For a complete reshuffle, it would be a good idea to list out all of the features by desired placement in the tree.
Tier-1 Features
Prophet, farms, mines, roads, fishing boats, pagan temples, apprenticeship, city states, Mobility I.
I think that both prophets and pagan temples are not particularly useful. Grouping them with an already valuable tech like the current Mysticism isn't necessary. Also, note that I'd only open up the first mobility promotion with a tier-1 tech.
Tier-2 Features
Archer, hunter, archery range, hunting lodge, walls, pasture, plantation, camp, quarry, cottage, forest chopping, festivals, Tomb of Sucellus, Core of the Subtle, open borders, [race] slaying, Loki, obelisks, elder councils, granaries, smoke houses.
Many more features here. Moving archers and hunters will help differentiate between them and the other tier-2 units. Forest chopping also comes sooner (to make forests less of a curse), open borders come later, and the race slaying promotions also come later (they're valuable enough to warrant it).
Tier-3 Features
Axeman, horseman, disciples, dragonship, trireme, galley, catapult, hawk, Barnaxus, training yard, stables, walls, winery, forts, markets, breweries, religious temples, lighthouses, libraries, rings of warding, military state, caste system, pact of the Nihlorn, form of the titan, gold trading, trade on coast, found first three religions, Mobility II, demon slaying, undead slaying, disciple slaying, the drown, soldiers of Kilmorph, archers of leaves, Gilden Silveric, siege workshop, courthouse, trade maps, trade techs, sentry.
Even more stuff here. rings of warding come earlier (should help the opponents of an early summoner rush), Pact of the Nihlorn comes later (makes sense, with the HN giants), Mobility II comes much later (it is a powerful promotion), and the religions get founded.
Tier-4 Features
Adept, diseased corpse, caravel, royal guard, mercenary, Bambur, Kithra Kyriel, Saverous, The Dark Wind, Guybrush Threepwood, Rantine, Trojan Horse, mage guild, command post, build workshop, build whaling boats, chop jungles, build windmill, build watermill, build lumbermill, build node, theater, public baths, aqueduct, moneychanger, forge, inn, tavern, free trade, warfare, eternal flame, the great lighthouse, aquae Sucellus, national epic, heroic epic, bazaar of mammon, trade gold, +1 road movement, tower of [magic category], found later two religions, arcane barge, asylum, arete, slavery, guardian of nature, protect the meek, infernal grimoire, woodsman II, guerilla II, city raider, city garrison.
Man, the list of items per tech just keeps expanding. I might have to split it up further to gain some cohesiveness.
Tier-5 Features
Chariot, assassin, crossbowman, pikeman, mage, priest, Valin Phanuel, Rosier the Fallen, galleon, pirate, Govannon, Rathus Denmora, Baron Duin Halfmorn, Typhoid Mary, drydock, castle, bowyer, command post, alchemy lab, gambling house, infirmary, tax office, basilica, demon's altar, crusade, public healers, sacrifice the weak, social order, mercantilism, twisted spire, temple of temporance, hall of kings, tower of eyes, bone palace, Yggdrasil, The Great Library, guild of endeavors, nature's revolt, defensive pact, crusader, stygian guard, paramander, Govannon, machine workshop, dungeon, republic, liberty.
Move along, nothing to see here.
Tier-6 Features
Horse archer, longbowman, maceman, ranger, queen of the line, mage, conjurer, Yvain the woodelf, Hemah, Arthendain, Donal Lugh, Chalid Astrakein, Corlindale, Maros, Magnadine, The War Machine, Losha Valas, religious discipline, scholarship, grove, hippodrome, scrub "fallout," Crown of Akharien, Soul Forge, permanant alliance.
Tier-7 Features
Tier-4 military units (there's a lot of them), druid, Eidolon, Paladin, man o' war, beast of Agares, Sphener, Mardero, Abashi, Eurabatres, tier-4 unit enabling buildings (there's a lot of them), obsidian gate, the Nexus, apocalypse ritual, armageddon ritual, cannon
Tier-8 Features
Archmage, inquisitor, high priest, summoner, copper golem, Avatar of Wrath, Meshabber of Dis, Mithril Golem, golem workshop, Tower of Mastery, glory everlasting, bane divine.
And so the list tapers. Apologies for spamming the thread, but I like to have my thought process outlined somewhere I can access from anywhere.
Hm... if I just have 8 tiers of techs, I'm really not improving on the current tree. I'll have to stretch it out more.
Edit: Instead of making more posts, I'll just put my work in ASCII format here:
Code:
__________________________________ __________________________________________ _______________________________ _________________________________ ____________________________
|Mysticism | |Fishing | |Exploration | |Mining | |Agriculture |
|----------------------------------| |------------------------------------------| |-------------------------------| |---------------------------------| |----------------------------|
|Allows [b]Prophet, Pagan Temple[/b] | |Allows [b]Fishing Boats[/b], can work water tiles| |Allows [b]Build a Road, Mobility I[/b]| |Allows [b]Build a Mine[/b] | |Allows [b]Build a Farm[/b] |
|[u]Leads to Ancient Chants, Education[/u]| |[u]Leads to Sailing, Archery [/u]| |[u]Leads to Hunting, Cartography [/u]| |[u]Leads to Crafting, Bronze Working[/u]| |[u]Leads to Calendar, Education[/u]|
| |_________ | | | | | |______ |
____________________|________________ | ______________|__________ | _____________________|________________ | ________________________|__________ | ____________|____________________________________________________
|Ancient Chants | | |Sailing | | |Hunting | | |Crafting | | |Calendar |
|-------------------------------------| | |-------------------------| | |--------------------------------------| | |-----------------------------------| | |-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|Requires [i]Mysticism[/i] | | |Requires [i]Fishing[/i] | | |Requires [i]Exploration[/i] | | |Requires [i]Mining[/i] | | |Requires [i]Agriculture[/i] |
|Allows [b]Obelisks, [Race] Slaying[/b] | | |Allows [b]Galley, Lighthouse[/b]| | |Allows [b]Hunting Lodge, Camp, Smokehouse[/b]| | |Allows [b]Quarry, Walls, Chop a forest[/b]| | |Allows [b]Build a Plantation, Tomb of Sucellus, Agriculture, Granary[/b]|
|[u]Leads to Festivals, Organized Worship[/u]| | |[u]Leads to Chines [/u]| | |[u]Leads to Archery, Tracking [/u]| | |[u]Leads to Masonry[/u] | | |[u]Leads to Festivals, Animal Husbandry [/u]|
_____| | | | | |_________________ |____________ |
| _____________________________________|_______ ___________________|____|___ _______________________________|_______ __________________________ | ___________|_______________ ________|_________________________ _____________________________
| |Education | |Archery | |Cartography | |Animal Husbandry | | |Bronze Working | |Festivals | |Tracking |
| |---------------------------------------------| |----------------------------| |---------------------------------------| |--------------------------| | |---------------------------| |---------------------------------| |-----------------------------|
| |Requires [i]Mysticism, Agriculture[/i] | |Requires [i]Fishing, Hunting[/i] | |Requires [i]Exploration[/i] | |Requires [i]Hunting, Calendar[/i]| | |Requires [i]Mining[/i] | |Requires [i]Ancient Chants, Calendar[/i]| |Requires [i]Hunting, Cartography[/i]|
| |Allows [b]Cottage, Elder Council, Apprenticeship[/b]| |Allows [b]Archery Range, Archer[/b]| |Allows [b]map trading, Pact of the Nihlorn[/b]| |Allows [b]Pasture, horses[/b] | | |Allows [b]copper, chop forests[/b]| |Allows [b]Festival, Loki[/b] | |Allows [b]Hunter, Hawk[/b] |
| |[u]Leads to Writing [/u]| |[u]Leads to Composites [/u]| |[u]Leads to Tracking [/u]| |[u]Leads to Horseback Riding [/u]| | |[u]Leads to Bronze Weapons [/u]| |[u]Leads to... [/u]| |[u]Leads to... [/u]|
|___ | | |
___|______________________________ _____|_______________________________ | ____________________________________________
|Organized Worship | |Writing | | |Chines |
|----------------------------------| |-------------------------------------| | |--------------------------------------------|
|Requires [i]Ancient Chants, Festivals[/i]| |Requires [i]Education, (Cart. Or Calen.)[/i]| | |Requires [i]Sailing, (BW or Archery)[/i] |
|Allows [b]God King[/b] | |Allows [b]Library[/b], free GS | | |Allows [b]Trireme (w/ Arch), Dragonship (w/ BW)[/b]|
|[u]Leads to... [/u]| |[u]Leads to Code of Laws [/u]| | |[u]Leads to... [/u]|
Hm... it looks like -or- requisites aren't as easy to engineer in this part of the tree. I hope I'll be forgiven for skimping on them at the moment. For now, I have a whole new design I'm trying out. Whatever else it may be, this tree is certainly different.
