Mod limiters on capturing alien Tech

CombatSquirrel · #1 October 26th, 2001, 01:13 AM

I seem to remember reading about a way to develop technology that is restricted at the beginning of a game, like a racial trait, to certain players, but that could still be "learned" through capturing ships that have these specialized components.

I can't seem to find it now, or figure out how it could be done.

It would add a whole new level of intrique in a mod trying to finally find the secret to the "Thalasian Death Beam," or the key to mystic science that fuels the "Harkodiak Whisper Drives."

Can the adepts point me in the right direction?

Dracus · #2 October 26th, 2001, 01:15 AM

I think that was actually done by a mod. But I can't remember who did the mod or if it still exist.

Suicide Junkie · #3 October 26th, 2001, 02:22 AM

Take tech areas A,B and C. X and Y are integers of your choice. R is a race with the racial tech, S is a race without.

A is a racial tech
B is not.
C is not.

B requires tech level X in A before being researchable.
C requires tech level Y in B before being researchable.

The results?
- Race S cannot research any of the techs at first.
- Race S cannot steal tech levels in A
- Only race R can research A to level X, and then research B.
- Race S can steal tech levels in B from race R.
- Race S cannot research tech area B ever
- Race S can steal tech levels in C from race R.
- After stealing level Y in tech B, race S can research levels in tech C.

CombatSquirrel · #4 October 26th, 2001, 02:30 AM

Perfect.

Thanks again.

Fyron · #5 October 26th, 2001, 06:06 AM

You cannot have a level in a tech area if you do not have all previous levels in it. Ex: you cannot have Engines 5 without Engines 4. So, if you capture tech B at level Y+3, then you would automatically receive tech levels Y, Y+1, and so on, so that you could have level Y.

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It's not whether you win or lose that counts: it's how much pain you inflict along the way.

Suicide Junkie · #6 October 26th, 2001, 03:30 PM

If you captured a ship with Tech level Y+3, you'd get:
YourCurrentTechlevel + 1
or
tech level Y+3

whichever is lower. So you need to capture al leasy Y+3 ships to be able to research tech C.

Magnum357 · #7 October 27th, 2001, 12:53 AM

Hey SJ, good to see you again.

I've been away for a while so I must have missed a lot. I had no idea you could do this with tech areas! Really gives flavor to research too. Has this method been tested with AI? Or is only really useful with other human players?

Suicide Junkie · #8 October 27th, 2001, 01:40 AM

You could have AI research entries telling it to research tech C. Once it somehow got tech B level Y, it would do the research.

Problem is, the AI dosen't analyse captured ships, so it won't get tech B, except by chance in ruins.

Also, putting tech B components into your designs, could be abused by a human giving them tech level 1 ONLY. Then the AI wastes space with level 1 components.

The only hardcode difficulty with the AIs is getting them to steal tech B in order to open tech C to research.