Tech Tree

TechWins · August 10, 2001, 01:09

Why is that certain techs say that they take more turns to discover than others (I'm referring to the new Science Advisor screenshot)? Polytheism takes 15 turns, Currency take 19 turns, Construction takes 24 turns, and Writing takes 3 turns. Does this mean that some techs take longer to research than others. I think I might actually like it if it is actually that way. No, I'm not real sure what to think to tell you the truth, I don't know if I like it or if I don't like it (assuming that is what it means). Could you explain Dan?

TechWins · August 10, 2001, 19:01

Hey Danny boy could you explain this please? Or if somebody else might know could you fill me in? Thanks.

KrazyHorse · August 10, 2001, 19:08

Good job, TW. I didn't even notice that. This certainly is a hell of a revelation. It appears that the further down the tech tree you go, the more expensive techs are.

Writing requires 1 pre-req; requires 3 turns
Polytheism requires 2 pre-reqs; requires 15 turns
Currency requires 3 pre-reqs; requires 19 turns
Construction requires 5 pre-reqs; requires 24 turns

Inverse Icarus · August 10, 2001, 19:11

off topic, sorry, looks like polytheism wont let you have elephants

and i dont see a diplomat under writing...

meriadoc · August 10, 2001, 20:14

Actually, having some techs cost more than others isn't that much of a revolution. The CTP series had that feature in it from the start.

The diplomat · August 10, 2001, 20:41

As I understand the screenshot, blue indicates techs that have already been discovered. Yellow indicates techs that can be researched. Green indicates the tech that is currently being researched. And, grey is for techs that are not available yet.
The number of turns next to the tech indicates the number of turns it would take to research it. The number of turns in the green tech indicates the number of turns left.

Am I right Firaxis?

Steve Clark · August 10, 2001, 21:27

Don't you think that the numbers are the cumulation of that tech plus their pre-reqs? Also, remember that each tech requires more 'beakers' than the one before, as in Civ2.

DarkCloud · August 10, 2001, 22:53

Sounds promising having idfferent speeds required to research harder to research technologies!

Juggernaut · August 10, 2001, 23:09

I bet this progressive research system is a try to balance the ancient vs. the modern age and make ancient more attractive to play and make war in. In Civ II, most player just rushed this age, expanded and researched.

Alex 14 · August 10, 2001, 23:11

Maybee as you advance into the Fuedal age and still dont have writing it makes it easier to get? Just a thought.

TechWins · August 10, 2001, 23:47

Diplomat I think what you stated is correct. Unless for some werid reason what Steve said is right. Alex that's a good thought but I think it's the way Diplomat pointed out. Uncle Funk what you said is probably the motivating factor behind doing this.

Urban Ranger · August 11, 2001, 01:32

Supposedly you can't move forward to a new epoch until you have researched all the civ advances in the current epoch.

tniem · August 11, 2001, 01:41

Does that mean you can't research any thing from an epoch above where you are at until after you have researched everything already? Or does it simply mean that you can't officially enter the next epoch?

KrazyHorse · August 11, 2001, 01:53

You can't research anything from the next epoch until you have all the pre-reqs from the current epoch. The pre-reqs won't necessarily include every tech, but it will probably be a significant number of them.

Warm Beer · August 11, 2001, 02:09

Ohhh! That sounds attractive! (the whole epoch pre-req thing)... I found it funny that, in Civ II, one could research automobile w/o actually having "The Wheel."

JellyDonut · August 11, 2001, 04:10

The epoch thing is definitely a good idea. It was kind of odd that you could choose between researching Polytheism or the Superconductor at the same time.

Hmm...it appears the direct path to Monarchy is going to be longer.

Laszlo · August 11, 2001, 04:30

I've lost my tech tree map for Civ 2 by now, but I remember that some technologies blended from one age into the next. It was a subtle transition of the background colors, so I didn't notice it at first. I remember seeing it on Philosophy, Literacy, Invention, Industrialization, and Automobile I think, and maybe a few others.

When I discovered it, I thought that they were "key technologies" that unlocked the next age's techs. When that didn't seem right I thought it was the driver of the smaller time increments (20 to 10 to 5 to 1 years). I never really checked that out...but I had forgotten I thought about it anyway. (Could somebody tell me when the switches do occur? Thanks in advance!)

I just now realized that they just probably signify the new era by changing the faces of your cities, population, and advisors. Anyway, these "key" or gateway technologies could be used in some way like that.

Laszlo · August 11, 2001, 06:54

Maybe in Civ 3 they tried to implement some sort of technological cohesiveness. What I mean by that is every avenue of reasearch would be explored more evenly than would be required in previous versions where you just had prerequisites connecting stuff.

When you pushed too far in one direction it takes longer to reasearch, but lagging sectors catch up to the general trend more rapidly.

Imagine a sort of membrane spread over all your most recent techs. Anything conspicuously ahead is slowed down, while the valleys are given a break. Like a research push ahead of it's time is expensive, but a societal pull that instantly adopts latent technology.

It's a bit of a stretch to fit it over the Civ3.com Science Advisor's screen, but it looks like it just might be it. Writing takes only 3 turns b/c there's five technologies waiting on it. Polytheism only has Monarchy waiting, so it's 15 turns (plus Writing may have been worked on for a while in the screenshot). And last come Construction and Currency because they're the last of their line for the ancient age and overstretching a lot! Just look at the vertical alignment of techs to see what I mean.

Hope we get this riddle worked out soon.

Laszlo