, and units more once the strategy guide and then the game comes out though.

I am sure that there must be others working on similar modifications though and reading through these posts may spark their imaginations as well.

Rasbelin · October 23, 2001, 11:35

Quote:

Originally posted by Ribannah

Ceramics

Wouldn't good old Pottery be better?

Civ Dave · October 23, 2001, 12:05

Its all about teleporting people that can steal resources

I'll give you good stuff later

Ribannah · October 23, 2001, 12:27

Quote:

Originally posted by Rasbelin
Wouldn't good old Pottery be better?

I know that some tribes get scientific advantages in Civ3, but a jump from Pottery to Superconductor (prereqs: Ceramics, The Laser) would be quite staggering ....

Pots In Space!! Pots In Space!!

Mars · October 23, 2001, 15:25

Nanotech could be used for medicine as well.(little bots running through your body killing germs and stuff)

Quote:

What other than military uses for gauss tech or maybe plasma

Plasma could be used for production (energy; plasma harvesting from the sun; cutting things)

Future Governments

Hive (for lack of a better word)
Corporate capitalism (although this could have been around like 100 years ago)
Technocracy

knott · October 23, 2001, 16:23

I would like a "1984" government or something like that.

Mars · October 23, 2001, 17:38

Has anyone mentioned cloning (i guess thats a pretty important one.)

Also:
Satellite weapons
FTL (both com and transport)
Tachyon
Gravity Manipulation
Exo-skeletons (personal sized mechenized armor that enhances the wearers strength speed jumping ability and armor able to carry.)