Post
Sat Nov 24, 2012 12:39 am
#3
by croxis
If you want to go a more realistic rout most tech advancements wont be generated by the player, but propagated by the internal and external dynamics between large corporations, governments, and small organizations which the player is just one part of, even if they become a massive empire. I've also never been a large fan of what I call "incubation" research where the player plots down a building, puts in some resources, pick a tech they want from a menu and wait. It isn't very interesting gameplay to me. Sure, you can get fun toys out of it, but the research mechanic itself inst very exciting.
What I think would be a lot more interesting (and difficult to code) is how the player can influence that dynamic by regular participation in the universe. If you look at science fiction overall you have many visions on the tech of the universe: Battlestar Galactica was very carrier-fighter focused tech, Star Trek was cap ship focused, Babylon 5 was somewhere in the middle. Trade could be individual ships zipping around to their own locations picking up the best opportunity at that moment, or trade only really happens in larger caravans with set trade routes.
If the player becomes a strong enough force in the local universe in a particular way the NPCs could respond by developing better technology in a specific area and by altering their behaviors. If the player has a strong capital fleet, everyone else will push theirs at the expense of fighters. Or if caps are the way to go and the player begins doing well with small fast fighters (we can't target them with our turbo lasers!) then the npcs will slowly respond to that. If the player helps police the region and it is relatively safe, there could be a lot more independent trade. If the region is very hostile or a lot of pirates (even if the player is or isnt), then a lot more trade caravans.
David -- Proud to be saving the world since 1984