Tech Tree

[Sengir]

I've made a quick draft of the techtree, based mostly on this list:

Spoiler :

AGE OF THE STARS
Mining, Copper Working, Bronze Working, Jewelry, Wood Working, Fishing, Sailing, The Runes, Farming, Domestication, Hunting, Fortification
FIRST AGE OF THE SUN
Archery, Iron Working, Steel Working, Masonry, Chain Mail, Weaponry, Professional Armies, Mounted Combat, Siege Warfare, Tradition Keeping, Poetry, Music, Monarchy, Trade, Heraldry, Diplomacy, The Court, Infantry Tactics, Horseback Riding, Stone Working, Cavalry Tactics, Smithing, Ship Building
SECOND AGE OF THE SUN
Chivalry, Pole Weapons, Navigation, Naval Warfare, Construction, Mithril Working, Sharpshooting, Strategy, Composed Armies, Outposts, Trade Posts, Healing, Vassalage, Migration, Long Swords, Battle Axes, Fortresses, Improved Warfare, Literature, Commerce, Treaties, Council of Wises, Improved Smithing
THIRD AGE OF THE SUN
Advanced Smithing, War Hammers, Weapon Mastery, Longbows, Superior Pole Weapons, Swordsmanship, Advanced Siege Warfare, Ballistics, Engineering, Military Training, Horsemanship, Naval Tatics, Signal Fires, Exploration, Alliances, History, Great Trade Routes, Currency, The Wizards, The White Council, Stewardship, Total War
FOURTH AGE OF THE SUN
Crossbows, Trebuchets, Plate Armor, Machines, Feudalism, The Peace, Age of Men (Future Tech)

Warning: big

Spoiler :

Second Attempt:

Spoiler :

Third Attempt:

Spoiler :

Links:
http://zenodesign.nl/ardamod/techtree.pdf
http://zenodesign.nl/ardamod/techtree.odg (I made it with OpenOffice Draw)

One note: I dropped most of the weapons in the list, as I don't think they are technologies, but are what is enabled by a technology.
Please comment and feel free to offer suggestion or try it for yourself.

 

[Berenthor]

I like the list so far. The division in ages looks good to me. Maybe a good idea is to get a list of units going as well, this way we can fit the tech tree on that. I like the two lists in the other thread although I wouldn't seperate sword and spear mounted. I added a thread which gives a first indication of a unit list.

 

[Sengir]

That will be the next step yes. If only I had thought of that before and left room to add them, now I have to modify every item to make space for buildings, units, wonders etc.... not so smart . Still, I think this works better to create an overview than simply starting to hack away at the xml-files.

 

[Berenthor]

I agree completely with you there. Just starting without a clear plan is useless. Structure is everything, especially if you try to do a lot and have to divide between people. As for putting things to techs: lets do that for units in the unit list and for other things, make a bulleted list like the civ and unit list and add it there.

 

[xmen510]

Good tech tree. Perhaps Council of Wises could be renamed "Council of the Wise" or "Wise Council" though. I also noticed that Roads are not on there. Is that something "ALL" civs would start with then? Also Pottery (for cottage building - unless another tech would be used).

 

[Sengir]

I'm also unsure about Council of Wises, and not only about the name. I think it should be a project/wonder (maybe like Overcouncil in FFH?? That's only available to 'Good' civs right?) and enabled by another Tech, but I couldn't think of a name for it, so I left it in as placeholder.

About Roads:
I think they would need a tech to enable them, but I could go either way.

Pottery:
Not sure. We could have a separate tech, of have them enabled with trade, though that would be relatively late on the tree. Other suggestions?

 

[Berenthor]

Pottery: I'm not sure about the cottages either. Could be in another tech although indeed trade may be a bit late. You would want them earlier I think. Roads can be added to any kind of early tech or make "the wheel" as a early tech. I think I would lean towards the last but no particular reasoning.

As for the councils: in FFH2 indeed this is a system that is based on allignment but is part of the civics options. It works very well. Overcouncil is available to good and neutral leaders and the undercouncil to evil and neutral leaders (but only if they have a specific religion in one of their cities). This can be adopted I think any way we want it, maybe even expanding it to other councils, depending on what we want or come up with.

PS: Sengir, maybe you already found it but there is a manual of FFH2 available here: http://forums.civfanatics.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=8635. It is very helpfull in providing the diversity of the civs and a glimps at the traits that are available and some of the game mechanics.

 

[Sengir]

Yeah, I found that allready. I haven't read it completely yet, just paged through it quickly.

We could add Pottery between Farming and Trade. The wheel could be a stand-alone (as in BtS), but required for trade)

 

[Berenthor]

Sounds like a good idea.

 

[xmen510]

Roads could be activated with Stone-Working. I think that seems like a good fit.

Cottages could be with Woodworking - i.e. Building houses.

 

[T_F]

I like it so far. I think Alliances is a bit late in the game though.

I don't think you should need Stoneworking for roads, they should either be activated by The Wheel (or Woodworking), or just immediately available.

And I like the councils idea.

 

[xmen510]

I only made those suggestions in the case that more Techs were not wanted to be added.

 

[Sengir]

I don't have a problem with more techs, though I think we shouldn't get a techtree as unwielding as the FFH tree. Now problem adding a few more though.

 

[xmen510]

I also had another idea on the Techs. I hope I make this very clear and not ramble it.

Each age sould be its own tech as well. Before anything else, you would have to research:

Stage 1: AGE OF THE STARS tech: Grants you Roads, Pottery, etc. Perhaps a bonus happiness or health or 1 gold/turn, etc.

Stage 2: You must research everything within that age of the world before advancing to the next age.

Stage 3: Research: FIRST AGE OF THE SUN tech: Grants you Calendar, 1 happiness, 1 health, etc.

Stage 4: repeat stage 2 for this age

etc., etc., etc.

I hope I made that clear for everyone. (I haven't slept in a few days, so I am very tired and abit to be honest. ).

This is just an idea that came to me that I thought would be interesting. By including certain techs with the age techs, you sort of eliminate have to expand the Tech Tree to any degree. Grant 1 or 2 techs and maybe something else for each age and our issue with when we grant a tech for some of teh basic ones desiappears.

 

[T_F]

So there's a specific tech that you have to research to go on, but once you research the last one you have to work up towards the next one? I like it. It makes some nice and clear Age boundaries, which Middle-Earth definitely had. I just suggest making everybody start with the Age of Stars tech since otherwise slow-researching civs get a major setback initially.

 

[xmen510]

That is a good idea for allowing AGE OF THE STARS as a free tech to all Civs.

 

[Sengir]

It would come in handy to make Elven units progressively expensive (that is they start with a normal price, but becoming more expensive every age, to show the diminishing numbers of elves in Middle-Earth)

 

[T_F]

Yeah, but then playing an Elven civ becomes pretty hard by the end of the game. Not that that's historically inaccurate, but it's unbalanced gameplay.

 

[Sengir]

They shouldn't be that expensive . But I agree, we will have to balance that if we are going to put that in to give the elves a fair chance in the later ages.

 

[Berenthor]

I agree that this will really be a balancing issue although I like the idea of differentiating the elves this way