What is a tech web?

[Aaronk24]

What is a tech web? How is it different than a tree?

I have read that technology in Civilization Beyond Earth will be more of a "web" structure than a "tree". What I am not sure about is what that means exactly?

I realize that information is scarce at this point, but maybe someone has heard something.

 

[moysturfurmer]

 

[KevinLancaster]

It's funny since Civ 3 went backwards from Civ 1, 2, and SMAC in terms of tech tree complexity, now we're finally going back.

 

[Lord Tirian]

To give a longer answer:

It's a web where you start in the centre (with the lowest value techs) and with the highest value techs outside.

Effectively, I think, it's having three different tech trees (one for each affinity), but with cross-over points (especially at the start of the tree, then thinning out later).

I means, since it's a "web" instead of just following the tree from left to right, you start in the centre and map out your own path through the web.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

It also means that you can get the edge of the web while only getting a small fraction of the techs.

 

[bhavv]

I absolutely love path of exile's skill web, I hope its going to be similar to that.

 

[CraziFuzzy]

I think the key difference is that a given tech does not have a fixed prerequisite. It may be something like to get Tech D, you have to have 2 of Tech A, B and C. Tech G might require just Tech A or F. Tech I may require Tech D & F. Provides for a less linear approach - a lot harder to design and balance, but a lot more fun to traverse through, and provides for less 'this is the best route' problems.

If you've tried out the Faerun mod, there is some flavor of that in there (though it has more likeness to the affinity system). There are certain techs in the tree that are only available to a given alignment (Good, Neutral, Evil) - this is likely similar to the affinity system in CivBE. I believe there are also some of the 'Or' prereqs, and not everything is an 'And'.

 

[Seek]

I think it's going to look more similar to this:

(Endless Space's tech tree/web)

Except it is going to be hexagonal and *I think* going to include links between the tech branches.

 

[Teproc]

Basically it means that you are going to have very specialized tech pahts, instead of having t research the same techs as everyone else in the long run. It creates better gameplay (or at least I hope it will), but they can't really do it in regular civ because look at how much people are annoyed at tech inconsistencies already.

 

[Krajzen]

To be honest I would love tech web in the regular Civilization game. Four branches - Military, Economy, Society and Mind [religion/art/tech]. Each independent from another but also organised as every player 'should' have most of the techs in every late game. Priorities would become fascinating strategical choice.

It could allow on creation of such diverse civilisations!

'Steppe Horde': super military, mediocre economy and society, awful Mind

'Mesoamerica': super Mind and Society, mediocre economy, weak military

etc.

when I think about it, technology tree seems to be so outdated and bland when compared with Web.

It could also allow on lot of customization of civs and abilities ('faster Economic technologies, slower Society technologies' and so on).

 

[stealth_nsk]

To be honest I would love tech web in the regular Civilization game. Four branches - Military, Economy, Society and Mind [religion/art/tech]

I'm afraid, this way it will not work too much. Civilizations focused on military will trample the rest. The CBE tech web provides different types of military for 3 branches. I doubt this would work for a history game, unless it's mystical pseudohistory.

 

[bhavv]

That was something I was thinking yesterday, that you need to be able to take any tech path and have military options in each.

Maybe if you take the military path, you could get faster land units, lots of normal weapon options and bonuses when attacking enemy units.

The science path could open up missile and air based units, like rocket infantry for defense, artillery and rockets / airships.

Ecological path could give native units and bonuses to Psi combat, or its equivalent in BE.

Economic option could include naval units and branch off from the other trees.

 

[Arrowstorm]

I don't think a web would work for regular Civ games, the historical backdrop doesn't really allow for that kind of specialization. It makes more sense in sci fi, where you don't know what's going to happen, so you can decide the fate of humanity in very different ways.

 

[Seek]

In case anyone's interested, I've put together a thread with a graphic of what we know so far about the tech web here.

 

[AriochIV]

I guess it's nice from a player choice / replayability standpoint, but unfortunately it's not very realistic. Real technology has many interdependencies between even very different disciplines. Mechanical technology and propulsion affects many things, computer technology affects nearly everything, etc.

 

[KevinLancaster]

There's no reason that the tech web can't have interdependencies, like in Civ 2 / SMAC.

 

[AriochIV]

There's no reason that the tech web can't have interdependencies, like in Civ 2 / SMAC.

That's true, and it should, but I'm betting it won't.

 

[Potenzo]

I think it's going to look more similar to this:

(Endless Space's tech tree/web)

Except it is going to be hexagonal and *I think* going to include links between the tech branches.

If it doesn't include links between the branches it's not really a web. What you posted isn't a web, it's just four separate trees, with the implication that investing in progressing in one tree comes at an opportunity cost of further progression in another.

The tech trees in GalCiv2 are much the same: they're visually represented as traditional left-to-right trees, but in practice the same as this pic. PoE's (in my opinion, truly great) innovation is to provide a complex set of interlinks, so that you can pursue one area and "skip back" to an advanced section in another area, without covering all that previous area's pre-conditions.

I hope BE follows PoE's example - or at least, it's capable of being so modded.

 

[Seek]

@Potenzo - Well yes, I just posted the ES shot because I think the web will visually be more similar to that than PoE's. I agree there will be links between the trees. Check the thread I linked to above in post 14 to see what actually think it will look like (in a very rough state).

@AriochIV - iirc civ 5's tech tree wasn't built to easily allow interdependencies. (any advanced modders, feel free to prove me wrong!) Of course the engine could be updated in this regard, it will have to remain a mystery for now I suppose.

 

[CraziFuzzy]

@AriochIV - iirc civ 5's tech tree wasn't built to easily allow interdependencies. (any advanced modders, feel free to prove me wrong!) Of course the engine could be updated in this regard, it will have to remain a mystery for now I suppose.

Pretty sure the techs themselves are very versatile. You can establish pretty much any pre-req you want for them. I believe there are entries in the XML for Technology_PrereqTechs and Technology_ORPrereqTechs.