Tech Tree Revisions

[Vokarya]

Here are some of the tech tree prerequisite cuts I am considering. None of these are truly redundant prerequisites, but I don't think any of these really contribute to the overall goal of the tech tree of providing a plausible path of technological advancement.

Calendar -> Astronomy: This is a holdover from BTS. In BTS, Astronomy's prerequisites are Calendar + Optics, and Astronomy is Calendar's only exit point. In AND, Astronomy also requires Algebra and Compass, and Calendar also exits to Crop Rotation and Clockworks. Astronomy does not need to have four prerequisites, and Calendar is two eras back. The Calendar to Astronomy jump is the fifth-longest jump on the tech tree. This is one connection that can be cut with only leaving a very small potential hole that I don't think offers an exploit. Calendar probably needs a Classical Era exit point, but I can't think of one right now.

Civil Service -> Invention: Civil Service is the fourth prerequisite on Invention, besides Alchemy, Engineering and Guilds. Civil Service is the only prerequisite that is in the Medieval Era's first column rather than later.

Clockworks -> Scientific Method: Another fourth-prerequisite tech. Here we have Scientific Method requiring Astronomy, Anatomy, and Printing Press, all of which are Renaissance techs themselves, and then Clockworks as a Medieval Era tech. Clockworks also exits to Matchlock and Navigation, both important techs themselves. Anatomy is actually the tech that pins Scientific Method to its current place on the tree. I do like not having Scientific Method too early in the Renaissance.

Semiconductors -> Fiber Optics: I noticed that Robotics and Fiber Optics have very similar prerequisites. Robotics requires Laser and Semiconductors, while Fiber Optics requires Laser and Semiconductors and Synthetic Fibers. I don't like that much overlap, so I think cutting Semiconductors from FO is fine. Semiconductors also leads to Composites and Microprocessor so losing one exit point out of 4 doesn't hurt.

Advanced Computers -> Orbital Flight: Orbital Flight has 3 other required techs (Biomimetics, Skyroads, and Space Stations) and either Biomimetics or Skyroads will pin it in place. Advanced Computers leads to EIGHT other techs, more than any other AND tech. Losing one will totally not bother it at all.

 

[Vokarya]

I also want to add a few additional prerequisites to eliminate some of the places where there is a long jump between techs or a tech is "one-in-one-out" with one prerequisite and one exit point.

Machinery -> Optics: This is a prerequisite chain that is in BTS but we somehow dropped from AND. Here it just prevents a "one-in-one-out" from Alchemy to Optics to Astronomy. Half the time it is redundant if you come to Alchemy from Engineering, but if you come from Theology to Alchemy it is not.

Crop Rotation -> Colonialism: Crop Rotation to Biology is the longest current jump on the tech tree, going from an early-Medieval to a early-Industrial. This replaces that. I think Crop Rotation makes a good proxy for "advanced farming" that would be necessary to sustain a colony.

Flintlock -> Replaceable Parts: This actually replaces Chemistry -> Steam Engine and Chemistry -> Photography. I did not like Replaceable Parts having only one prerequisite (Economics) and I do like to be able to integrate military and non-military techs when possible.

Refrigeration -> Logistics: This replaces two long jumps in Refrigeration -> Antibiotics and Refrigeration -> Superconductors. Refrigeration to Superconductors is a leftover from BTS, which works better because Refrigeration is a Modern Era tech rather than the Industrial Era tech that AND has it as. When Refrigeration is mid-Industrial and Superconductors is late-Modern, that's a really long jump.

Combined Arms -> Aerodynamics: This shortens what otherwise would be Combined Arms -> Modern Warfare. Aerodynamics is currently "one-in-one-out" with Radar as its prerequisite and Jet Propulsion as its outgoing tech. Modern Warfare has Globalization and Supersonic Flight as other prerequisite techs and can therefore dispense with a third.

 

[HorseshoeHermit]

I have rejiggered the Tech Tree layout again. After literally sleepless nights that no sane person would undertake at such pace, I have finished.
The changes go up through Medieval Era to accommodate solving issues with the Ancient Era, but also getting three arrows to go into Paper, which was the Everest.

While following the rules about column position, row alignment, non-crossing arrows and of course, consistency with the game's actual logic, I have innovated several bonus points over the existing tree while sacrificing basically only two things.
One important class of change was to recognize the value of not having misleading information communicated by the graph. This occurs if a disjunctive prerequisite is not fully disclosed by a set of arrows. These situations are improved when a conjunctive prerequisite is moved to replace those arrows - and players simply have to look up the pedia (or click the tech) to discover the requirements, as they already have to do if the arrows aren't all there.

Benefits over existing graph:
> Herbalism has all of its arrows
> Code of Laws is not orphaned
> Priesthood has all of its arrows (no longer partial from Tradition)
> Warfare's arrow is not partial / comes from a conjunctive prerequisite (Code of Laws)
> Philosophy is not orphaned
> Trade has two arrows going to it over just 1 (Sailing, Husbandry) - which is the best you can do barring intense sabotage of other things for Pottery
> Alchemy's arrow is not partial / comes from a conjunctive prerequisite (Ancient Medicine)
> Paper has all three arrows

What was lost:
-- Husbandry has an arrow drawn only from Agriculture
-- Mythology is orphaned
-- Charters is orphaned

Two orphans are traded for two orphans, but the accuracy of the graph has grown considerably.

There are also, in my estimation, some soft benefits:

• Hunting & Fishing have no arrows going out of them - which may attract a new player to investigate out of dubiousness, finding their disjunctive paths.
• The lines that bring you into the Medieval Era are horizontal
• Sailing's arrow is drawn from Weaving, which shortens its length

Attached is a schematic of the switch, which goes up to Medieval Era. Everything can be left at Medieval with a few trivial more flips because there's only Education, Chivalry, and Algebra anyway.
I'll convert to XMLinfos and upload those with screenshots later too. One thing's for sure, I -will- be playing with my own settings like this.



Note that Aesthetics is free floating. Perhaps it should go after Athletics, so it's more balanced in that column. A small thing I'm not leaping into my modeller to fix right this moment–
edit: actually the change is necessary. Aesthetics is in the way of the line to Philosophy. But it just has to go after Athletics.

 

[robbyextreme]

Cool, hope one day me or someone else will be motivated to fix the tech descriptions most are outdated and wrong.

 

[HorseshoeHermit]

The design changed. Here are screenshots of the graph in-game:


And here is the file to replace your CIV4TechInfos.xml with. (hotfixed, see next post)

The benefit tally comes to:

> Herbalism has all of its arrows
> Code of Laws is not orphaned
> Priesthood has all of its arrows (no longer partial from Tradition)
> Warfare's arrow is not partial / comes from a conjunctive prerequisite (Code of Laws)
> Philosophy is not orphaned
> Trade has two arrows going to it over just 1 (Sailing, Husbandry)
> Drama is not orphaned
> Civil Service is not partial / comes from a conjunctive prerequisite (Politics)
> Alchemy's arrow is not partial / comes from a conjunctive prerequisite (Glassblowing)
> Paper has all three arrows

What was lost:
-- Husbandry has an arrow drawn only from Agriculture
-- Mythology is orphaned
-- Charters is orphaned

I'm running a version that doesn't even orphan Charters, but it accomplishes that by running an arrow to it from Vassalage, and then Feudalism has an arrow from Politics while saying in its corner that it requires Vassalage with Stirrup.

 

[HorseshoeHermit]

Quick fix: Philosophy needs Mathematics taken out of its corner. Also, Ancient Medicine is moved to Meditation, its other disjunctive prerequisite.
Invention and Clockworks are also adjusted.

I can see actually you can even get Ancient Medicine correct, if you take apart Priesthood, but I think it's worth it so I'ma do that next. And it un-orphans Mythology.
Further tweaks will be made in this post.

 

[HorseshoeHermit]

My changes are for out of date tech tree logic? I downloaded RoM last time apparently the day before Vokarya's 1092 update. Damn.

So there's nothing for me to do, really, unless I can get Herbalism both arrows or put Trade back on Writing. (Good work!)