COMMUNITY - FORUMS - GUILDS
Patents and Technology

Maybe i missed it, but i feel every time i read about it, that institutes HAVE to share tech and Guilds get to choose. This leads to a couple questions.

  1. Can kingdom regulate technology?

  2. Can Duchies and so on?

  3. Do guilds or institutes have hard fast rules(ingame mechanics) of how they operate?

  4. Can you hide discoveries?


9/30/2016 10:10:45 AM #1

This might be a good question to add over on the Q&A thread on Reddit for the Q&A session being held in about 13 hours time.

It is believe there are rules on the operation of different Organisations but what they are exactly is currently unclear, I have asked a question for some clarification about the different systems so hopefully we get some answers.

As for Kingdoms/Duchies limiting tech it depends what you mean. We have not heard anything about making particular research illegal, and I am not sure that would work, but there is the possibility of out lawing items. So you could say that the new technology discovered is banned from your kingdom, though of course that does create a black market for it!

You can hide discoveries if you are a guild or individual but unsure if that is extended to schools. Basically if you do not shout about your discovery or try to sell your products it could well be people do not find out for sometime.


Author of the Elyria Echo the first, and least up-to-date, CoE fan site.

9/30/2016 11:15:34 AM #2

I unfortunately have hit my question max for the q&a.

I was just thinking of the trope of the dark arts, or other forbidden knowledge kind of thing.

That is good to hear on individuals and guilds. Think how fun it would be to sneak into another realm just research some region specific thing, then "steal" that knowledge and share it only in your kingdom.


10/2/2016 6:34:56 AM #3

Not guild stuff. Please move or remove post -_-


10/2/2016 6:49:41 AM #4

If I buy a new tool at the market, how can I know the design is patented? This will requre metainformation, that my character isn't supposed to have. I really like the technology system, but I don't think that the game should have patents.

Instead the game engine could require you to study an item for a few days while before you can attempt to disassemble it to copy it. This could be a passive action.


10/2/2016 7:55:56 AM #5

1 & 2: As for kingdoms and duchies regulating technology, I'd argue yes, but only to a certain extent. Kings will have the most power to decide whether or not their kingdom focuses on technology by allocating certain tax dollars for research. How detailed these mechanics will be is yet to be announced. I'd be surprised if the king couldn't specify he wanted funding to go towards military research, but it's speculation at this point.

3: Guilds and schools do have harder rules because there will be in-game mechanics to support them. Guilds are primarily commercially motivated and schools work towards education and research. Associations, a third type of organization, are more flexible as a sort of social/catch-all category. Think of it like how standard MMOs use guilds or clans. You might find this page on the wiki a helpful summary of the different types of organizations in CoE.

4: If you haven't already, you should definitely check out the DJ on Technology and Research. Here's a relevant excerpt about sharing technology:

"If you perform research on the equipment of an organization, such as a Guild or School, you're implicitly agreeing to share all discoveries you make with the institution. The effect is quite different depending on the institution. If you make a discovery as part of school, they will turn around and make the information freely available to everyone. On the other hand, a Guild will often go and Patent the technology, granting them sole and exclusive rights to utilize the new knowledge."

It also explains how patents work:

"Patents give the owner exclusive rights to use a technology for a period of three real-world weeks. After the first three-week period of time the owner can request an extension for another three weeks, however this is often very expensive. After the full six-week period of time, or if the owner chooses not to file for an extension, the patent falls off and it becomes acceptable for anyone to create the technology."

Hope this clarifies things a little!

10/9/2016 2:23:00 AM #6

Patents are on the list of cut features aren't they?


10/9/2016 7:44:29 PM #7

Are there a list of the cut/noncut features compiled somewhere??


Count Darnius Storm Valimore County Kingdom of Nirath

10/9/2016 7:50:22 PM #8

Posted By Darnius at 12:44 PM - Sun Oct 09 2016

Are there a list of the cut/noncut features compiled somewhere??

Nope. We do have a wiki which is fairly reliable though. Welcome to the Easter Egg hunt.


It's not a problem, it's a plot hook!