Factions working together to research.

I couldn't stop thinking of this idea, so I decided to make the post. I decided it was better to modify one of my unsuccessful posts, Hopefully someone will comment this time around. I also have other tech ideas.

One suggestion about sharing research projects with another species. Would require they have a peace treaty in place, for at least a certain period of time.  (time enough to 'trust' one another.)  If trade treaties are in GalCiv3, require a long standing trade agreement as well.  Now, should the two species enter into a sharing research agreement, the bonus points accrued would not necessarily have to go to the exact same tech.  (We hold back some, don't we, in RL?) Instead, the shared research would go into common areas that each species could use towards their specific research project.  Idea?

As of Twilight there were two kind of treaties that would work a research treaty or alliances. I like research treaties because of the names if they went with alliances instead they could, or they may have a new option.

Well it would be interesting, imo, if for some projects you could research along with other races after a point even if you're basically enemies. As in..."our people are suffering from this common pandemic, or are deeply affected by subspace rifts getting bigger or something. Instead of keeping research for ourselves and face mutual extinction, we'll now share and maybe solve the common problem". I would open such a possibility in grave situations and when things already got messy(as in you're really facing extinction, so foe mentality just doesnt look that desirable any longer, bitterness got depleted and survival is your only thought on a daily basis).

And if you succesfully solve the problem, then return to previous hostile status as ever, or have a chance to form a friendship due to events you commonly faced.

For the most the moods of other factions would affect this. I guess if you specified certain situations in the game. I guess a cease fire agreement added for this would be better. A cease fire does mean peace, but for now you stopped fighting until this ends, or you sign a peace agreement. In the real world we don't help people we are hostile towards.

That wouldn't be help. That would be more like a desperate common measure(you don't get 1-sided help, you help eachother as in a partnership) from 2 or more parties to avoid mutual extinction. As in you have a Spanish flu pandemic and it has killed 6.7 billion of your populace worldwide and your 2 nations are the last remaining(to clarify). And I will not mention nations, its obvious which one hates who nowadays, but what would they do in such a case? Unite and pull resources together(even for a short term and even if they know they will probably get at each other's throats if they manage to get a cure, after they cure their people) or let the remaining 300 million die happily?

Survival instinct often comes above all, most of the time. It just depends on the psychology of the races in each scenario and history between them, regarding the outcome of such negotiations, imo. Btw, I'm not saying it should be forced, but maybe opened as an option and the players can decide, cause to me it comes natural that it would be an option, as is natural that in some cases mutual extinction will be so desirable and seen still as a victory even if both lose(as in cold war nuclear scenarios). Humans could go either way for instance. Considering in nature the prevailing law is survival of the fittest, till technology kicks in, I would assume this is true for other races as well(unless laws of nature are that radically different in other planetary systems that support life, which we just don't know really.)

This is interesting, but would require some work to get the balance right.  Perhaps one way to use this is to tie it together with tech treaties and tech trading.  That is, research techs can only be traded if you have a research treaty.  And on top of that, trades (gifting) research only takes place within the context of shared projects for which certain prereqs are not held by the other party.  I know this seems complicated.  But in my mind it makes sense.

Yes, balancing it would require some real fine tuning.  Survival instincts might mitigate against security issues or other species related core values.  In RL, I have been following the interesting possible pandemic risks related to the Chinese flu issues, and the (I forget the infection name) related to massive numbers of people pilgrimaging to Mecca. In both cases, the governments are not as forthcoming in a timely manner about infection rates, etc. as some might wish. The WHO, (World health organization – not the rock band!) NCDC, etc., need timely info to plan ahead.  So, some species might view a cooperative research venture as a no go.  Who knows?

Together with another civilization, you could research a technology either couldn't alone, if there are multiple prerequisites for the tech and between the two of you, you cover them - especially if the prerequisite techs are in different racial tech trees, or the prerequisites are things like "researchers must have access to psychics" or "researchers must have 2 research stations that are [half the map] apart".

This would also make contact with minor races more important.

Gamewise, it would probably be easiest to manage by just starting a research treaty with someone; then from time to time you get a notice like: "Your joint research with the Krynn has uncovered the possibility of Tech X. Start research project Y/N?"

I agree. But there needs to be times when you don't want to have a research agreement. Yes I mean beyond you getting a negative diplomatic modifier with an opposing faction. That's just a choice between A or B, and there's nothing you can do about it. Or I should say W or M. They are the same it's just one is upside down.

More negatives then positives. You only hit yes when most of the negatives don't apply to you.

Unfortunately this isn't all that engaging as it's usually just a waiting game. Fix that and you might have a masterpiece.

Well this was not what I meant, but this would seem to work as long as there was a reason. I always meant this was an option for the players to decide.

What I was talking about was more like the cold war scenario and now when western Europe came together with the United states in defence and science, but mutual anilation also works.

Well I suggest using alliances or research treaty. The other way I'm thinking of balancing this would take a little practice to get this right is that even though both factions would be combining points for the same research if this becomes to overpowering they could penalize us by multiplying the research points by a high percent instead of all of it. This would still be fair considering all factions would still get the techs faster than by themselves. I'm sure Stardock would eventually balance this. I wouldn't mind going through a patch to get this later. It would be worth it.

Agree using Research treaties or alliances.

Not sure about that.

Just going to add something. I think both factions would have to be about equal on the tech bramch that they are researching or use the lowest faction. The tech can come from either faction.

Didn't think of this. I think this is a good idea as long as these were techs no one else could research. This would be good incentive to make alliances. I see five ways to do this from the designers perspective. The reason why I give multiple choices is in case people think this is to hard to do. I usually give the easy and the hard way. The hard way is usually better.

1. You could make a generic tech tree where all combinations of factions would use the same techs for bonus combined research techs,

2. This would be more complicated and better. You could have a different tech branch for each combination of factions for bonus techs to be able to research for research sharing.

3. This would be easier than two. This is similar to two except you would be using different branch depending on how many factions join in.

4. You could have a branch for each different number of factions working together.

5. You could have a branch for each faction group depending on the most common idealogies of the group. If the different idealogies were the same number then the branch could be random, or you could dombine the branches lining the techs up in the order they appear. Randomly choosing who goes first, or choosing by who has the most tech points in the order they appear. Or when idealogies are different having a different branch for each combination.

You could give them a glimpse of the tech tree at the end of researching the bonus tech, or could show them the next tech they can research is they keep researching with these same guys. Also you don't have to show them the next they cab research. This would either require a research treaty or an alliance it is up to the devs to decide.