Procedual Evolution of Technology

[Yoma_Nosme]

Right now we start with 3 dupes. Dig a bit. Make toilets and cots. Dig a bit more to get copper. Immediately make hamster wheel, batteries, wires and research station. Start research. 

What immediately hits the eye is that you get wires, batteries from the start no research needed. Or the deoxidizer, But the algae terrarium which is inarguably lower tech you have to research.

I would like to suggest a overhaul of the tech tree. Further a third research station you get first that needs no power and is there to develop the higher tech research station, research wire making, hamster wheels and batteries.

This way you would start like this.

3 dupes. Dig. Build outhouse (no tech building). Cots (no tech building). Build algae terrarium, pitcher pump and compost (no tech buildings), build planter boxes(no tech building) at this moment your colony is barely liveable at no power like a bunch of early hominides

Then the ''new research station '' develop wire making (new building that takes copper and twists it with dupe power to wires). Research batteries and hamster wheels. (''Yeah...you've played now for a couple of cycles.'')

Further you would have to research ''block making '' (oh yeah, I'm not kidding) a new building using dupe power to make blocks from raw mineral. This way you would have to look at your asteroid where you can go and can't early on because there's a hole you can't bridge easily. (Later you can research automatic block maker, they would be faster so the slowdown would only be early on. Automatic Wire makers as well. Needless to say they both would require power)

(Wow...such a huge sense of accomplishment and it's just 10 cycles into the game)

Now it's time to start the real research. 

Coal generator, decorations, pumps and (oh, yeah...the pipe maker...(new building, taking raw materials and making pipes)

A whole new feeling to the game...technology evolves...from the early beginning of algae terrariums and manual everything, no floors no wires to wires, pipes, proper floors and deoxidizers...sky's the limit

 

Ps. I will have to explain a few things further.

The pipe maker and block maker would take raw mineral of any kind and produce 1 (one !) kind of pipe or block to inhibit this material madness...only normal tiles and pipes no (granit, sandstone etc... that's unnecessary imo) insulated tiles and pipes would be made in an extra step (extra machine) again an evolution same goes for radiant pipes.

[NGMZero]

This does have interesting ways to start the game with no techs at all. please don't make me manufacture blocks beforehand though.  building long distance is already a long waiting time of delivering resources.

[Slvrsrfr]

I think I can see what you are getting at. Not sure how low level too take it. But, it is certainly true(imo) the tech/research tree could use some polish. Not bad ideas. I actually like the idea of the block knowledge, but, the implementation may leave something to be desired. And I'm not sure how much more time I would want to sacrifice at the outset of LC. I feel like I am hard pressed from all sides to be in a rush to get things done, or save some critter, head off heat, etc...Two or ten, more cycles to begin to get going seems steep. imo. But, again, it's all in the implementation.

[Yoma_Nosme]

1 hour ago, NGMZero said:

This does have interesting ways to start the game with no techs at all. please don't make me manufacture blocks beforehand though.  building long distance is already a long waiting time of delivering resources.

I think a prebuild block would have some nice advantages in the later run. You could make conveyors just delivering block dupes would build them no need for dupes running to and fro delivering stuff from everywhere. Even without conveyors. Huge advantage would be pathfinding. Dupes will not have to search for different material to deliver.

1 hour ago, Slvrsrfr said:

I think I can see what you are getting at. Not sure how low level too take it. But, it is certainly true(imo) the tech/research tree could use some polish. Not bad ideas. I actually like the idea of the block knowledge, but, the implementation may leave something to be desired. And I'm not sure how much more time I would want to sacrifice at the outset of LC. I feel like I am hard pressed from all sides to be in a rush to get things done, or save some critter, head off heat, etc...Two or ten, more cycles to begin to get going seems steep. imo. But, again, it's all in the implementation.

Thanks.

I think that most of the time we rush ourselves. Sure it would take some time but what's 10 or 20 or 30 cycles compared to 500cycles or 800cycles bases. For the first 100 cycles you have enough resources to survive easily on what's inside the starting biome at least if you don't take every dupe from the printer that is