Research and Technology in StoneHearth

Suggestions
1

Having done a quick search in these forums I could not find much similar so going ahead and throwing this out there…

The game play might really benefit from some Research and/or Technology as a dependency for unlocking primary and secondary materials, structures, skills, etc… I know that adding this to the game engine this far down the line might be a non-starter, but I believe I have a suggestion on how this can be accomplished relatively easily in game.

First we need a way to have some “research”… Introduce a new class called the “scribe”, or the like, lets stick with Scribe for now… This class will use a “Library” or the like as a crafting table. The Library will require inputs from the mason, carpenter and Trapper just to make the "Library"crafting table. This library crafting table will actually be part of a structure/can only be placed in a structure.

Now this Scribe will then produce “tomes/books” that require leather input from the trapper and a new product “paper” from the carpenter.

These books are then the input materials for another class called the “Natural Philosophers” who will have their own “crafting table” or two… Philosophers will then create object called called Achievements, and there will be many Achievements to attain. Each Achievement will be a unique object in the form of some decoration and are appropriate in their appearance to what the achievement represents. Some might be statues, others decorations for buildings, others like obelisk, etc…

Achievements are indestructible, but at the same time are dependencies for various things from tools to inefficiencies at task, to refined/enhanced products.

Adding tech/research to the already existing Level systems of a crafter will add depth to the game both from a “thing to work towards” (which is what makes games fun to play) as well as more complex inter-relationships of crafters and their products. Further one would need to have a robust village in order to support not only more mouths to feed, but also the inputs required by the Scribe who in turn supplies the Philosophers.

Further this adds more Classes that are not “primary” production classes, not working directly from the materials of the land but rather on secondary and tertiary produced material.

– I see Achievements that are inputs to produce materials (and not just skills)
– I see Achievements that are required to progress skills of the various classes. Allow the first 2 or 3 levels to be gained without Achievements, but controlled from there.
– I see Achievements that are dependence for more advanced Achievements - allowing for for a “tech tree” to be established.
– I see Achievements that are required for more advanced tools beyond the simple basic tools, where these tools are required to produce advanced materials and objects.
– I see Achievements that are required to USE newer materials.
– I see Achievements that are required to make more advanced structures - say 2 story buildings.
– I see Achievements that are required certain classes - like the medic, constabulary (off shoot of military), cleric (happiness), etc…
– I see Achievement that support village development itself - limits to population, road types affecting speed of travel, food preservation, Village Centers (replaces the fire pit in advanced villages) and is more like a square where they gather, etc…
– Etc… etc…

So by leveraging everything that is already in the game engine - classes, tables, materials, objects and dependence on objects/materials - a fully realized tech/research system can be implemented. This system will add depth to the game on sooooo many levels from things to work for, to creating more complex villages with the inter-relation of products and classes, to adding late game “reason for being” other than to just watch the hearthlings move about. We get a way to progress our hearthlings from a basic agrarian settlement into a complex village.

I was even thinking of making this a major overhaul mod for the game once released, but of course needed to see how they would allow modding for things like dependencies, etc…

Sorry for the wall of text, I have been thinking about this for a long time.

Sean

3 Likes
2

I like the idea of a Scribe, but everything else seems a little convoluted.

I think maybe the best way to handle a research system would be similar to Trove; the Scribe could create items like “Carpenter Recipe”, which would unlock a new random item for the Carpenter. Same for the other crafter classes.

I also like the idea of Paper, but it would make much more sense for the Scribe himself, from a new plant called Cane Sugar, to make it instead of a Capenter (why would a Carpenter be a paper maker?). I really like the idea of a Library building.

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Because most paper is made from wood, though I agree it still doesn’t fit entirely with the carpenter’s job.

At first I scoffed at the idea of paper from sugarcane (due to Minecraft’s messy history with the plant) but it turns out that the fiber from sugarcane is actually used to make paper in tropical areas. However, the current biomes aren’t all that tropical; wood would probably be in higher supply than sugarcane for the Ascendancy, at least. Though I’d definitely like to see Rayya’s Children have something like papyrus.

Parchment also existed, if animal hides need more use.

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Id say a Libabry aint a bad idea for Hearthlings to come up with new items to make. I like the jobs as it is right now. Every Hearthling is able to do every job, some are just better at some jobs then others.

What i would like to see is the merchants actually show up as the monsters do now, and they stop. Could be trough river or road. As in the game Banished. Idea? @jomaxro

2 Likes
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Hmm…that would be a big change to the current trading mechanics. Banished as you brought up requires a trading post on a river, so bad initial town placement could really affect you. Rayya’s children does not have large bodies of water, so water based trading wouldn’t work so well.

Timber & Stone does this in an interesting way, requiring you to create a “road” from the edge of the map to your “hall”, and traders then arrive and leave via the road. Not sure what I think about the change in trading mechanics, would be a big one.

As to research, I think some implementation would be nice, but I don’t have enough time right to really type out a detailed response right now…heading away for a week of skiing…

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6

hmm… yea… didnt think of that, Perhaps something more in the direction of Merchants heading to the townflag in that case.

Having a road to the edge of the map is not that great idea if u ask me. As im not really the kind of explorer in the first days. That will come in time my village grows. And it will take up quite some time to do that + materials in order to get a merchant.

If u ask me something in between both would do. Having Merchants spawn like Goblins occasionally to go to the Townflag that you can have placed like now.

Its suggestable anyway.
Enjoy the skiing

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7

Thanks for weighing in on this one… enjoy the ski trip, hopefully its somewhere as epic as the Rockies - perhaps even something like Jasper or Lake Louise!!!

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Thanks guys! Am going to Rockies, but not Jasper or Lake Louise - just Breckenridge :wink:. Never been to Jasper, did go up to Lake Louise once, but that was years ago.