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Author Topic:   Archeology/Paleontology on Chiron

CClark posted 12-04-98 02:39 PM ET
Based on some questions raised in the "Are Chironians still human" thread, I had another thought! (Yes, I think, it's not that funny, is it? )
What role, if any, will Archeology and/or Paleontology play on Chiron. Will the tech tree have many "advances" that are related to digging in the dirt of Planet to see what has happened there in the past?
On the one hand, the answer would seem to be "no" because that doesn't lead to any cool weapons or buildings that will help your faction gain dominance. I mean, what are the odds that Santiago is going to start up a dig to see if there are dinosaur bones under her camp? It just doesn't sound very fun.
On the other hand, if Transcendance is still a victory condition and there are these funny alien obelisks dotting the landscape and sentient creatures making a concerted effort to stop you from expanding; it would make perfect sense to start looking into the history of the planet to see if you could find answers there.
What do you think Sid and Brian have in store for us?
jsorense posted 12-04-98 03:05 PM ET
CClarke,
Did you post this to deliberately provoke me? Where should I start? IMHO both archaeology and paleontology would be scientific disciplines that all of the factions would want to pursue in order to:
1. Paleontology to better understand the native life forms for their own sake as well as to determine their potential threat.
2. Archaeology to determine the age of the obelisks, understand the manner of their distribution, and predict the locations of unknown alien sites.
However, I do not think Brian's extensive research for this game will incorporate these lines of scientific projects to enhance technological, ideological or technological development.
***** Off Topic Warnimg *****
BTW, I admire your contributions to the "Are Chironians still human" thread. Now when are you going to give us some of you fine SMAC short stories? (-:
CClark posted 12-04-98 03:25 PM ET
Uh...no, I didn't want to provoke you. I was just curious as to whether or not people thought it would be a suitable thing to put in the game. I think it has a place. If the Unity hadn't dissolved into factions, understanding the planet would have probably been one of the top priorities! Afterall, humans are very curious by nature. What better opportunity to excercise that curiosity than to explore the past of an alien world.
However, given the nature of the game and the sad fact that a lot of the gaming public is in it for the explosions and blood, I doubt that P+A will play a very big role, if any. (Personally, I hope I'm wrong).
The other consideration is that having to unearth the same history over and over could get a little boring which would make replay tedious. Possibly. Given Sid and Brian's penchant for great gameplay though, I'm sure they could work it in well enough.
/**** Thanks for the story request, but I'm afraid that given the forum format it would sink to the bottom too quickly. Plus, my imagination hasn't been doing well lately. Go read the bit on the Burgess Shale I put in the Chirians/Humans thread. Hope ya like it. ****/
BKK the Mentat posted 12-05-98 05:36 PM ET
Archeology will play one of the most important posible roles on planet.I mean you can't just leave a long dead civilization buried.(Note: asyou may have guessed, I may no longer be a regular contributer to these forums.)
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Author	Topic: Archeology/Paleontology on Chiron
CClark	posted 12-04-98 02:39 PM ET Based on some questions raised in the "Are Chironians still human" thread, I had another thought! (Yes, I think, it's not that funny, is it? ) What role, if any, will Archeology and/or Paleontology play on Chiron. Will the tech tree have many "advances" that are related to digging in the dirt of Planet to see what has happened there in the past? On the one hand, the answer would seem to be "no" because that doesn't lead to any cool weapons or buildings that will help your faction gain dominance. I mean, what are the odds that Santiago is going to start up a dig to see if there are dinosaur bones under her camp? It just doesn't sound very fun. On the other hand, if Transcendance is still a victory condition and there are these funny alien obelisks dotting the landscape and sentient creatures making a concerted effort to stop you from expanding; it would make perfect sense to start looking into the history of the planet to see if you could find answers there. What do you think Sid and Brian have in store for us?
jsorense	posted 12-04-98 03:05 PM ET CClarke, Did you post this to deliberately provoke me? Where should I start? IMHO both archaeology and paleontology would be scientific disciplines that all of the factions would want to pursue in order to: 1. Paleontology to better understand the native life forms for their own sake as well as to determine their potential threat. 2. Archaeology to determine the age of the obelisks, understand the manner of their distribution, and predict the locations of unknown alien sites. However, I do not think Brian's extensive research for this game will incorporate these lines of scientific projects to enhance technological, ideological or technological development. *** Off Topic Warnimg *** BTW, I admire your contributions to the "Are Chironians still human" thread. Now when are you going to give us some of you fine SMAC short stories? (-:
CClark	posted 12-04-98 03:25 PM ET Uh...no, I didn't want to provoke you. I was just curious as to whether or not people thought it would be a suitable thing to put in the game. I think it has a place. If the Unity hadn't dissolved into factions, understanding the planet would have probably been one of the top priorities! Afterall, humans are very curious by nature. What better opportunity to excercise that curiosity than to explore the past of an alien world. However, given the nature of the game and the sad fact that a lot of the gaming public is in it for the explosions and blood, I doubt that P+A will play a very big role, if any. (Personally, I hope I'm wrong). The other consideration is that having to unearth the same history over and over could get a little boring which would make replay tedious. Possibly. Given Sid and Brian's penchant for great gameplay though, I'm sure they could work it in well enough. /** Thanks for the story request, but I'm afraid that given the forum format it would sink to the bottom too quickly. Plus, my imagination hasn't been doing well lately. Go read the bit on the Burgess Shale I put in the Chirians/Humans thread. Hope ya like it. **/
BKK the Mentat	posted 12-05-98 05:36 PM ET Archeology will play one of the most important posible roles on planet.I mean you can't just leave a long dead civilization buried.(Note: asyou may have guessed, I may no longer be a regular contributer to these forums.)