Tech Tree

[Jeremy Crowhurst]

So I don't know if this is useful, but this is a tech tree I designed. I really hate those tech trees which have every relationship linked by a line. A lot of those connections are really unnecessary - I really don't need to know that Industrial Automation is a prerequisite to Graviton Theory. Those lines clutter the tree, making it hard to use on the fly during the game. So I have this one.

The technologies are grouped by colour. The tree assumes that the player will get the yellow techs first, then the orange ones. Then, green, light blue, and dark blue, in any order. Then red. Then light grey and purple, in either order. Then dark grey.

If a tech is adjacent to another one, then the tech on the left is a prerequisite to the tech on its left. So in the orange box, Doctrine: Loyalty (D:L) is a prerequisite to Intellectual Integrity (InIn), but Non-linear Mathematics (NLM) is not. The green and blue boxes don't assume that the player has gotten techs in those three boxes in any order, so some techs in one group are connected by line to prerequisite techs in another colour group. I linked Cyberethics to Pre-Sentient Algorithms because, notwithstanding my firm recommendation that the player get Superstring Theory and Planetary Economics as soon as humanly possible, a player might choose to pursue both Fusion Power and Mind/Machine Interface first. So that player needs to know to get Cyberethics first.

Milestone technologies are bolded. These techs unlock a major gameplay development, whether it's military, growth, economic, or a secret project.

In some boxes, below the tech, is a note indicating a main benefit to that technology. Generally if something is super obvious, I went with something important that an intermediate player might overlook. Mind/Machine Interface's main benefits are Copters and air drops, but everyone knows that. So I listed the thinker specialist, which people might overlook but is very important for accelerating your research progress.

Enjoy!

 

[Petek]

Thanks! You obviously put lots of work into this chart. Any chance of making one for Alien Crossfire?

 

[Jeremy Crowhurst]

Thanks! You obviously put lots of work into this chart. Any chance of making one for Alien Crossfire?

Thanks! Yeah, I'll be definitely be doing that once I move on to X, but right now I'm really enjoying SMAC, so it could be a while.

 

[uLutu]

Thanks! Is there a tech tree with the lines tho?

 

[Jeremy Crowhurst]

Thanks! Is there a tech tree with the lines tho?

Sure, you can find one here:

http://dos486.com/alpha/horz-tech.png

 

[uLutu]

Thanks