Not getting food techs?

[Ohirra]

I'm trying a Virtuality Shattered Ring empire, but it's been decades and I've not got a single food-based technology.

This means I can't unlock my three agriculture building slots, which means I can't specialize my agriculture into society research support.

I have a biological shipset, so it's not like I don't use food.

 

[ixzyquinn]

Alternatively, adopt Functional Architecture civic to allow districts specialization without techs.

 

[Drachasor]

The tech bloat makes it really hard to get critical techs. I have a similar problem with ship tech. I'm not a huge fan of the fleet combat in the game, but it is completely borked if you can't get the techs to rock/paper/scissors things or do meta builds. It almost makes archeo techs and the perk necessary as a more dependable alternative -- and that's messed up.

 

[Ohirra]

Alternatively, adopt Functional Architecture civic to allow districts specialization without techs.

That's a great idea.

I usually play Worker Cooperative, but I guess I can start with the non-Megacorp civics and change to Worker Cooperative, after both getting my 3rd civic slot and colonizing the other two ring segments.

 

[Drachasor]

That's a great idea.

I usually play Worker Cooperative, but I guess I can start with the non-Megacorp civics and change to Worker Cooperative, after both getting my 3rd civic slot and colonizing the other two ring segments.

It's a good work-around, but I think they tech system just needs a rework now. It honestly is getting so complicated and random that it might just be better if they have a tech tree you can reference, with important techs for things like specializations prominently indicated.

 

[Gilbert95]

Supposedly the current beta includes increased draw weight for this and similar critical techs. It's also possible that despite having bio ships your other build choices are blocking them (which would be a bug).

 

[Drachasor]

Supposedly the current beta includes increased draw weight for this and similar critical techs. It's also possible that despite having bio ships your other build choices are blocking them (which would be a bug).

But let's bear in mind that draw weight isn't the only problem. The average player isn't going to know what prerequisites are needed for a tech to show up because they don't go through the wiki. They might even actively avoid a needed prereq or getting enough of the previous teir (by mot taking a tech that's doesn't immediately benefit them do much) because the game doesn't communicate anything about this. Even newer players might not even realize such techs exist. They might also just get a little bit unlucky on the draws, which could delay things by a decade or more. I've certainly had this happen.

Several years ago this wasn't as big an issue because a more streamlined tech tree meant you'd get the prereqs soon enough either way. Knowing helped some, but it wasn't a big deal. More techs makes it and randomness a much bigger issue since the game doesn't communicate how it works or give much control.

 

[passeris]

But let's bear in mind that draw weight isn't the only problem. The average player isn't going to know what prerequisites are needed for a tech to show up because they don't go through the wiki. They might even actively avoid a needed prereq or getting enough of the previous teir (by mot taking a tech that's doesn't immediately benefit them do much) because the game doesn't communicate anything about this. Even newer players might not even realize such techs exist. They might also just get a little bit unlucky on the draws, which could delay things by a decade or more. I've certainly had this happen.

Isn't there already a system for this? "This technology will lead to advancements in X". That's exactly the kind of guidance it should give, instead even prerequisite techs give no hint whatsoever that they're required to unlock other things.

At best you get broad categories (Materials, Particles etc). Changing these to name specific techs would help gameplay, but it also has in-universe justification. When you write a research paper, or a funding application, you have to suggest possible applications for your research. So the scientists would effectively 'suggest' the possible applications of their research to help you decide whether to approve research on the prerequisite.

And if an upcoming tech has more than one prerequisite, just make it a different colour based on whether or not all its conditions will be met following the selected research. Or put that little red 'X'.

 

[SirBlackAxe]

I think the issue is that the tech weights aren't properly accounting for your build.

You need two techs: Food Processing, and the prerequisite tech Eco Simulation.

• Eco Simulation has x0.01 weight for machines/lithoids unless they're Servitors/Assimilators or own a capped or ringworld agricultural district - shattered ring world agricultural districts (as well as uncapped agri districts from other sources like anglers) are overlooked and do not count!
  • Conversely, Food processing has almost the same x0.01 weight modifier but instead sees the uncapped shattered ring agri districts while ignoring regular/restored ring world agri districts. You'll have trouble drawing it if you restore the ringworld segment you're farming on before researching it.
• Eco Simulation always has another x0.5 for machines/lithoids that didn't start with a non-lithoid subspecies, even if they use food for something. This is canceling out the x2 weight for using bioships.

In order to draw the tech, you're going to want to build an agricultural district on a regular planet. That will increase your odds of drawing Eco Simulation by x100, and keep Food Processing at x500 after you restore your shattered ring world.

I don't know why the tech weights don't use the existing has_any_farming_district_or_buildings trigger that looks for all district variants plus hydroponics buildings. Probably this counts as a bug.