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[Lechai]

Hi Everyone,

Decided to have some fun and mock up a research tree based on some idea's already covered in the suggestions, a fair few baked up in my own cranium, as well as making some existing starting tech actually locked until researched.

The categories are based on the player skills with the exception of Hand to Hand which would need to be renamed 'Physical' for it to make sense.
This is by no means a comprehensive list, is horribly unbalanced, and some of the items listed would be extremely hard to implement in-game.

I forgot to add it in the Image but the Research Technologies are Tier 1 through Tier 6 from left to right. But you probably figured that out already...

I did introduce a mechanic to implement the endgame escape. But it's hard to come up with balanced cost values without having the game to play with (yet). And before you ask, YES it's deliberate that you need to build the ship component before researching the next part. I'm just hoping that the eventual end-game mechanic we end up getting is equally as difficult. I want escaping to be an exhilarating achievement, not just a destination.

Remember, if you have suggestions for the game. This is NOT the place for it. There are better threads for that such as the cheap idea's thread and other specific topic threads etc, it will make compiling suggestions a lot easier (for whoever is doing that).
This is just me having some fun with ideas (and not the social bot) and making them look pretty.
And its kind of a bit... big to put in another thread.

Feel free to comment.
Keep spreading the word for this awesome game!
And as always... Enjoy

Lechai

[SteveAdamo]

wow lechai... that is some very impressive work! i particularly liked the "propaganda" and "negotiators loudspeaker" suggestions under Social... 

[ElcomeSoft]

Some of these are fantastic, others not so hot... (Sex bot? )

Negotiator's Loudspeaker, Combat Windows and motion detectors are my picks for most awesome ideas there.

[starlight]

Some general comments (independent of the final items in the research tree):

1. I would like to see more dependencies in the research tree. Particularly between the six areas. More meaningful ones rather than research a level 5 research tech to get any Tier 5 tech.
For example, bots / machines are powered by fission cores.
When you research fusion cores, all new bots can be manufactured with this tech.
Alpha Centauri had this kind of mechanic.

2. The Physical research area is more of a mish-mash between military, and medical.
It needs more medical technologies: hospital is clearly missing.
Doctors can be re-searched as a profession, and then assigned to a colonist.

3. I am pretty excited about the game in general, and the idea of a research tree as well.
I just think this particular version needs more thought in it to make it more intense  rather than boring.
For example: the user needs to be forced to make hard choices at the beginning: focus on food, focus on defense, focus on offense, etc.
The tree may actually be achieving this: more will be clear when we get the game, and if we put values / costs on the tree.

4. Items on the research tree I don't like:
A. Sex Bots: Too.....sexist? And in case I am the squeamish type. I thought this was a game I could play in front on the family.
B. Stealing from traders: Should not be a Boolean. More based on ethics, risk, etc.

5. The social re-search tree seems a little artificial. May work in-game, but otherwise force fitted to become a tree.
Can we instead have these mechanics based on creating buildings which
add happiness like library, sports area, etc, and the creation of these buildings would be based on requisite technologies.

6. You could have (only if you wish) dedicated counsellors to help counsell people to prevent them from become unhappy, and going too low.
This would require the profession to be un-locked via research tree, and then a counsellor assigned.

7. Combat Tree:
Items like vest would better: block damage rather than increase health.
Why should they do that.
Better to have Combat Suit - I and Combat Suit -II rather than the current design.

Maybe don't quote a message this big (-;

[Blitz]

Man posts like these are why this game has so much promise to it. There are really no limits on what can be done. Nice work coming up with these things. I love the Roomba and mining helmets. These simple things would help out big time.

I am not so sure about a tree though. I think a pool would be a better way to go about the game. Think of it this way - these colonists have spaced based technology. They know what these things are. It is not really like Civ where you need to actually learn the new methods. So if we make a pool where all are unlocked, we would not have to mess with going through techs that we don't need. We could directly research the last tier (although it would take significantly longer with the unskilled researchers).

[miah999]

This is really nice, but have you thought of a radial lay out, liner tech trees are overdone.

[Lechai]

Thanks for the comments everyone.

@miah999 Yes a Radial Layout is possible, but its SOOOOO much harder... messier... and more difficult to follow.
But yes, would make inter-dependencies  easier to do.

@Blitzkriegsler Thanks for the comments Roomba's and mining helmets exist now and aren't even space tech, however these motley crew of untrained colonists with random skills and abilities are researching these technologies in a matter of days, not months or years. Its pretty commonly accepted amongst forum members that research in Rimworld is purely reverse engineering. However dependencies 'could' be attributed to the knowledge gained from simple devices allow you to better understand more difficult ones. But the bottom line is just there for balance...
However, In my other topic on research i also hinted at the idea of technology pools based on a categories. Where you pick a field and then a random amount of time later you get 'something'. So yes it's equally as possible. It's up to Ty to pick how he wants it to go. Oh and more video's plz Blitz....

@starlight
I may have not explained some of them well "research a level 5 research tech to get any Tier 5 tech." does not exist.
"For example, bots / machines are powered by fission cores." That was actually the idea behind the bots, hence why they list uranium as a build cost. Maybe it just needs fission cores tech as a requirement.
Hospital would not make sense. In Rimworld you don't build complete buildings, you make walls and doors and then put something in it meaningful for your intended purpose. Want a hospital? Put 4 medical cabinets, 2 surgery tables and an organ tank in a room and there you go. Hospital!
Yes a lot of people don't like the sexbots, and i can see their point. I must confess that it was a forced (i don't have a bot for social). However they did exist even all the way back in classic 1970's and 80's sci-fi (yes i'm that old) but i'll probably remove them in a future version anyway.

@ElcomeSoft
Thanks, motion detectors are one of my top 3 fav's too

@SteveAdamo
Thanks, seems the loudspeaker is a popular idea. I must admit it's not my own, it was one of the idea's listed in the cheap idea's thread that i modified slightly.

Just so you all know, some parts of it i didn't like as well, and some were 'forced' to fill a hole. But i didn't want to waste too much time on a theoretical document that would never be developed, so decided to share anyway.
Cheers
Lechai

[AspenShadow]

It's refreshing to see the new ideas for research Lechai 

I'm loving the dedication that went into those trees as well, once again I have to agree with your fans (lol) that the Loudspeaker is a very nice idea. Perhaps it could be an upgrade from a more traditional loudspeaker used to broadcast sappy motivational shout-outs to the labouring workers to increase their mood/productivity?

I like the idea of interdependencies as long as they're clear for the less game-savvy, for the very reason I disagree with Sexbots... Rimworld has the potential to be a massive game that spans traditional age-schisms in the gaming community since it's fairly innocent -without trying to be- and yet still very enjoyable to play.

As far as radial layouts go... I'm really not sure, growing up with Civ and X-Com has made me partial to linear trees, but I've never truly encountered radial before.

[Kelfka]

Hope you don't mind. 
I took your research tree and added some of my own ideas.


[attachment deleted by admin: too old]

[peppie]

this is perfect and I would love to see more research options early in the alpha!

[yabbadabbado]

Very well done. My only suggestion are more branching, or sub branching especially for things like cybernetics. I want more than just 2 implant limit. Id like even different choices having different effects. And it should require a doctor with high doctor skill AND engineering or construction skill to do the surgeries each with varying results (such as robot madness)

[thestalkinghead]

maybe there could be some endgame research, so researchers will always be useful, like mining could be researched to get faster at 5% each time and the research level taking exponentially longer to complete until it's at 100% faster so 20 stages of research, and it could be the same with other things like hydroponics, armour, turret damage/armour etc.

you could also research construction quality, that would reduce the chance of objects getting damaged and needing repair

[Kalesin]

Great idea!!!

[Enjou]

Certainly some interesting ideas, though as some have said it's not perfect. One oddity I'd like to point out is the potted plants - putting a plant and dirt into a pot isn't something you'd need to research.

[Bodog999]

I really like all the ideas exept for the sex bot which is strange