Some new ideas.

[Sartek]

Hello everyone.

I play Civilization since Civ3 and I think something should be changed to add more realism. The way we research technologies in Civ isn't scientifically accurate, I mean Humans in Ancient times didn't research the wheel, it was discovered by "accident" and the same applies for many inventions. I believe that should be implemented some kind of randomness in the way we discover technologies.

I think it would be innovative to have something like:

- Technology trees (like the ones we see in Civ4: Economy, War, Growth...) and the player could choose one and the techs would appear with some randomness, but not 100% random, it would be influenced by bonus of the cities, environment great people, etc... and there would an order of discovery (of course).

- Other thing I think that should be upgraded is the religion system. I believe there should be more religions in Civ5, mainly the ones before Christianity and all should give different bonus... it's not discrimination! We need to be realistic! The religions influenced societies in different ways, we can't treat them like if they were all equal.

- Lets talk about war. In the Ancient Times was when more Civs were conquered and they didn't wait for war machines (example: Ancient Egypt). In Civ4, at least I, can't conquer 1 city without siege engines and can't forget my archer, without any promotion, killed 9 warriors in a row, so why not make war a little more easier to the aggressor in the begging ye?

Anyway this are all ideas (from a noob ) that aren't very well worked out, but I would like ear some opinions and since this is a strategy game, randomness isn't maybe the best option...

[Floating Pants]

I see what you mean by the unrealism civ impliments through the ancient technoligies, but most of these technologies were dicovered from people's need to survive, and these inventions made it easier. But the way you put that specialists would discover technoligies in a certain order gives less meaning to researching a chain of technoligies built to only have advantage against your rivals. Once in the rennisance era, most technoligies and inventions are starting to be founded by now famous people, which later spread thoughout their surrounding lands. Comparing to civ4, I don't think great people were born often enough, even with wonders and specialists.

But the great people don't really "discover" the technology in the later game, they just give a half bonus of time, which i would rather use their other ability. I think they need to always discover the technology.

And i disilke how bordering countries, with trade routes and cultural mixes, one can maintain so much technology from the other, while in history, if one invention was made in Europe, it spread to all Europe.

I think religions should have bonuses, too. For expample, Christianity: spreads 25% faster; Islam: New units recieve +2 experince points; Hinuism: recieves bonus with AI civs for resolving peace.


Those are some of my ideas.

[Harle]

I've never really liked Civ's relatively linear tech tree.

Not every nation actually independently 'discovers' the same technologies. Technology has generally been something that spreads naturally from person to person, city to city, state to state, nation to nation. The Greeks invented a lot of things(the art of cartography, for one), and it was -their- work that gradually disseminated out throughout other cultures. They didn't independently tell their great thinkers to try to emulate the mysterious cartography of the Greeks. It was just something that eventually was 'stolen' in a matter of speaking.

Civ treats ideas and technology as things that can be owned and traded and controlled, but they aren't. Humans are clever. If a person has never seen a wheel in their entire life, and suddenly sees a horse-drawn carriage, they can probably figure out the wheel pretty rapidly.

I'd actually like to see a system where nations 'research' in a more abstract way. Your nation may or may not actually discover the wheel. There is a chance you could discover it(and over a long period of time you eventually will), but more likely you will absorb the technology from a neighbor who has already discovered it, or perhaps they absorbed it from one of their neighbors, and so on.

So basically, while a tech might be discovered independently by several different nations, the rest will generally end up having to 'absorb' it from neighbors.

Which techs you discover would depend on what techs you already have, and what sorts of structures you have built, and what sorts of military units you're producing, and that manner of thing. If you are building ports and ships, you would be more likely to develop a totally new naval technology, while your landlocked partner would be more likely to develop horseback combat, and over time, you would naturally exchange those technologies.

Certain factors would increase or decrease the likelihood of unintentional tech sharing. For example, trade between two nations would dramatically increase the chance for tech migration. While certain governments(like communism) and wonders(like the forbidden city) could decrease the likelihood of tech migration.

Anyway, this is something I would really like, but I suspect there would be people who would dislike the lack of control inherent in such an idea.