Technology tree thoughts

[stealth_nsk]

After looking at the technology tree I see one thing returning from Civ3 and earlier. Now each tech requires all its prerequisites to be researched. On the tree researched techs are in yellow, techs, which could be researched - in green and techs, which can't be researched - in black. So, as you can see on the shots, Printing Press, which requires Physics and Machinery, can't be researched even if Physics is complete.

Also, all connections seems to be displayed on tree (in Civ4 absolute requirements were displayed on tech description, not tree - i.e. Pottery for Metal Casting). This should simplify the tree navigation a lot.

 

[PieceOfMind]

Could you perhaps link some screenies of the tech tree?

 

[Thyrwyn]

there are some good ones in this thread.

 

[Xzylvador]

I thought the techtree was kind of short; but then again, I've been playing RoM with all its extra techs for so long that I forgot what the Vanilla tech-tree looked like.

Hate the forced pre-reqs too; always have. Wasn't one of the points of the civilization series the "What if X never was invented!"? Sadly this has never been realised It's always the same order, the same techs, every time.

 

[CurseUppl]

Well, would be a bit strange having combustion but not having steam power, or gunpowder but not bow and arrow.

 

[stealth_nsk]

Wasn't one of the points of the civilization series the "What if X never was invented!"?

No. They tried to do this in Civ4, but failed. Nobody plays without bows or mounted units. So, in Civ5 they even get rid of early dead-ends to make all techs important.

I think much better place to implement this kind of play are social policies. Unlike techs you can't research them all, so the choice becomes much more important.

 

[Xzylvador]

Still, "What if we never learned to refine oil?", "What if gunpowder never was invented?"
It's impossible to say of course, but who knows what direction technology would have taken?
I have to admit, I have no idea how this could possibly be implemented in a game. It'd take loads and loads of works to figure out each branch... but nevertheless it's pretty intriguing to play and discover a truly alternate history.
Just dreaming here really, I don't expect this ever to come in any game.

 

[stealth_nsk]

Still, "What if we never learned to refine oil?", "What if gunpowder never was invented?"

Play mods. What's the best answer I could see. They could show world without Gunpowder, with magic, etc.

 

[usbyeah]

alright

 

[joanne]

I was thinking the other day that maybe they could make the tech tree show only techs that can be currently researched along with the ones that have been researched ... but then someone could just finish the game and post screenshots of the whole tech tree here for everyone to see, so nevermind this post

 

[Ahriman]

I think more importantly, long-term planning in a strategy game is a good thing, and we shouldn't try to discourage it by hiding data.

What I'm a little worried about is that the tech tree is so thin and so full of pre-reqs that there will be very little choice or variation in tech order from game to game.

But like Xzylavador, I've only been playing mods the last couple of years so its easy to forget how thin the vanilla Civ4 tree is.

But it does sorta seem that the tree is 99% the Civ4 tree with all the religious, governmental, and cultural techs taken out, and then maybe extended in the future era.

 

[Mercade]

In the video there's a shot where it slides the tech tree. I've glued a few shots together to make a wide screen image of the Ancient Era, the Classical Era and the Medieval area together.

Used Spoilter tag because it's a very wide image.

Spoiler :

They've removed the multiple optional paths, slimming down the tech tree to a fully required list of predecessors. And it's a lot easier to follow now because there are no more icons shown which techs you need. Just follow the lines.

Edit: Re-uploaded the picture. Now also the first five techs of the next era are visible:
Astronomy, Acoustics, Banking, Printing Press and Gunpowder.

 

[mjs0]

In the video there's a shot where it slides the tech tree. I've glued a few shots together to make a wide screen image of the Ancient Era, the Classical Era and the Medieval area together.

I wonder what the significance of the title bar color is: Ancient, Classical and Medieval have a yellow title bar, the next era is in blue. I wonder why?

 

[MrBanana]

I wonder what the significance of the title bar color is: Ancient, Classical and Medieval have a yellow title bar, the next era is in blue. I wonder why?

Yellow is researched, green can be reasarched, and black is still unavailble.

 

[BobDole]

I wonder what the significance of the title bar color is: Ancient, Classical and Medieval have a yellow title bar, the next era is in blue. I wonder why?

My guess would be that when the next era is reached, it would change colors. Again, just a guess, who knows.

 

[mjs0]

Yellow is researched, green can be reasarched, and black is still unavailble.

That's the colors of the boxes, I'm looking at the title bar.

My guess would be that when the next era is reached, it would change colors. Again, just a guess, who knows.

Yeah, that was my first though, but based on the color's of the boxes which is clearly yellow = researched, then gunpowder in the extreme bottom right (only visible on screencaps taken at the very last moment) is yellow and yet the title bar is still blue.

 

[AlpsStranger]

My guess is that we are looking at something like "displaced complexity." They added massive amounts of complexity to the social policy portion of the game and felt compelled to clean up the tech tree portion.

 

[Ahriman]

Yeah, that was my first though, but based on the color's of the boxes which is clearly yellow = researched, then gunpowder in the extreme bottom right (only visible on screencaps taken at the very last moment) is yellow and yet the title bar is still blue.

It probably indicates the age that you are in; the title bar will change to yellow once you complete the medieval era by researching all its techs.

My guess is that we are looking at something like "displaced complexity." They added massive amounts of complexity to the social policy portion of the game and felt compelled to clean up the tech tree portion.

Agreed, this is very possible. But its sad that they don't seem to have added anything in the way of technological detail (light vs heavy cavalry) and seem to have lost the possibility of multiple paths to get somewhere (OR requirements).

 

[PieceOfMind]

mjs0, would it not just be the bar for the current era is blue? If gunpowder is researched, then whatever the era after Medieval is the current era.

Ahriman, if it's anything like civ4, which tbh at the moment it does look like it, you advance to the next era when you research at least one of the techs from that era.

 

[Mercade]

mjs0, would it not just be the bar for the current era is blue? If gunpowder is researched, then whatever the era after Medieval is the current era.

That's my guess too. Blue is the current era you're in.

I've updated the image in my previous post.
The five techs in the blue era are now visible:

• Astronomy
• Acoustics
• Banking
• Printing Press
• Gunpowder

Btw, if anyone is interested, I've got an even larger resolution of this tech tree from the video (1950 x 667).