Tech Tree Discussion

As far as I can tell, there aren't any techs between 1942 and 1947 (when the very first transistor is demonstrated). So we can put that cutoff for the Industrial anywhere.

I would put it actually further back 1929 and the start of the Great Depression.
 
No, that's still pretty firmly the Industrial era. No part of the Interbellum years really screams modern era to me.

End of WWII is as good a time as any to divide the eras as it basically was the end of an era and the beginning of new ones. The end of truly major wars and the beginning of the Atomic and Electronic eras.
 
No, that's still pretty firmly the Industrial era. No part of the Interbellum years really screams modern era to me.

End of WWII is as good a time as any to divide the eras as it basically was the end of an era. The end of truly major wars.

And WWII set up the geopolitical and economic situation we remain in to this day, more so than anything. The only exception I can think of is 9/11, which changed the geopolitical situation greatly but didn't really effect the economic or technological trend.
 
Yeah, 9/11 and the collapse of the Soviet Union are the only really big geopolitical changes I can think of since the end of WWII.
 
I was working on the remap of the Industrial Era and I think I have Mass Transit in the wrong era. Right now, it's a very late Industrial tech, and I was going to move it to the Modern Era, but I think it might be better in the mid-Industrial Era.

The two options I can see for placing Mass Transit are:
  • Mid-Industrial: Requires Civil Engineering + Motorized Transportation. Represents the London Underground, Chicago El, and other public transportation at the turn of the 20th century.
  • Early Modern: Requires Communism + Manufacturing. Represents the Tokaido Shinkansen and other high-speed rail.

The buildings unlocked at Mass Transit are:
  • Bus Station
  • Highway
  • Public Transportation
  • Moonbean Coffee corporation
which, except for the last one, points to the earlier interpretation. What do you think?
 
Mid-Industrial: Requires Civil Engineering + Motorized Transportation. Represents the London Underground, Chicago El, and other public transportation at the turn of the 20th century.
Yes, the former one fits better I think.
 
Okay then, Mass Transit will be in the mid-Industrial. I'm starting to work on changing the XML code now, but it's going to take a little time to get all the techs in the proper locations and costs, and then we may need to see if anything else needs to get modified. I have a few things already on the list.
 
Yeah, 9/11 and the collapse of the Soviet Union are the only really big geopolitical changes I can think of since the end of WWII.

I would have though the end of apartheid in South Africa and the start of the African Union/Council thing (no coffee yet this morning so brain not working) as well as the EU were all big geopolitical changes since the end of WWII.
 
I really wouldn't consider the African Union on that kinda level and I cannot for the life of me think of anything the EU has actually done.

This is coming from my American centric point of view, so please feel free to correct me.
 
I really wouldn't consider the African Union on that kinda level and I cannot for the life of me think of anything the EU has actually done.

This is coming from my American centric point of view, so please feel free to correct me.

Uhhhm, like becoming the EU?!?: Schengen agreement, common currency, common labour market, supra-national parliament without charging a 14 dollar entrance fee and fencing up a border, electrify the fence, dig a moat and put some crocos in it...

this is of course a eurocentric point of view with some hyperbole in it:P

as for africa, you could certainly make a point for decolonizing the entire frigging continent (yeah yeah, ethiopia), ending apartheid and the arab spring, mahgreb version.
:crazyeye::crazyeye::crazyeye:
 
Uhhhm, like becoming the EU?!?: Schengen agreement, common currency, common labour market, supra-national parliament without charging a 14 dollar entrance fee and fencing up a border, electrify the fence, dig a moat and put some crocos in it...

this is of course a eurocentric point of view with some hyperbole in it:P

as for africa, you could certainly make a point for decolonizing the entire frigging continent (yeah yeah, ethiopia), ending apartheid and the arab spring, mahgreb version.
:crazyeye::crazyeye::crazyeye:

The EU though doesn't have any real power (no executive arm), and little geopolitical clout anymore (debt crises, Euro issues), and really was only an extension of the NATO alliances that the US set up after WWII. I don't see how it qualifies as a major geopolitical event in the 20th century (speaking as an American of course, so this may be slanted).

That said, back on topic, What should the main defining things of the Modern Era be? I'd say it should focus on Modern Culture, Information Technology, and Modern Warfare as the three 'branches', sort of like the Medieval Era had three themes in it. Vokarya, do you have any ideas about that or are you going to be taking your break before doing the Modern era?
 
The EU though doesn't have any real power (no executive arm), and little geopolitical clout anymore (debt crises, Euro issues), and really was only an extension of the NATO alliances that the US set up after WWII. I don't see how it qualifies as a major geopolitical event in the 20th century (speaking as an American of course, so this may be slanted).

That said, back on topic, What should the main defining things of the Modern Era be? I'd say it should focus on Modern Culture, Information Technology, and Modern Warfare as the three 'branches', sort of like the Medieval Era had three themes in it. Vokarya, do you have any ideas about that or are you going to be taking your break before doing the Modern era?

I'm going to be here until v28 comes out -- I'd like to do what I can until then, since it seems like an excellent stopping point, and it seems that the official release is a long ways off. I'll have a lot of free time over the holidays and a laptop with me, so I can probably do some work on the Modern -- I'm actually redoing the first quarter of the Modern Era as I figure out which side of the divide certain techs should be at.

Right now, I have the Modern Era starting with 3 technologies:
  • Electronics
  • Modern Physics
  • Pop Art

Pop Art is the "tie up the art techs with a little bow" technology of the Modern Era (currently looking at requiring Animation + Modern Art + Plastics + Surrealism). It only leads to Mass Media, and Television is going to be more important to figuring out where MM gets placed, so the effect is going to be something like a fan of techs coming off of Electronics and Modern Physics; the techs that only require Electronics on one side, the techs that only require Modern Physics on the other, and techs that require both in between.
 
the european union is a unique project in human history. nations that fight against each other for tousands of years with its horible peak at world war 2, unite together in peace and left there hate against each other behind them. i mean just 60 years ago germany and france were arch-enemies, now they lead the union in peace together. every member is a democratic state with guaranteed human rights. two generations of europeans grow up in peace, and nobody has to fear hunger anymore. you can travell, work and life in every european country without visa. just 20 years ago we have the iron curtain that divides europe, now the inner european borders are open for free trade. strong regions substain weak ones to help them grow, best example is rieland that was the almhouse of europe and now they prosper. yes the EU has problems not just the euro crisis ore the massive depts (which are way smaler than the american ones even with a functional social system), we have to work for a even more united europe but keep in mind that it is a really slow procedure to transform independent states into something like the united states of europe ore what you will call it. but it is right, as long as we dont do this steps, europe wont have the big pover it could have.
 
The EU though doesn't have any real power (no executive arm), and little geopolitical clout anymore (debt crises, Euro issues), and really was only an extension of the NATO alliances that the US set up after WWII. I don't see how it qualifies as a major geopolitical event in the 20th century (speaking as an American of course, so this may be slanted).

Some halftruths here...
1) executive arms are the EU commision and the council. The "president" certainly wields less power than lets say in the us, but that is commonplace in european nations, with maybe the exception of france.
2) really?
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/us-person-debt-now-35-percent-higher-greece_660409.html
the whole crisis bs is manufactured by corrupt, kleptocratic governments propped up by big business urge to privatize public cash cows like energy/water suppliers, drill rights,public transportation, health care and education while simultaneously reducing benefits and wages across the board. but i am sure that sounds familiar. furthermore bankrupt banks with lending leverage of up to thirty point are desperate to recapitalize at the expense of joe schmoe who is of course a lazy schmuck unable cough up the various interst percentage presented to by the good government.
It is a sham, a robbery. The € is the problem, not the EU!

rahhh, "rant stop"

3) you seem to believe that geopolical = military. a at best jaded view. trade and growth are the prime factor. bombing a country every decade or so should not be taken as geopolitical change rather a waste of money while putting thing on the taxpayers tab. see japanese/german recovery, rise of china, solidifying of the tiger states and BRIC in general.
that being said eastern europe surely wasnt part of nato.
 
<snip>
3) you seem to believe that geopolical = military. a at best jaded view. trade and growth are the prime factor. bombing a country every decade or so should not be taken as geopolitical change rather a waste of money while putting thing on the taxpayers tab. see japanese/german recovery, rise of china, solidifying of the tiger states and BRIC in general.
that being said eastern europe surely wasnt part of nato.

Geopolitical power is military, economic, and political (as in, what the nation is willing to do, as opposed to it's capabilites). In that regard I will freely admit to being jaded about world events and history.
 
I finished the revamp of the Industrial Era. Here is how it will look:

View attachment 338707

Here's how it looks in chart form. I didn't include every "Leads to" tech, but there is at least one for every tech except Baha'i/Mormon (the religious techs) and Steampunk/Dieselpunk (the punk techs).
Spoiler :
Tech X-Location Y-Location Prerequisites Leads To
Photography X53 Y3 Chemistry + Replaceable Parts Journalism, Realism, Telegraph
Steam Power X53 Y7 Physics + Replaceable Parts Baha'i, Food Preservation, Gas Lighting, Journalism, Machine Tools, Marine Biology, Railroad, Romanticism, Screw Propeller, Steampunk, Thermodynamics
Military Science X53 Y15 Grand War + Military Tradition + Team Sports Semi-Automatic Weapons, Steampunk
Journalism X54 Y1 Photography + Representative Democracy + Steam Power Criminology, Marxism, Telegraph, Women's Suffrage
Romanticism X54 Y5 Free Artistry + Grand War + Steam Power Realism, Wilderness Conservation
Steampunk X54 Y7 Military Science + Steam Power
Baha'i X54 Y9 Buddhism + Christianity + Islam + Steam Power
Food Preservation X54 Y13 Chemistry + Grand War + Steam Power Agricultural Engineering
Marine Biology X54 Y19 Botany + Commercial Whaling + Steam Power + Zoology Aquaculture, Deep Sea Exploration
Gas Lighting X55 Y3 Chemistry + Commercial Whaling + Steam Power Electricity, Firefighting, Refining
Machine Tools X55 Y11 Steam Power Assembly Line, Combustion
Thermodynamics X55 Y15 Steam Power + Weather Forecasting Balloon Warfare, Combustion, Organic Chemistry, Steel
Screw Propeller X55 Y17 Steam Power Combustion, (Imperialism)
Railroad X55 Y19 Steam Power Refining, Telegraph, (Imperialism)
Telegraph X56 Y1 Journalism + Railroad Electricity, Meteorology
Firefighting X56 Y3 Fire Brigades + Gas Lighting Coast Guard, Modern Sanitation
Wilderness Conservation X56 Y5 Biology + Geology + Nationalism + Romanticism Ecology
Assembly Line X56 Y11 Machine Tools Agricultural Engineering, Marxism, Nitroglycerine, Steel
Organic Chemistry X56 Y15 Thermodynamics Antibiotics, Plastics
Balloon Warfare X56 Y17 Hot Air Balloon + Thermodynamics Flight
Refining X56 Y19 Explosives + Gas Lighting + Railroad Combustion
Meteorology X57 Y1 Telegraph + Weather Forecasting Long-Range Forecasting
Modern Sanitation X57 Y3 Firefighting + Sanitation Civil Engineering, Medicine
Agricultural Engineering X57 Y5 Assembly Line + Food Preservation Barbed Wire, Lawn Sports, Mormon
Nitroglycerine X57 Y7 Assembly Line + Explosives + Geology Medicine, Semi-Automatic Weapons
Steel X57 Y11 Assembly Line + Thermodynamics Barbed Wire, Bicycles, Electricity, Semi-Automatic Weapons
Marxism X57 Y17 Assembly Line + Journalism + Stock Brokering Labor Union, Realism
Combustion X57 Y19 Machine Tools + Refining + Screw Propeller + Thermodynamics Coast Guard, Motorized Transportation, Water Sports
Mormon X58 Y1 Agricultural Engineering + Christianity + Representative Democracy
Lawn Sports X58 Y5 Agricultural Engineering + Team Sports Modern Sports
Bicycles X58 Y15 Steel Motorized Transportation
Realism X58 Y17 Marxism + Photography + Romanticism Impressionism
Water Sports X58 Y19 Combustion Extreme Sports
Medicine X59 Y3 Biology + Modern Sanitation + Nitroglycerine Antibiotics, Criminology, Psychology, Refrigeration
Barbed Wire X59 Y5 Agricultural Engineering + Steel Trench Warfare
Electricity X59 Y9 Gas Lighting + Steel + Telegraph Civil Engineering, Hydroelectricity, Motion Pictures, Radio, Refrigeration
Semi-Automatic Weapons X59 Y13 Military Science + Nitroglycerine + Rifling + Steel Artillery, Imperialism
Labor Union X59 Y17 Marxism Industrialism, Women's Suffrage
Antibiotics X60 Y1 Medicine + Organic Chemistry Modern Health Care
Criminology X60 Y3 Journalism + Medicine Compulsory Education
Refrigeration X60 Y7 Electricity + Medicine Modern Health Care, Superconductors
Hydroelectricity X60 Y9 Electricity Solar Power
Imperialism X60 Y13 Semi-Automatic Weapons + (Railroad OR Screw Propeller) Fascism
Impressionism X60 Y17 Realism Cubism, Expressionism
Women's Suffrage X60 Y19 Emancipation + Journalism + Labor Union Minority Rights
Psychology X61 Y3 Archeology + Medicine + Paleontology Compulsory Education, Cubism, Expressionism, Fascism, Propaganda
Motion Pictures X61 Y5 Electricity Animation, Propaganda
Civil Engineering X61 Y9 Electricity + Modern Sanitation Industrialism, Mass Transit
Radio X61 Y11 Electricity + Team Sports Aviation, Coast Guard, Guerrilla Warfare, Mechanized Warfare, Theory of Relativity, Submarine Warfare
Artillery X61 Y13 Semi-Automatic Weapons Armored Vehicles, Rocketry, Trench Warfare
Motorized Transportation X61 Y15 Bicycles + Combustion Amphibious Warfare, Dieselpunk, Flight, Industrialism, Mass Transit, (Armored Vehicles)
Compulsory Education X62 Y1 Criminology + Psychology Modern Physics
Cubism X62 Y3 Impressionism + Psychology Dada, Modern Art
Expressionism X62 Y5 Impressionism + Psychology Dada, Modern Art
Animation X62 Y7 Motion Pictures Pop Art
Coast Guard X62 Y11 Combustion + Firefighting + Radio Amphibious Warfare
Mass Transit X62 Y15 Civil Engineering + Motorized Transportation Logistics
Fascism X63 Y3 Imperialism + Psychology Guerrilla Warfare, (Propaganda)
Theory of Relativity X63 Y7 Radio Cosmology, Quantum Physics
Trench Warfare X63 Y11 Artillery + Barbed Wire + Mine Warfare Automatic Weapons, Communism, Dieselpunk, (Armored Vehicles)
Industrialism X63 Y13 Civil Engineering + Labor Union + Motorized Transportation Advanced Metallurgy, Automatic Weapons, Communism, Consumerism, Modern Art, Plastics, Submarine Warfare
Flight X63 Y17 Balloon Warfare + Motorized Transportation Aviation, Rocketry, Zeppelins
Dada X64 Y3 Cubism + Expressionism Surrealism
Modern Art X64 Y5 Cubism + Expressionism + Industrialism Pop Art
Communism X64 Y9 Industrialism + Trench Warfare Guerrilla Warfare, Surrealism
Dieselpunk X64 Y11 Motorized Transportation + Trench Warfare
Submarine Warfare X64 Y15 Industrialism + Radio Sonar
Rocketry X64 Y17 Artillery + Flight Advanced Rocketry, Atompunk
Zeppelins X64 Y19 Flight Modern Physics
Propaganda X65 Y3 Motion Pictures + Psychology + (Communism OR Fascism) Consumerism
Quantum Physics X65 Y5 Theory of Relativity Fission
Cosmology X65 Y7 Theory of Relativity Radio Astronomy
Armored Vehicles X65 Y9 Artillery + (Motorized Transporation OR Trench Warfare) Mechanized Warfare
Automatic Weapons X65 Y11 Industrialism + Trench Warfare Amphibious Warfare, Guerrilla Warfare, Mechanized Warfare
Plastics X65 Y13 Industrialism + Organic Chemistry Electronics, Pop Art
Advanced Metallurgy X65 Y15 Industrialism Aviation, Fission
Surrealism X66 Y1 Communism + Dada + Motion Pictures Pop Art
Consumerism X66 Y3 Industrialism + Propaganda Applied Economics
Fission X66 Y5 Advanced Metallurgy + Quantum Physics Modern Physics
Radio Astronomy X66 Y7 Cosmology Lunar Exploration
Mechanized Warfare X66 Y9 Armored Vehicles + Automatic Weapons + Radio Naval Aviation, (Logistics)
Amphibious Warfare X66 Y11 Automatic Weapons + Coast Guard (Logistics)
Guerrilla Warfare X66 Y13 Automatic Weapons + Communism + Fascism + Radio Modern Warfare
Aviation X66 Y15 Advanced Metallurgy + Flight + Radio Naval Aviation
Sonar X66 Y17 Submarine Warfare Radar
Applied Economics X67 Y3 Consumerism Globalization
Logistics X67 Y9 Mass Transit + (Amphibious Warfare OR Mechanized Warfare) Manufacturing
Naval Aviation X67 Y15 Aviation + Mechanized Warfare Megastructure Engineering (?)
Radar X67 Y17 Sonar Aerodynamics

Paleontology went back to the Renaissance Era. The following techs were moved to the Modern Era:
  • Modern Physics (requirements unchanged)
  • Electronics (requirements unchanged)
  • Atompunk (requirements unchanged)
  • Long-Range Forecasting (now also requires Computers)
  • Deep Sea Exploration (now also requires Manufacturing)
  • Pop Art (now also requires Consumerism and Surrealism)
  • Solar Power (requirements unchanged)

A handful of techs moved backwards from the Modern Era to the Industrial:
  • Applied Economics (prerequisites reduced to just Consumerism)
  • Naval Aviation (now requires Aviation + Mechanized Warfare)
  • Radar (now requires just Sonar)

I did make some very large changes to certain techs' locations. Medicine and all of its successor techs (including Psychology and everything derived from it) and Electricity and all of its successor techs got moved up quite a bit. Machine Tools moved from the end of the era almost to the beginning; historical machine tools are very early in the Industrial Era.

List of techs that got moved up by 3 columns or more:
Spoiler :
  • Antibiotics +3
  • Communism +5
  • Cosmology +7
  • Cubism +4
  • Dada +4
  • Electricity +4
  • Expressionism +4
  • Fascism +4
  • Medicine +3
  • Mormon +4
  • Propaganda +3
  • Psychology +4
  • Quantum Physics +5
  • Radio Astronomy +5
  • Refrigeration +3
  • Surrealism +4
  • Theory of Relativity +6
  • Trench Warfare +3


List of techs that got moved down by 3 columns or more:
Spoiler :
  • Applied Economics -4
  • Combustion -4
  • Firefighting -3
  • Machine Tools -10
  • Motorized Transportation -3
  • Organic Chemistry -7
  • Rocketry -3
  • Water Sports -5

This is not yet on the SVN, as I'd like to ask about two major changes that I think should be made alongside this to avoid throwing off the game too much:
  • Parts Plant: As was noted before, this is important to several Industrial buildings, and Advanced Metallurgy is moved up so it's no longer a chokepoint for the late Industrial Era (AM is still required for Aviation and Electronics, so it's still pretty important but doesn't have a stranglehold). I suggest moving it to Machine Tools and adding Iron to the list of potential metal prerequisites, as it now predates the Steel tech. The cost will have to be adjusted and I think the yields should be dialed down somewhat as well.
  • Railroad improvement: This also predates the Steel tech. I suggest changing the metal requirement from Steel to Iron.

Two other minor unit prerequisite changes that I think should be made are:
  • Jeep: This should be available before the end of the Industrial Era. I suggest moving this to Mechanized Warfare (Machine Tools is too early in the era, Electronics is now Modern Era, and Automatic Weapons is required for Mechanized Warfare)
  • A-Bomb: Again, I think this should be available before the end of the Industrial as the first Doomsday unit. I suggest moving this unit from Aerodynamics (which is Modern Era) to Aviation + Fission (which are on the same column, so not redundant).

There's probably more changes that will need to be made, but I think this will cover it for now. Let me know if there's anything else that needs adjusting.
 
I finished the revamp of the Industrial Era. Here is how it will look:

This is not yet on the SVN, as I'd like to ask about two major changes that I think should be made alongside this to avoid throwing off the game too much:
  • Parts Plant: As was noted before, this is important to several Industrial buildings, and Advanced Metallurgy is moved up so it's no longer a chokepoint for the late Industrial Era (AM is still required for Aviation and Electronics, so it's still pretty important but doesn't have a stranglehold). I suggest moving it to Machine Tools and adding Iron to the list of potential metal prerequisites, as it now predates the Steel tech. The cost will have to be adjusted and I think the yields should be dialed down somewhat as well.
  • Railroad improvement: This also predates the Steel tech. I suggest changing the metal requirement from Steel to Iron.

Two other minor unit prerequisite changes that I think should be made are:
  • Jeep: This should be available before the end of the Industrial Era. I suggest moving this to Mechanized Warfare (Machine Tools is too early in the era, Electronics is now Modern Era, and Automatic Weapons is required for Mechanized Warfare)
  • A-Bomb: Again, I think this should be available before the end of the Industrial as the first Doomsday unit. I suggest moving this unit from Aerodynamics (which is Modern Era) to Aviation + Fission (which are on the same column, so not redundant).

There's probably more changes that will need to be made, but I think this will cover it for now. Let me know if there's anything else that needs adjusting.

Now this is very ver y very impressive work, very professional looking.

Is it just me or when looking at the actual Tech Tree, looking at Flight/Aviation stuff near the bottom, look weird, BUT i like it, jut sayin' when its used to being on the top, i like very much:goodjob:
 
@Vokarya

Is there a way so Modern and Industrial techs are not in the same column?

OK, I think I see what happened. Applied Economics was supposed to be ERA_INDUSTRIAL, not ERA_MODERN. I must have forgotten to switch it over.

Is there another place where there's a Modern tech? Electronics, Modern Physics, and Pop Art are the gateway techs to the Modern Era. Column X68 is now the first column of the Modern Era, instead of the last column of the Industrial Era.
 
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