How are Techs randomized?

[jfjohnny5]

I could have sworn I read this somewhere, but I can't find it. And yes, I understand the difference between a tech and a breakthrough.

I know that the breakthroughs you get on each playthrough are randomized. You won't get the same ones every time. I also know that the order in which you gain access to techs is randomized. What I can't seem to find is if the available techs, like the breakthroughs, are also randomized.

Will you always have the same techs available, just not in the same order? Or is there a chance you might not get the same techs available to you every time?

 

[Thorin]

Techs are only randomized in order, you always get the same final list. Also there are some tier system from what I seen, so you won't get some of the endgame stuff as first tech, and get the much needed early ones as last tech.

 

[Gilmund]

I could have sworn I read this somewhere, but I can't find it. And yes, I understand the difference between a tech and a breakthrough.

I know that the breakthroughs you get on each playthrough are randomized. You won't get the same ones every time. I also know that the order in which you gain access to techs is randomized. What I can't seem to find is if the available techs, like the breakthroughs, are also randomized.

Will you always have the same techs available, just not in the same order?

Yes. Afaik the techs are always the same but randomized. But not the breakthroughs.

 

[Uhlume]

Techs are only randomized in order, you always get the same final list. Also there are some tier system from what I seen, so you won't get some of the endgame stuff as first tech, and get the much needed early ones as last tech.

I assume that certain techs will be weighted more towards the earlier or later parts of the tree.

 

[Egodeus]

My understanding is that the position on the track of each normal tech can be shifted either way up to two places, but the selection is always the same.

 

[Miravlix]

The tech categories is split up in something like groups of five and those five techs is always the same in each group, but the order of the five is what is randomized.

 

[DominusNovus]

I could be wrong on this, but if you have a sponsor or commander that gives you a free tech researched, then that tech is locked into a specific spot in its tier, every playthrough. So, if you know the tiers (I still don't) you can know that the other techs in that tier will be in a slightly different spot on the overall tree.

 

[Ri0Rdian]

I was thinking how much more fun the game might be if the tech tree was randomized in a similar way to breakthrough, so that you wouldn't get all the techs. It would require more work and more rebalancing but would be incredible (at least to me ). I like how a breakthrough tech or two can significantly change the way you play even though you planned on doing something completely different originally. Same would happen with techs.

 

[DominusNovus]

I was thinking how much more fun the game might be if the tech tree was randomized in a similar way to breakthrough, so that you wouldn't get all the techs. It would require more work and more rebalancing but would be incredible (at least to me ). I like how a breakthrough tech or two can significantly change the way you play even though you planned on doing something completely different originally. Same would happen with techs.

Eh. I just rush 100 deep scan probes, get as many explorers as possible, and check every breakthrough anomaly. If I don’t like what I see, restart.

I’d treat randomized techs the same way.

 

[Ri0Rdian]

Eh. I just rush 100 deep scan probes, get as many explorers as possible, and check every breakthrough anomaly. If I don’t like what I see, restart.

I’d treat randomized techs the same way.

You know, it can be an option when starting a game. Not forced down everyones throat, especially not those that don't like that. It could also increase the difficulty multiplier as a bonus.

Edit:
Also, the way you worded it sounds like you are swimming in money and rockets. I made my game fine with a single explorer and never bought a probe (though it helps I started with deep scan). I needed the money for electronics really badly, since Rare Metals was firstly hard to find and then hard to access.

 

[DominusNovus]

You know, it can be an option when starting a game. Not forced down everyones throat, especially not those that don't like that. It could also increase the difficulty multiplier as a bonus.

Edit:
Also, the way you worded it sounds like you are swimming in money and rockets. I made my game fine with a single explorer and never bought a probe (though it helps I started with deep scan). I needed the money for electronics really badly, since Rare Metals was firstly hard to find and then hard to access.

As long as you can get Martian Patents early on, you have a steady source of income early game. If you're really lucky (this requires you not to take a Politician as your commander), Patents can be relatively cheap (anything under 2500 research points and its a net positive to outsource, allowing you to crank up your research speed to something obscene early on). USA , Europe (those two have funding perks), Blue Sun, and Russia (those two have extractor perks, and BS has a good rate on rare metals) all have a way to earn some quick cash above everyone else.

100 deep scan probes are 5,000 cash, not prohibitively expensive.

I haven't tried a serious speed run, but I think its perfectly plausible to have the whole map deep scanned by Sol 20 with one of those sponsors.

 

[Boyan_Haemimont]

Each tech in the 5 main branches has a range of slots it can take - early on techs are usually randomized within 5 slots with some techs having a fixed position. Later in the tech tree the randomization ranges are a bit larger with the wonders always taking up the last spots of the tech tree. All techs of the 5 main branches are available in each game only their positions are mixed. However I can imagine a mod that just removes some of the main techs from the tech tree each game - it would be an interesting playthrough to try.

 

[katiekat3000]

i kind of feal like it would be frustrating like it would make gameplay unplayable if you dont get sertin tech or makethe game beond crazy in micromanagment

 

[Maelkhor]

Indeed, the modding possibilities around the tech randomization/limiting are interesting...

 

[Ri0Rdian]

Each tech in the 5 main branches has a range of slots it can take - early on techs are usually randomized within 5 slots with some techs having a fixed position. Later in the tech tree the randomization ranges are a bit larger with the wonders always taking up the last spots of the tech tree. All techs of the 5 main branches are available in each game only their positions are mixed. However I can imagine a mod that just removes some of the main techs from the tech tree each game - it would be an interesting playthrough to try.

Since you can remove some of them, can you also add some (in essence having more techs than it is possible to research), or is the code simply not there (as in basic Techs and Breakthroughs are radically different in how they work behind the scenes), or maybe you could jury-rig the breakthrough system to be used for nomral techs also (probably not due to different anomalies and the interaction hell this would cause).