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Forking tech trees - some ideas

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Echo:
Hello everyone,

I'm a fan of the X-com series (I still play the original) and some time ago I came across UFO:AI, and I have to say, I'm quite impressed with the way the game seems to be progressing.

One thing in particular that I found to be an improvement from the original game is the way your head researchers mail you. Cdr. Navarre and Dr. Connor (and later, Col. Falkland) have personalities and ideas above and beyond their roles as reaserch information givers - so without further ado:

Branching Tech Trees, some ways to make it figure into the story/campaign.

1. One of your researchers is kidnapped, and if the rescue mission fails, is replaced by someone else (Such as Dr. Yamamura, if Dr. Connor is captured) who will either limit your tech tree or provide completely different ideas. For example, I imagine that Dr. Yamamura would push for further research in the direction of psionics in order to communicate with the aliens, whereas Dr. Connor would avoid that path in favour of a XIV counter-serum that would "disconnect" the aliens from one another... while on this train of thought, If a counter-serum for XIV is developed, perhaps some limited number of 'liberated' aliens might make themselves available for recruitment, knowing that they are fighting against their former captors/slavers.

2. Upon meeting certain in game requirements, a strange email comes in from a hacker, known as ______ who nonchalantly lets you know that he/she is "the best human mind ever to ever lay hands a digital interface", and that you should just ask Cdr. Navarre if you want proof. (Cdr. Navarre should send an e-mail at the same time panicking about his computer and files going haywire, with no evidence as to why). This would open up some tech tree possibilities, or upgrades to some of Cdr. Navarre's technological designs, faster reverse engineering of alien nav/computer systems, etc... Of course, Navarre won't like this very much, having started off on a bad foot with this newcomer, and as a result, he may chose to leave the project at some point, or simply not propose certain designs.


This is to say nothing of the actual technology to be presented in the game, just plot-ways to introduce them. I hope these notes strike a spark in someone's imagination.

-Echo

Prinegon:
Doesn't work for me.

If the first possibility is going to happen and your research tree is margled, once a scientist is captured by the aliens, you will most likely simply reload.

If we follow your second sugguestion, that could mean, you actually would want to trigger the abduction of a specific person to unlock the research branch you prefer. I don't like one trying to trigger something harmful to himself to get rewarded.

Jarkill:
You misunderstand. The second one isn't triggering harmful consequences or anything like that, just that at a certain stage of the game (from the way I see it) You get to choose one of two advanced tech lines; the one given by Navarre and the one given by the hacker. You don't lose anything, you choose which way you want to go.

Of course as much as this seems like a nice idea it will probably not happen, honestly. Choices are nice, but I'm not even sure the engine supports it (of course, I'm pretty much as dumb as a rock for this kind of thing).

Another way of doing this is choosing a corporation to purchase your weapons from; An experimental technology research faction might give you reverse engineered alien tech, while a military weapons supplier would focus on earth based weapons and modifying them, giving you more accurate and cheaper weapons, but dealing less damage, etc.

Of course, ain't gonna happen.

BTAxis:
The engine would probably be able to handle it, but I don't think it's such a good idea anyway. We had plans for a forking tech tree with multiple, mutually exclusive forks depending on research order, but we had to abandon that idea. It's a challenge as it is to construct an expansive tech tree without relying on useless filler techs.

DiDiT:
Hmm... about the hacker idea, I'm not sure about, seems a little 'Mary sue'-ish.

also, BTaxis, Is it possible to have research options that are mutually exclusive? If it is, I'v got a few ideas...

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