Do any of you guys actually notice when real ideas come around? NOPE would be the answer! 8O

However, since my holiday, I am a reformed man.

NOT!

Hehehe warp powered tractor! Harvest crops at the speed of light! Now all we need is a way to shovel them into my stomach at the speed of light...

...

Right then, serious stuff - mart7x5's ideas - (Did I say hello to you by the way? I can't remember you, so if I haven't said so, hi! Otherwise )

The research agreements is an idea that I think would really well, especially for the Federation and Romulans. It would also work well with the Cardassians and Dominion, but to a lesser extent.

I'm not sure if the Klingons would do this or not though. There was the supposed Warp tech and Starship hulls for Cloaking devicees and tech trade between the Klingons and Romulans, but this wasn't a joint research venture.

If this was to be in, I think SOM would need to say his piece on how it would affect them. (Eg. They can't do it, or they don't do it well, or they are ok at research ventures, or they are good at it, or they are the best at it)

For the stealing GRP, the game is gonna be more intelligent, so it won't be shown as bad as you seem to think it was. It's definitely a possibility to have it as a specific option, or to have it as a random event. Either way, this will need a leeetle more discussion.

Anyway, this ties in with sabotage. As far as I know, the intel stuff hasn't been finalised, so we can't make any solid decisions on such things yet.

Special spy missions...well this could be a random event (As in BOTF when you are doing particularly well) or a specific part of your intelligence operations. Decisions, decisions...again, we can't make them til intel is complete though...

Donations of tech would need to be handled carefully. The Federation wouldn't want to do it coz of the Prime Directive, the Romulans just wouldn't do it, the Klingons wouldn't bother unless they got something they really wanted out of it...It would need some fine balancing (Again, coz the game is gonna be more intelligent. If you could simply give all you tech away, the authenticity and feel of the game would be ruined)

But if they are bad at researching, how are they gonna be able to easily understand tech that is far beyond their capability? It sounds more like a disaster waiting to happen if you ask me.

You just have to think of races like the Pakled or the decimated one from Voyager that got Matter/Anti-matter tech from the Probe that Earth sent out into Space when it was still learning about Warp tech.

There is a reason for the Prime Directive afterall!

Being able to improve your relations with other races by gifting technology would certainly be good addition to the game though. I think if it was to be implemented, it should only be posible between races that are Allied/Affiliated. You wouldn't give tech to an enemy, afterall...well, unless you had suicidal tendencies... 8O

Perhaps a system where races that are 'normally' opposed to each other would receive greater benefits if tech was traded?

Learning from a traditional enemy would be a great boost to your research efforts, particularly if they are well ahead of you.

If such a system were to be in, it would then need to be balanced carefully, depending on map type.

The canon map would be the easiest, because things would be fairly static. Federation fights Klingons, Federation allies Klingons, and so on.

In the random map though, the game would need to recognise past war and treaties, to be able to work out which races are 'traditional' races.

I know, you guys probably think i'm rambling now, but I think this would be the best way of implementation. With only 6 weeks til the game's release though, I doubt it will be in, but it's a nice thought...

I think, that in original BOTF no possibility for trade of technologies takes away a lot of playability.

Prime Directive - as you CVN - 65 point, if you trade with a warp capable race, PD does not apply. And Federation might consider close cooperation in cases when for example Borg threatens some other Empire. On one side you can think of military help, but giving a technology is also very efficient. Would it unbalance the game? I would say the game would have more depth. Some additional aspects might be included, like each tech would have also for each civilization the understanding factor. E.g. understanding 100% would give the best benefits from a some technology, little "side effects" (side effects - new idea?). Then a tech could be traded only to other Empires when understanding would be 100%.

Then what would be the difference between:
- understanding 90% and having the tech
- and having 90% researched tech without having that tech yet?
The first might give technology benefits, but for example price of components might be higher. 90% understanding would slightly increase price, but 50% understanding would seriously increase the price. So when you plan to donate some high technology to some empire much lower in the tech tree, they could only receive it with low understanding. They would with time improve it.

Just some idea.

Romulans not willing to trade or donate technologies? There might be cases. Romulans might give some e.g. spying technology to some empire when that empire might aid them against common enemy. Such options might be programmed. The Romulan AI would be conditioned appropriately to their philosophy and would judge when to give a technology and when not.

I'm inclined to agree with all your points there, ZDarby. You have much knowledge in such subjects.

Yikes! A lot of those names are absolutely terrible, the placement is just as bad, I can't imagine how bad the descriptions are. Warp drive needs to be the basic propulsion tech, as does anti-matter. Cochran had both for the Pheonix. I'll save them for tomarrow and write a correction to it all when I can think more clearly.

Bio-Tech

Protomatter is not biological, it should go under Energy based science. It is supposed to be a form of matter.

1. Hydroponics
2. Bio-Synthetics
3. Bionics
7. Climate Control
8. Air Conversion
9. Biofiltration
10. Eco-Modification

These are all things we have now and shouldn't be on the list, at least not without some modification. The tech tree should really name things which are the beginning of new fields, rather the continuation of old fields. By the description of what each tech level brings for the Biotech tree, it would seem it should really be split, or even the entire tech tree reoganised into something that makes more sense. Keep in mind that by the time of Star Trek these are all old technologies and are acualy necesary in advance of space flight for space to be a reality.

Xenobiology should really be number one. Silicobiology should be around level 9.

1. Xenobiology - Study of alien life
2. Xenobiological Cross Breading - Cross breading of alien life
3. Bio-synthetics - Viable, whole, complex, life forms completely made from scratch down to even their form of information storage.
4. Geoforming - Changing one enviroment into any other enviroment
5. Organic Replication - Consistent successful replication of organic meterial through exotic application of transporters.
6. Metabiology - Study of incoporial life forms
7. Transmeterialbiology - Study of non-carbon based life forms

11. Living Matter Replication - Replication of living matterial

Energy

Cold Fusion should definatly not be on their, it's never been seen in Star Trek. Not only that, the evidence toward it being possible is tentative at best.

Subspace Physics really needs to be number 1 on the list since its related to a whole slew of increadably important technologies. Maybe it should even be the basic tech. Anyway, its description should be the study of subspace wave dynamics and how it interacts with the basic four dimensions. Study into this area of physics leads into the first subspace radios and sensors.

Matter Conversion, on its own it sounds like it is refering to replication technology, which would be great. But it is actualy refering to technology that doesn't exist in Star Trek and that would make technologies such as, fusion, anti-matter, and quantum singularities completely redundant. What the first half the description allows you to do is carry around a block of lead and turn it into energy, its energy density is higher than that of hydrogen since it is a denser meterial. The denser the meterial, the more energy you carry around, and since you can convert normal matter, you can keep the stuff in the equiviliant of a coal bunker, wihout the nasty trouble of coal fires, or explosion, as you would have with anti-matter. The second half the description is almost as evil as the Ultraconductor description but only in that it is completely meaningless.

EP Distribution's description is messed up, I think. YOu should be able to use room temperature plasma to conduct electrisity.

Anti-Matter Fusion, this one just doesn't sit well with me and the description just sounds wrong in several ways I can't point out.

Ultraconductors, oh God, that's a terrible one. The name alone indicates what it is and the description removes all doubt, it's a perpetual motion machine. It has an efficency greater than 100%.

Zero Point Energy and Virtual Particle creation actualy sort of go hand in hand, I just don't remember the specifics. Anyway, ZPE has never been used in Star Trek and current estimates put its energy value at something like 1X10-17 joules per meter^3.

Determinacy, it sounds like the Hysenburg Compensator, which would make it a very early technology, pre Enterprise in fact. It shouldn't be on the list.

That's enough for tonight.

{edit} I just thought of a good one for contruction, Stable Transplutonic Elements.