Want to have some fun? Make up future techs for Stars Beyond Reach!

[MaskityMask]

I'd like to have some good old organic technology! Like, umm... Well, I guess I might as well bring out my own ideas I will never use anyway Either because they are silly or the idea they were created for were silly. Sorry for bad grammar, I'm writing bit in hurry so sorry if my ideas sound extra dumb xP

Bio drones: Genetic chimera(check from wikipedia, "a single organism composed of genetically distinct cells". Which can include combinations of different animals). Basically they are plants that grow flesh instead of plant matter(or rather like... If apple trees grew hands instead of apples? Hard to describe, maybe more like plant that appears to have "muscles" and joints and other animal like traits, but composed of plant matter instead of flesh...)), but still photosynthesize. They don't need roots though since they can consume other organic beings for nutrients. Since they are more plants than animals, they are easy to grow in masse since they can be farmed in plantations. Also, as result they are as brain dead as plants, but they still have central nervous system, so to control them you just need to jam computer in their core/head/nervous system. So basically army of animal like plant creatures that can't rebel against their creators since they aren't sentient or sapient. Might be bit dumb though since they follow the orders given by the computer programming.

Of course, you could have other chimeras or genetically engineered creatures and troops. From anything to giving mosquito like alien insect a poison equal to black mamba's poison to having all soldiers modified to have good career in muscle modeling after they retire from war ;P

Also, for non combat uses... Well, if you can somehow create a plant that grows flesh instead of fruits or whatever, assuming its edible and doesn't taste like tofu... Vegetarian society with taste for meat? xD

Also, bugs are kinda like organic robots in composition anyway, so they might be really good basis for creating genetically engineered troops, whether plant or fungus based or whatever. Either way, having organic robots instead of actual robots has some nice benefits considering some limitations of mechanical things...

Organic computers: Well, as we all know, brain are potentially more efficient than most computers. So create a genetically engineered brain computer, and you'll have really awesome super computer that may or may not turn into sentient and murderous. Would make controlling all of those biodrones easier, eh? The "Big brain in jar" computer doesn't need to really resemble any brain from any of species, after all brain was created with genetic engineering to be really powerful computer. So even if it turns sentient, it doesn't exactly need to have one "ego", it could be anything from multiple different personalities in single brain(to help multitasking) to one god like AI(that is capable of running all routines by itself).

Cybernetics combined with genetic engineering!: Well, I already touched on this with idea of "Jam computer into plant monsters to control" them idea, but it can really be expanded well. Like, maybe having nanobots that function like fungus, or genetically engineered fungus that works like nanobots. Would be creepy for enemies to have fungal infection grow out of their heads and turn their troops against them. Really, tons of potential when you go crazy both with genetic engineering, chimeras and cybernetics.

Maybe I'll write more later, fix my grammar, make better ideas, anyway, yeah, having organic technology(and combinations with other form of "Horrific" sciences) would be cool

[wwwhhattt]

Firstly, how much time does the game cover? If it's more than 10 years there would be plenty of scope for decay, and a need to deal with that.

The techs here aren't too serious, and some aren't technological, but they might be useful.
Where appropriate the resulting machines can come in three sizes: Heroic, Titanic and Olympian.

Environmental Manipulation:
Cloud Control - seeing as sunlight, rain and a lack thereof are all potentially useful and dangerous it could be neat to be able to control clouds with:
1. Cloud Creators - allowing the user to create clouds of varying sizes in specific areas (assuming there's enough liquid).
2. Cloud Shepherds - can be used to move cloud for a certain distance in a single direction (per turn)
3. Cloud Dogs - move clouds further, change their direction
4. Cloud Shearers - shaves off excess cloud for use in clothing or something (bribe items, or similar). Because a bad joke can never be pushed too far
5. Cloud Sculpting - see under Psychological Warfare

De/Humidifiers - Allowing the player to alter the humidity to some end (it seemed like a good idea last night).

Controlled Gas Clouds - nano machines that can hold or keep certain gases in or from specific places. For example, making an ozone free zone above an enemy city, increasing the UV levels. Whether or not this would be useful in this case would depend on the enemy city's race's reaction to UV.

Animal Manipulation - all assuming that there are animals native to the planet.
1. Animal Mastery - also assuming that teleportation is easily traceable, some races could (re)learn how to ride certain animals for slow but stealthy movement. Horses on land and Dolphins at sea, for instance. Thoraxians probably shouldn't be allowed to do this.
2. Hyper Evolution - makes a specific population of animals evolve fast, so if they're attacked with one weapon they'll evolve to resist it. Useful for making animals near enemy cities so much more annoying.
3. Manipulated Evolution - taking a specific population of animals and adding extra teeth, more fat, whatever seems good at the time.
4. Animal Linguistics - if only you could talk to these creatures, then perhaps you could try and make them harass your enemies rather than yourself.


Psychological Warfare:
Cloud Sculpting - creating clouds shaped to for political propaganda, cute animals to annoy Burlusts, whatever works.

Dullbots - nanobots that infest cities, removing all colour, all artistic expression and anything that makes the target city a decent place to live, making the citizens unhappy and unmotivated. (Taken from DeBlob)

Furniture Manipulation - nanobots that go into enemy cities and rearrange the furniture, change the wallpaper, prepare meals. Chaos ensues.

Hallucinogenic Poison - in the water, in the air, wherever. Causes social breakdown, bad decisions etc. If used against the Evucks (who I believe are telepathic?) or any race with telepathic powers then effects will spread, as people receive visions from tripping psychics.

Holiday Pics - used to broadcast images of relaxed citizens enjoying themselves to either make other races jealous (causing civil unrest) or to lull them into a false sense of security.

Subversive Geology - if mining or tunneling happens, this could be user to alter the bedrock to display messages (like Cloud Sculpting). Not sure it would be much use, but I liked the name.


Not Actually Technology:
Etiquette - race creates needlessly byzantine codes of behaviour, which either impresses other races with their display of culture and civilization, or annoys them.

Filial Piety - Strengthens family ties, giving citizens a greater sense of belonging or of alienation (depending on race, maybe)

Unconditional Love - loosens family ties, allowing for greater diversity. Increases immigration, if that's a thing.

Pedantry - more clarity in definitions, increasing efficiency but slowing progress.


On an unrelated note, the voice from the trailer sounded like it might be trying to control everything that's happening on the planet. So if it's succeeding it could be called the Spectral Umpire?

[ElOhTeeBee]

I want terraforming.

I want all the terraforming.


I want weather control satellites to make my lands delightfully temperate no matter the climate, and keep crops perfectly healthy, while plaguing my foes with awful weather year-round.

I want to not need these weather-control satellites if I'm settled on the coast, because I can just raise a mountain range to drop all the precipitation on my side (while sticking my enemies on the other side of the mountains into a sudden desert).

I want to create ideal climates for bioengineered monstrosities to lurk just outside my territory, ravaging the countryside as a well-intentioned defense mechanism, until I have to desperately scramble to keep my little corner of the world healthy despite the monsters I have unleashed upon it. Then I want to reach some higher-end techs and be able to flourish and thrive while still terrorizing the countryside with monsters.

I want to raise forests in the shape of lewd parts of the anatomy or insults towards the other races.

I want to build hills, then build defensive fortresses upon them.

I want to start on a small island, and custom-build my own continent.

I want to have to think about how to exploit and design around natural fault lines.

I want to make the atmosphere of the planet pure poison, but not before remaking myself to survive it.

I want to pick the color of the sky on any given day.


I want to be able to play this like a terraforming simulator that happens to include a 4X minigame for some weird reason.

[Alex Heartnet]

Industrial Teleporter:

Capable of moving very large quantities of crates instantly across short distances both ways.  Provides an economic boost and allows transport-type units to load/unload much faster.

The prevalence of these devices has given rise to a new form of theft known as "telerobbery", where someone uses a teleporter to quietly steal crates from someone else unnoticed.  More organized criminals have stolen entire warehouses this way.

[Draco18s]

The prevalence of these devices has given rise to a new form of theft known as "telerobbery", where someone uses a teleporter to quietly steal crates from someone else unnoticed.  More organized criminals have stolen entire warehouses this way.

And that made me think of...

[Peter Ebbesen]

Workforce related:

Compact Workforce - By adapting a proper breeding process augmented by gene-level-tinkering, we will gain a more compact workforce that stacks better, resulting in decreased infrastructure costs with only a slight increase to unhappiness.

Cubic Workforce - Taking the principles of the Compact Workforce to the logical extreme, we are pleased to announce that the new Cubic Workers set new standards for productivity with only a nominal decrease in lifespan and quality of life, which is only of interest to bleeding-heart liberals anyway.


Happiness related:

Polite Society - "An armed society is a polite society". It is every citizen's right to be armed and have a Death Ray implanted for free upon maturity. Don't worry. Be happy.

4D Sex Education - Words fail me.

Superstring Vibrators - When nine dimensions aren't enough, these will come handy.

Quantum Bungee Jumping - Extreme sports for the statistically likely.


Security related:

Molecular Security - The final solution to civil unrest, each citizen is implanted with a molecular bomb, which can be tracked by the state and, if necessary, remotely detonated dissolving the host body into sludge within an hour.

[Draco18s]

Don't worry. Be happy.

...

Molecular Security - The final solution to civil unrest, each citizen is implanted with a molecular bomb, which can be tracked by the state and, if necessary, remotely detonated dissolving the host body into sludge within an hour.

Happiness is mandatory.  Not being happy is treason.  Treason is punishable by summary execution.  Are you happy, Citizen?

[Velihopea]

Are you searching for a string of techs (like level1-5). Or single, separate techs?

Theory of economic behaviour -only applicable to individualist societies
"Individual behaviour is economic behaviour. By anticipating reliably individuals economic response on various external events by multivariate modelling we can control the economy to develop within the set limits"
- Possible gameplay effects: Bonuses to monetary income

Theory of sociological behaviour -only applicable to individualist societies
"By anticipating social behavior of the masses on various external events we can control the popular movements and trends to our liking"
- Possible gameplay effects: Bonuses to happiness, negative effect on social unrest. If used as a offensive weapon: One tech per Race?

Alteration of chemical composition of pheromones
"Alteration of the body can lead to alteration of behaviour of our fellow citizens. Love lead to sex or peace, alarm lead to hate and paranoia."
- Possible gameplay effects: Bonuses to happiness and growth. If used as a offensive weapon: One tech per Race?

Theory of ecological economics
"Our economy is not a separate entity from our surrounding environment. By understanding the exact interconnections between economy and nature and modelling them through specific input-output data we can modify our environment through economic policies"
- Possible gameplay effects: Bonuses to monetary income/ Bonuses to terraforming / reduction of pollution / bonuses to climate change

Waste disposal 3D printing
"Handling the bodily fluids can be a logistic nightmare. Innovations to recreate useful items and foodstuff immediately after the release of the excretion can be very handy indeed"
- Possible gameplay effects: Reduction of upkeep costs of buildings / increase in production

[doctorfrog]

spitballin'

Cultural/Military Superiority Doctrine
Research into how to combine cultural knowledge, and knowledge of economy, with military objectives.

Passive Health Epidemic
Economic/Cultural/Military Superiority Technology - by sufficiently examining the habits and genetics of neighboring species, we are able to design an invasive, addictive, but initially non-threatening vector taking advantage of hereditary weaknesses. As a major side benefit, we are also able to extract a vast amount of economic profit from the activity, which not only leaves the population vulnerable to disease, but destitution as well.
"Once we determined the species had evolved a taste for high-fat foods--once an evolutionary advantage when calorie-dense foods were scarce and precious--we flooded their landscape with inexpensive, inferior quality, but ostensibly legal food distribution centers. The resultant grotesque obesity epidemic took more than half a century to take hold, but by the time the populace became aware of the long-term health effects, fully two thirds of citizens were addicted to it, and the economy had completely shifted to accommodate very cheap, very fast comestibles. Indeed, any attempt to regulate the industry failed as even concerned citizens complained very loudly at a modest increase in food cost, minor inconvenience in preparing now-alternative foods, or any increase in the living standard of the poverty-stricken food workers. (Often spitting flecks of TasteeChurn Recombinant Nutrition Product while doing so.) (Laughs) And even if they had overcome those hurdles, the amount of wealth we were extracting from their economy had already left them powerless to make any other choices. We even started manufacturing drugs to combat the side effects of obesity, and selling them alongside our Nutrition Products. A few decades later, their economy toppled over with little more effort than kicking a hill of mole grubs, and fully half of their military could not fight without powered exo-skeletons assisting their massive bulk."

[Zebeast46]

How about

Personal Teleporters for your troops. Mechanically it could make your troops move faster and maybe give the a dodge ability.

[PokerChen]

Sub-sentient AI servants: A technology researched with cooperation of the Acutians, domesticating their butler routines for everyday applications for your civilisation. Improves many production capabilities by a small margin, along with a potential espionage penalty for the Acutians only. (No harm in planting a backdoor on every software of your trading partners, yes?)

Molecular disassembly: The advanced recycling technologies of the Zenith colony is shared with you. This speeds up various forest clearing/ building rearrangement activities, as well as drastically reducing the pollution/footprint of your citizens.
 ...due to these designs, you also piece together a working hypothesis of how the fearsome cookie monster actually functions. Opportunity to build a devourer prototype is made available. (Warning: may devour the city it is built in.)

Imperfect mass automation: Unceasing Dumbot factories to fill up any potential shortfalls in manpower. Also slightly odious to the robotic races. This is the failed version of the equivalent mass automation research.  (Requires the game mechanic of flexible tech-trees where  your research may not end up succeeding on the first try)

Universal memetics: Finally achieve the impossible: write an interpreter that can translate intelligibly between every language known on this planet, by correctly mapping the underlying concepts meant by each language to a common baseline. Google will be proud of you. (NB: provides significant boosts of diplomatic, trade and intelligence activities. This would be a mid-game tech?)

N-dimensional printers: Miniaturise warp technology to such an extent, that you can print a family and its family tree at the same time. Provides a healthy multiplier to production and medicine.

The Ultimate Instrument: No two species share the exact same set of senses, much less their taste of "music". However, you manage to create an instrument, a psycho-visual-audio-somatic wonder, that is capable of reaching out to the masses across this planet. Oddly, it looks like an over-sized didgeridoo. Beware of playing this around the female members of some bi-gendered species.
 Renders a large quality of life boost for all citizens on the planet, an amount depending on their investment into the fine arts. Your civilisation enters a musical golden-age.

Mind download: Instead of allowing your citizens access to the Andors' / Acutians' cyberspace utopia, your cooperation with their race has led them to start experimenting with living life as a unconnected biote. Their understanding of your race, and other biological races transcends to a new level. (NB: This may be paired with Mind upload, as technologies that you can research with robotic races. Mind-upload being the conventional goal of futurists, its subversion would not be a bad idea.)

Pheromone Synthesis: Increases reproduction rates, decreases the combat advantage of thoraxians. ...I'll not explain any further.

Skylaxian Doctrine: Combine previous achievements in automation, remote assembly, and industrial teleportation in one airborne package. You are now able to build mobile fortifications on the map that can deploy scouting missions, airborne raids, etc. Or... Carrier has arrived.

[x4000]

Been meaning to say, there have been tons of cool ideas here.  For now I'm adding:

Super Capacitor Laser
Super Capacitor Shield
Supercavitating Torpedo Platform
Computing Cluster
Industrial Teleporter
Terrain Riser
Molecular Security Control
Thieves Guild

Those are the buildings resulting from the techs, anyway.  There are some other buildings and techs that already were in the game, too.

[Captain Jack]

Some more ideas if there's still space!

• Genetic Optimization In addition to eliminating hereditary disorders, genetic optimization allows for the intelligent design of individuals from the ground up.  Inspiration: designer babies, Captain America's super soldier serum. Gameplay effect: Reduce death rate/improve infantry units/lower disease susceptibility. Possibly also applies a penalty to morale or social order since the treatment is only available to the rich and powerful, as well as philosophical and religious objections to the process.
• Molecular Assembler: Usable across a wide variety of industries from manufacturing to art to food production, these devices yield superior products with minimum waste. Assuming the appropriate inputs. Seriously, don't try and build a tank out of meat. Inspiration: 3D printing. Gameplay effect: Reduce pollution and upkeep, lowers resource costs. Maybe unlocks some kind of unique super factory?
• Statistical Precognition: The past is the key to the future. By studying certain socio-economic trends it becomes possible predict group behavior with considerable accuracy. The algorithm breaks down with small sample sizes as individual perversity can more easily distort the results. Inspirations: Laplace's Demon, psychohistory from the Foundation series. Gameplay effect: EITHER it's some combination of Mind Reading/Wireless Communication in TLF terms, or it improves the effects of economic structures and trends.
• Theoretical Metallurgy: Having decided it isn't enough for steel to be strong or copper to be conductive, scientists seek to discover or design new metals and alloys that combine these traits. Inspirations: various sci-fi metals and the concept of unobtanium. Gameplay effect: increases the yield of non-organic resources, also increases the amount you have to work with when you don't have a resource.

[Mal]

Technological Advances

Exotic Matter Variances

Your engineers can now produce and sustain supra-dense matter. This will skyrocket your energy thresholds!
Your buildings do not need to be adjacent to each other as they can be self-sustaining( although they still must be within the supplying radius of your Town Center).Furthermore, you can forgo building anything in a turn to teleport a building to a different hex.

Soldier Drone Attachments

Your infantry become highly effective with spying and lightly armed drones
Your infantry become immune to ambushes in enemy buildings and gain the "Assassinate Leader" mission option. However, your infantry also gain Weakness: EMP, causing them to lose any mission where the enemy has EMP weapons/defenses.




Societal Trends

War Culture

Your species hungers for war on all societal levels. Every citizen bears arms, all loyalty is yours.
All buildings generate additional troops and defenses. Each turn, one building you have lost has a chance of rebelling against it's aggressors. This can be disabled in order to get a 100% boost in production and resources as your society normalizes from craving war. However, this technology must be researched again.

Regressive Tribalization

Your advanced society adopts a more primitive manner akin to the Burlusts. This allows for much higher production but at great cost as citizens become disillusioned by harsh ancient ways. Burlusts generally don't mind however.
Each turn, there is a chance for you to complete any building instantly and at no cost. However, there is a chance of rebels taking over two random buildings depending upon their "Happiness" and your "National Security". This can be disabled but has to be researched again.

[stblr]

Jotted down some future tech ideas. Apologies if any of this is repeat, I haven't read the entire thread.

Demolecularization
Through precise knowledge of molecular bond energies, the bonds between atoms can be excited and broken through the application of carefully calibrated EM waves, breaking molecules down into their constituent atomic elements. Leads to Portable Demolecularizing Weaponization, Decoherence Excavators, Mass Recycling

Portable Demolecularization Weaponization
Self-explanatory. Demolecularization as a weapon would be extremely effective... and extremely painful.

Decoherence Excavators
Applying the principles of demolecularization to excavation, vast underground tunnels, reservoirs, and quarries can be created using a fraction of the cost and energy of earlier, cruder methods.

Mass Recycling
Demolecularize waste products down into their basic elements.


Dimensional Folding
By folding physical dimensions into coplanar higher-order geometries, physical spaces can be created that are larger on the inside than they appear on the outside. Leads to Infinite Warehousing, Plane Shifting, Instantaneous Transport, Infinite Densities

Plane Shifting
While the long-term effects of dimensional folding on biological systems are not well understood, plane shifting technology unlocks portable units that provides partial cloaking by temporarily folding one dimension into another. For example, military units can be made invisible from a certain angle by folding their height into the depth dimension.

Instantaneous Transport
Employing the same basic idea as old wormhole theory, two distinct locations can be dimensionally folded such that they temporarily occupy the same physical space. Leads to Multi-bond Shielding, Stable Nuclear Doubling

Multi-bond Shielding
Stringent nanotech manufacturing requirements allow two objects to be produced that are, physically, perfectly identical. By folding these objects into one another via dimensional folding, their molecular bonds are combined, yielding a single object whose torsional strength and raw toughness is otherwise impossible.

Stable Nuclear Doubling
Nuclear energy production is amplified by folding multiple nuclear reactions into the same space. The energy requirements for maintaining a stable and long-last fold are immense, requiring that a large portion of the energy output is fed back into the system to maintain the reaction(s).


Vacuum Waveform Condensates
The potential of the vacuum is unlocked, yielding the ability collapse mathematically defined waveforms in order to craft solid exotic "matter" out of the vacuum state. As this this matter is formed from the very background stuff of the universe, any vacuum waveform condensates are immovable and indestructible. Due to the mobility restriction they can only be used within dimensional folds that have no "where" in normal space. Waveform condensates therefore have a small, but powerful, application space.

Infinite Densities
By repeatedly folding matter into pocket dimension encased by VWC containers, there is no practical limit on the densities we can achieve.