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[I3erent]

Thinking our litle friends arew ingenious, industrious, etc. maybe they could invent stuff?
Not sure about the actual way it would work any ideas on this?

[Shzar]

Maybe it could be linked to some of the nobles. Like, when you get the Berite noble, he would demand materials with which to build a prototype plough.

[puke]

having a noble linked to a plough is leading towards a tech tree.  i think it should be kept random.  artifacts are kind of like this.

the trick would be to make them useable.  there should be a kind of invention or "functional artifact" for every type of activity.  for example, you could randomly select abilities from the following:

- affects planting speed
- affects harvesting speed
- affects yield when planting
- affects engraving speed
- affects engraving quality
- affects mining speed
- affects mining quality (chance for a square to yield a rock or gem or ore)
- etc., etc., for weaving, tanning, bonecrafting, etc., etc., ad nauseaum.

notice i say "affects" and not improves.  you might have something that imporves speed but reduces quality.  or is slower but better.  or is fast AND good.  or is just a dud and it sucks at both things.

and, of course, they would all have to menace with spikes of hoary marmot leather and be engraved with images of cheese.

even a dud invention might have some monitary value as an artifact and make dwarfs happier.  of course, the inventor would carry it for five years and use it on the job, even though it sucks.

edit: notice i say "affects"  notice im a complete idiot.  notice i should probably have said something like "effects".  the invention isnt going to put on affectations of being a planter...

[ July 11, 2007: Message edited by: puke ]

[Bricktop]

quote:the invention isnt going to put on affectations of being a planter...

Unless they managed to build a Commandable Iron Man...

[Capntastic]

I don't think tech-trees would make sense.  Dwarves, in the normal year of 1050~ have been around long enough to build a civilization.   I don't see why they need to reinvent the wheel.

Simply put:  If you have the materials to make something, you should be able to make it.

[Bien]

quote:Originally posted by Capntastic:
<STRONG>I don't think tech-trees would make sense.  Dwarves, in the normal year of 1050~ have been around long enough to build a civilization.   I don't see why they need to reinvent the wheel.

Simply put:  If you have the materials to make something, you should be able to make it.</STRONG>

Then they don't have to reinvent the wheel, they could just invent stuff like explosives,
computers, cars, helicopters and DF.

[I3erent]

How about inventing different things that are based on whats available? For example a three bladed sword, you know, different weapons or items with a story generated for each invention, and they dont have to be pretty...

This is a poorly crafted weapon based on a sword.  It has three blades of poorly crafted copper with wimpy spikes of mandrill bone.  It takes great strength to swing and is difficult to wield cuasing a speed penalty. Rimtar lost one finger crafting this item, he still curses himself for the bad idea.

maybe it could even have an option to transfer the "recipe" for the invention to the smiths so you could choose to make more?

I think this could give the dwarfs more personality and ways to express it and creativity is always factor during all phases of a civilization, i think it would add a unique factor to our little universe.

[ July 12, 2007: Message edited by: berent ]

[nicholasneko]

see its this whole "a tech tree is inventing technology" that people need to stop sticking to. a tech tree just means you have to have certain things, to build certain things, hence you have to have steel bars to build a magma (insert building name) and to do that you have to burn wood to charcoal and then use that to make iron ore then turn that into pig iron then that into steel. that is in essence a tech tree. those that want a tech tree don't want to invent new things, but have to have items and knowledge to build more advanced but discovered items, and even upgrade items. and why not the same with making items? like a noob bone carver makeing well, little things that might not even be anything (think scribble if a drawing) and as he gets higher in skill and knowledge he learns to make new items that actually have worth, and he can pass this knowledge onto other dwarfs that wish to craft.. okies i'll go away now.

[AlanL]

I think inventions should basically occur as modifiers on an object that are influenced by necessity, should be a very slow thing to occur, and should occur to all civilizations randomly, and will replace the default item if it's better. Some examples:

This is a stone mechanisms. This object has been miniaturized by researcher (insert name here), who (insert story relating to some failed production order here). This object costs one half of the material compared to its predecessor. This object weighs one half as much as its predecessor.

Using a mechanics workshop would make mechanisms in batches of 2.

Maybe some special properties:

This is a lever. This building has been enhanced by researcher (insert name here), who (insert story relating to a fortress destroyed via magma flood here). This building activates on contact with water. This building activates on contact with magma.

How many fortresses could that save?

As for weapons:

This is a steel bow. This object has been enhanced by researcher (insert name here), who (insert story relating to the elf/dwarf conflict here). This weapon automatically loads. This weapon automatically fires. This weapon has a fire rate 2 fold of its predecessor, which in turn had a 3 fold fire rate improvement over its predecessor, for a total of a 6 fold fire rate improvement over the original design. This weapon has an additional cost of 2 mechanisms to produce. This weapon is produced at one half of the rate of the original.

Imagine an elf carrying that thing.....

Although, once the army arc and all that stuff is implimented, there would be issues with more advanced nations stomping on the less advanced nations... which happened in real life anyway.

[ July 12, 2007: Message edited by: AlanL ]