How easy is it to add a Tech Area to a Mod

[Tnarg]

This may be a shot in the dark, but hey worth a shot. I have been daydreaming up new ideas to make the game more in depth and interesting. One thing I think that would be interesting to see would be a type of SETI Tech area and multiple tech level to follow. Anyhow the premise.

Tech Area: SETI (what this would do is to enable the detection of systems with out making contact via physical means.)

Tech Level I: SETI Facility I, Can detect home sytems of an Intelligent Species 4 sectors away(or an 1/8 of the distance of a galaxy)(I'm still trying to figure out light year distances in the actual game-bear with me). Enabling the Empires Window so that contact, treaties, and trade can begin (limited to a point of course). *con* time delay of 4 turns simulate speed of light communications

Tech Level II: SETI Facility II, " " 8 sectors (or a 1/4 fo the distance of a galaxy) " ". *con* " " 2 turns " ".

Tech Level II: Radio Communications Silencer Facility (Or Laser Optics Communication Facility), allows a species to silence themselves and maintain isolation.

Tech Level III: SETI Facility III Sub-space communications, " " 16 sectors (or a 1/2 of the distance of a galaxy) " ". Instantaneous Communications (like regular game communications)

Tech Level III: Radio Communications Silencer Facility II, eliminates all updated info even with if contact has been made physcically in the past. Requires a ship to be present in a system to gather intelligence or communicate with, rather than visit once and then always have contact with.

Tech Level IV: SETI Facility IV tachyon communication facility or as in Arthur C. Clarkes "The Light of Other Days" wormhole communications, " " with the entire galaxy " "

There of course is quiet of bit to revise and add (in between levels). This is just a sketch. Why would this be nifty? Well think about it. 1. It makes sense logically to try and detect your enemies or allys before you send out ships to attack or greet and form stronger alliances (as mentioned earlier only a limited amount of treaties and trade can take place; no mineral, organics, and radioactives obviously, or anything material for that matter, just info ie: star charts, technology, minamal treaties, a cry for help or stay away, ect.) 2. Those that want to be sheltered from detection right away, well, then research it. 3. Its a big galaxy and why not have beacons to aim for or avoid. 4. Gallatic Encylclopedia. 5. Frank Drake's 5th or 6th section of the Drake equation (the amount of species that gain radio technological intelligence). 6. In reality, this will more in likely be the first step that we "humans" actually make contact. 7. This leads to another tech area and facility type: advanced optical facilities or platforms "Hubble x100". 8. New strategy. 9. What about Art Bell and government "remote viewing" programs. 10. Ah ha yet another tech area and facility, or perhaps just an advanced tech level.

I'm aiming this idea to PvK and the splendid creativity and dedication to the Proportions Mod. Especially since the Newtonian Travel can take tens of turns to explore even a small portion of the galaxy.

I have a few other ideas too, if anyone is interested. I have absolutly no clue where to begin on creating my own mod, but I am more than willing to share my ideas. Two brains are always better than one, I don't care how intelligent you are.

[Tnarg]

I possibly may have something on a new advanced racail trait too. I'm trying to resolve all the pros and cons.

[Suicide Junkie]

Adding the tech area would be easy.
Adding facilities that give you those abilities requires hardcode changes.

Note that you would not be able to cloak your transmissions once you have ever sent any.
The first transmissions would take years to arrive at the next star systems... you would be left with a shell of radio noise expanding away from your planet.

Another thing about pure radio detection. If it takes 4 years for transmissions to get to the nearest star, by that point, most empires will be spanning a large lumber of systems and have made contact with races much farther than one system away.
The SETI stuff would have to be based on FTL communications in order to be worthwhile.

An FTL comm scanner would get you a very similar effect to the Ancient Race trait. You can see planets around other stars in realtime, and detect the signs of civilization.
(Hint: Medium sized planets that have equal value across the three resources, and are close to either 80%, 100%, or 125% depending on the game settings)

========================

I like the idea for having different actions available depending on how far apart your civilizations are.

Note: everything below would require hardcode changes, and may only appear in SE5.

Something like multiplying the cost of an intel project by one plus the number of systems between you and your target.
Intel ops against core worlds and ships would be much harder than ops against ships and planets in your own systems.
Trade could work the same sort of way. Research alliances might not be affected, since you could transmit the data.

[Tnarg]

Like I mentioned earlier, this was just a sketch, alot of aspects need to be ironed out. I'm still kind of new to the game. Being that the game is set in the year 2400, I supposed FTL communincations could possiblably be sensible and a good starting point in the game.

Perhaps to further expand communications ranges one could deploy relay sats, which could add a new twist to play. Need to defend them, or tapping could take place. I just like the whole idea for a more realistic type of detection and communications role in the game.

[Suicide Junkie]

FTL isn't really a part of the SE4 universe. Consider that all contact is lost once the Last warppoint connecting two civs is closed.

Relay sats would be nice. I would imagine that it would be very interesting (though a humans-only game) if you required at least one sat, ship or base with a special comm component in each starsystem through which you wanted to send Messages.

In order to deal with a race on the other side of the galaxy, you would have to have either a very long string of sats, or go through a few middlemen races (who get to see your message), or possibly have a colony (embassy) set up inside their territory.
To avoid the cheap way out of gifting embassy moons to other players, the palace ability could be implemented. Allow only one facility (or cloaked ship/base for paranoid races) with that ability at any one time, and comms would be measured from that point.
Losing your palace (anarchy!) means you cannot communicate with other races until a new one is built.

[Tnarg]

So are you perhaps implying that you are interested in pursuing such ventures. These do pose interesting strategies and in depth game play. I beleive that if enough people put their heads together and ironed out details, it could make for a completely different approach to the normal game, very much like some of the mods out there. I'm hoping to grab the attention of PvK perhaps just to see if additional ideas are feasable to incorporate into an already existing mod.