OK, another crazy thing.
Research system has not changed significantly since Civ1, and it never actually looked realistic.
Alternative is to advance, based on what is actually happening in your civ. Like with GPP, but as a primary source of beakers, instead of minor thing.
So, you don't have The Slider. Science is always on 0%. All trade is converted to gold (let's forget about culture for a while). That's lot of gold But you also spend a lot more gold than usual. Like in early civs and in MoM, each unit and each building cost money upkeep. But there is a good news - each coin you pay for unit or building upkeep is converted into beaker, which go to tech, related for that building or unit.
So, for each gold you pay for Warrior or Barracks upkeep you get one beaker for warfare-related techs.
For each gold you pay for Magic Guild or Adept upkeep you get one beakers that goes to magic techs.
For each gold you pay for Courthouse or Government Civic upkeep you get beaker for civic-related techs.
Sometimes you spend gold without getting beakers, though - upkeep for number of cities and distance from capital is a total waste.
Also, you get beakers for each produced food or hammer and for each fight - they are also go to respective tech.
You also can research something manually - but only with those beakers you get from scientists, Elder Council, etc.
This stuff could work with a "traditional" tech tree, but it would better fit when techs are split into parallel lines, like in Master of Orion or in Master of Mana modmod.
Spheres/lines are, roughly:
Agriculture (agriculture, calendar, etc)
Seafaring (including optics and astronomy)
Nature (hunting, animal handling...)
Trade (from travel to mercantilism)
Craft (including mining and all metalworking)
Construction (building improvements, roads, may be city buildings as well)
Law (Code of laws, probably something else)
Religion
Arcane
Science (writing, education, trading techs)
Entertainment (Festivals, Drama)
Warfare (mostly melee)
Horse riding (stirrups, warhorse)
Covert (assassins, Esus stuff)
Archery
Research system has not changed significantly since Civ1, and it never actually looked realistic.
Alternative is to advance, based on what is actually happening in your civ. Like with GPP, but as a primary source of beakers, instead of minor thing.
So, you don't have The Slider. Science is always on 0%. All trade is converted to gold (let's forget about culture for a while). That's lot of gold But you also spend a lot more gold than usual. Like in early civs and in MoM, each unit and each building cost money upkeep. But there is a good news - each coin you pay for unit or building upkeep is converted into beaker, which go to tech, related for that building or unit.
So, for each gold you pay for Warrior or Barracks upkeep you get one beaker for warfare-related techs.
For each gold you pay for Magic Guild or Adept upkeep you get one beakers that goes to magic techs.
For each gold you pay for Courthouse or Government Civic upkeep you get beaker for civic-related techs.
Sometimes you spend gold without getting beakers, though - upkeep for number of cities and distance from capital is a total waste.
Also, you get beakers for each produced food or hammer and for each fight - they are also go to respective tech.
You also can research something manually - but only with those beakers you get from scientists, Elder Council, etc.
This stuff could work with a "traditional" tech tree, but it would better fit when techs are split into parallel lines, like in Master of Orion or in Master of Mana modmod.
Spheres/lines are, roughly:
Agriculture (agriculture, calendar, etc)
Seafaring (including optics and astronomy)
Nature (hunting, animal handling...)
Trade (from travel to mercantilism)
Craft (including mining and all metalworking)
Construction (building improvements, roads, may be city buildings as well)
Law (Code of laws, probably something else)
Religion
Arcane
Science (writing, education, trading techs)
Entertainment (Festivals, Drama)
Warfare (mostly melee)
Horse riding (stirrups, warhorse)
Covert (assassins, Esus stuff)
Archery
