Hi, I've been doing some thinking about the peaceful victories, which are a bit dull/bucket filling, and I've come up for an idea for an added alchemy system that leads to the science victory. It's still very rough, so feel free to chime with suggestions/refinements (or tell to go to hell, I've got a thick skin .





Summary:



Alchemy system added, starts with alchemy tech in era II, enhanced with other existing science techs in successive eras.



Not open ended alchemy, but a set of new 'combo' resources (say 6 - 3 luxuries, 3 alloys(strategic resources)) which can be made by combining existing luxuries/strategic resources. They and their effects are always the same every game, but the formulas - what materials and in what order - are randomized each game. The effects should be strong enough that you are rewarded for the effort/materials spent on them, but not so over-powering that they are game changers.



Players discover the formula through science research and some logic and experimentation (and possibly also quests and espionage). Once the formula has been discovered, the new resource can be made if the ingredients are available.



The science victory is achieved by discovering the formula for the "Super" resource, made by combining the 6 'combo' materials in a certain order/ratio, and manufacturing a certain amount of it (say 40 units). It's so amazing that all the other factions acknowledge they can't possibly compete with it's effects, and game over.

Expanded/detailed version (warning, novel incoming):



Again, this is very rough, I haven't done the math or anything like that, so these are off the cuff numbers/names/etc..





New Resources:



Let's say there are 6 combo materials - 3 luxuries and 3 strategic resources.



First Tier:

• One combo luxury is made of three different luxuries from Era I. Say Emeralds + Gold + Spices (in that order, but again, this is randomized every game) makes 1 "Pixie Dust" - which can be used like a normal luxury but has special effects (maybe makes all units flying for 10 turns, or cancels the effects of winter on a city for 10 turns or something. I don't know - something strong enough which warrants using 20 emerald/20 gold/20 spices for it but not so strong that it turn the game into who ever gets it immediately dominates)
• One combo alloy is made up of the 2 different strategic materials from Era I and one luxury.
  
  
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Second Tier:


• One combo luxury is made up of 4 different luxuries from Eras I and III
• One combo alloy is made up of 2 different strategic materials and 2 different luxuries from Eras I and III - say Gold + Titanium + Grasslik + Admantium (in that order)= 1 Awesomnium, which can be used to make weapons/armor (again, that are strong but not crazy strong).
  
  


Third Tier:


• One luxury is made up of 5 different luxuries from Eras I, III, and V
• One combo alloy is made of 2 different strategic materials and 3 different luxuries from Eras I, III, and V.
  
  




The super resource is made from combining all 6 of the combo resources in specific ratios and order (i.e. 1 Awesomnium + 2 pixie dust + etc - there could be anywhere from 1-3 of each combo resource in this formula.)



These formulas - the ingredients and order for the combo resources, the ratio and order for the super resource - are randomized at the start of each game.





Techs:



The Alchemy tech unlocks the 'alchemy screen' and allows you to combine 3 resources in the alchemy lab, allows alchemy research, and allows the discovery of the first 2 combo resources.



The Statistical Method tech allows you to combine 4 resources, allows the discovery of the second tier combo resources, and improves the efficiency of alchemy research and feedback.



Scientific Specialization allows you to combine 5 resources, allows the discovery of the third tier combo resources, and improves the efficiency of alchemy research and feedback.



Difference Engine allows you to combine 6 resources, allows the discovery of the Super Resouce, and improves the efficiency of alchemy research and feedback.



Another option would be to require the actual buildings built (i.e. the alchemy lab) and not just unlocked on tech discovery.





Alchemy screen:



The alchemy screen has:

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• A slider to adjust the percentage of science going to new techs versus alchemy research (the research to discover formulas).
• A list of any formulas, or portions of formulas, so far discovered.
• A list of previous, failed, 'experiments'.
• A section for combining available resources from your stockpile to experiment/manufacture the combo resources. This can only be used once per turn (scaling for game speed), in order to limit experimentation tries, and make players have to plan ahead/strategize a bit for the manufacturing.
  
  
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Discovering formulas:



The science slider can be adjusted so some percentage of research goes to new technologies, while some percentage of science goes to alchemy formulas.



The alchemy formulas each cost a number of science, that goes up with each one. They can't be researched before the appropriate tech has been unlocked.



Formulas appear one ingredient at a time until finished. I.e. if Pixie Dust costs 1200 science to discover, after 400 science you get Emeralds{/I] in the formula, after 800 science Emeralds + Gold, etc. This is done to work with the next part:





Experimentation:



As soon as the alchemy screen is unlocked, the player can use it combine materials, even before they have a formula.



If they combine ingredients that aren't a formula, the experiment fails, and they materials are wasted. If they combine ingredients that are a formula, the formula is discovered and added to the formula list, and no more science is used on its discovery.



Feedback on failed experiments improves with the alchemy related techs unlocked (or perhaps even the alchemy related buildings built). At first, it's simply "Experiment failed" (or fancied up ala "The ingredients gel into a foul, useless black sludge.")



On higher levels, the feedback would be more detailed, logic puzzle style - i.e. that the player has the right ingredients but the wrong order then on the next tier, 3 out of 4 ingredients are correct, 2 out of 4 are in the right position, etc.



This means the player could theoretically puzzle out the formula from the feedback and logic. However, the once per turn limit use of the alchemy lab, and the fact they are using materials from their stockpile every try, would limit them from just sitting there trying to puzzle it out in one turn.



The idea would be that players would try and discover the formula from a combination of previous tries and from the portions of the formula that has already been discovered - a task that gets easier as the research progresses - and try and beat the research and save themselves the time and the science. For those that don't find it interesting to micromanage the research and puzzle it out like this, they can just let the passive discovery do all the work.





Manufacture:



Once an resource formula has been discovered, the player can just click on the resource and a quantity from the formulas list, and they will produce that amount if they have enough of the ingredients in their stockpile. However, this is part of the once per turn limit use on the alchemy lab.





Quests:



Random quests can sometimes give a portion of a formula as a reward.





Espionage:



If espionage is added to the game, formulas, or portions of formulas, should be able to be stolen. Also the alchemy lab can be 'sabotaged' so it can't be used for an X number of turns.





Notifications:



Every time a formula is discovered for the first time, there is a notification for all players (The formula for pixie dust has been discovered!), but doesn't reveal who discovered it.



When a faction discovers all 6 of the combo resources, that gives a notification (The Broken Lords have revealed all the secrets of Advanced Alchemy!).



Every ingredient of the super resource gives a notification (The Broken Lords have uncovered the second portion of the Divine Formula!)





Winning a Science Victory:



Once the player unlocks Difference Engine, they can begin trying to discover - through both research and experimentation - the formula for the super resource (presumably the slider would go to 100% for alchemy research). Once it's discovered, they need to make 40(?) units of it to win the game.



Unlike the combo resources, the super resource doesn't have a 1:1 ingredient ratio - each quantity of combo resource could be 1, 2, or 3 to make 1 super resource. This is done for two reasons:

a) because it's known that the ingredients are the 6 combo resources, there would be a 1 out of 720 chance to guess the order on the first go, which is not inconsequential and a little too much possible luck.

b) at 1:1, the player knows they need 40 (or whatever amount) of each combo resource to make the super resource and can already have that manufactured and stockpiled. This means they could mean anywhere from 40 to 120 for each resource - the player can try and stockpile 120 of each (and forgo the useful advantages), or rush to make the appropriate amount as each portion of the formula is revealed.



Other options would be to have 9 combo resources (6 luxes and 3 alloys) but only 6 of them used to the super resource, which would achieve about the same effect as not having a 1:1 ratio.



Anyway, once the formula is discovered, the player manufactures 40(?) of the super resource, and the game is won. Because one type of resource can only be made per turn, and because obtaining the necessary quantity of ingredient resources is also a significant part of the challenge, the player will want to be obtaining and making the sub-ingredients before this.





AI:



The computer would more or less just need to decide how much of it's slider to dedicate to tech research versus alchemy research, and work on gathering and creating the final resources in preparation for the tech victory. Programming it to do the experimentation/logic portion of it seems excessive - that should be something that gives a human player a leg up on the AI.





Misc:



Because discovering the formulas requires science as well, the overall cost of techs may need to be decreased a bit to compensate.

Ugh, that title should be 'an Enhanced'

There is potential for this to work, however with economy based systems including a trade center. It might lead to a balance issue due to how the in game economies function.

I think these are potentially some really great ideas! It would be interesting to see these strategies with classically boring endgames (hit next turn, hit next turn) generate a little interest and conflict. And it would be interesting to see more market- and resource-related conflict. Although, currently, market ban is a little too all-or-nothing.