Definition of Technology

Short

The creation of products and processes for the purpose of improving human chances for survival, comfort level, and quality of life.

Long

We use technology to control the world in which we live. Technology is people using knowledge, tools, and systems to make their lives easier and better. People use technology to improve their ability to do work. Technology is the practical application of knowledge especially in a particular area.

Technology is not the same as science, though in today's society the two are closely linked. Many of our products are direct products of our knowledge of the behavior of science; however, it is not necessary to understand the science in order to make use of technology. Long before the chemistry of steel was understood, mankind knew how to make a better sword.

There are 3 main types of technologies:

Survival

These technologies are the technologies that are a necessity or a supplement to life. They include such technologies as water (aqueducts), food (irrigation), shelter (masonry), and security (chain male). The bulk of our technologies in the game lie in this category.

Luxury

These technologies are the �niceties� of life. They are not required for survival, but they do make life more worth living. Yet, the needs of survival must be met first, before any innovation in luxury will be made. An example would be something like a �hand cart� technology � to make work more efficient. Sure you could do the work without it, but it would be miserable

Commercial

These technologies are used for financial gains. They increase profitability. You use these gains and apply them back into society for its maintenance. Extra funds acquired are invested into acquiring further assets or development of more technologies.

Technology in Games

Technologies are in games to give the gamer a sense of improvement. Traditionally they are mini-steps as you progress down the path of the game. The more techs you research the more �advanced� you are into the game. The more advanced you are, the greater the likelihood that you will �win�.

Your current gameplay state is defined by what techs you have researched.

Technologies are usually broken down into two groups: Unlocking and Bonus. The way Unlocking works is that you have to �pay� a certain amount of resources to unlock some feature in the game. The Bonus� work is that you usually have to make an investment of resources that in the long run will be more beneficial to you than your initial investment. The result is usually a bonus in the attributes of some entity.

How 0 A.D. breaks out of the traditional tech 'box':

We are a slice in time

The span of our game is not thousands of years. Technological advancement is not based on technology evolving over time, but instead we are looking at the civ at their pinnacle of existence. The evolution of the techs will be contingent on the local evolution of the city growth instead. Therefore, we should make our tech requirements based on what structures are constructed, and what technologies are currently researched. This removes us from the time concept (ages).

Players must make choices

Throughout the game there will be actions, and your choice of technologies is a reaction to the action. This gives the players more control in shaping the direction of the game to a path that will yield them the greatest success. Again, choices = strategy. More strategy is one of the primary goals of 0 A.D.

The technology is either/or based

This means basically that choices are made that are irreversible. You are faced with an either A or B choice between two paired technologies, and once you choose � you cannot go back and choose the other.

Every game is a different game

You are faced with decisions of what technologies to research every time you play the game. These choices hinge on the choices the opponent makes, your ultimate strategy, the world in which your playing, and the rules you imposed at the creation of the game.

You�re faced with dynamic choices

Your choices adapt themselves throughout the duration of the game. You are not following the same patterns you tend to do in games like AoK with the typical RTS tech tree. The decisions you make are not all established when you start the game by picking your civ, but you are dynamically reacting to the flow of the game in a real time setting.

Depth of choice

We are adding huge depth to the game that will make the game very difficult to master. Every game gives you choices that you were not faced with before. Every game is a new challenge with different obstacles to overcome. This, my friends, gives our game depth. It will take �expert� players many hours of practice to know how to use our tech tree and apply it to different situations they are faced within the game. Newbs beware.

Civilisation Uniqueness

In 0 A.D., each unit is part of a class (a type of unit that other civilisations share, eg Cavalry Swordsman), and units of the same class begin the game with the same statistics regardless of civ (if you're a Spearman, your MR is x).

The distinctions between the civilisations (eg Carthaginian infantry move faster, Persian infantry are built faster, Roman infantry have more armour) are determined by the Technologies (techs) that are available to each civilisation (since techs add modifiers to the base stats for that class) and the bonuses the unit gains when advancing in rank.

In those rare instances where a civilisation starts off differently from other civilisations, these attributes are handled through Civ Bonuses, Civ Weaknesses, and Team Bonus.

Self-Balancing

Since all units therefore start off as "average" for their class, some Technologies are designed to increase certain stats at the expense of lowering others. It's reasonable to assume that a unit that is heavily armoured will move much slower than its counterparts. Equally, a fast runner would have to be highly unencumbered by armour in order to sprint at such speeds.

eg Melee Armour <==> Speed ("phew, this breastplate is heavy") Attack <==> Rate of Fire ("phew, this sword is heavy") Pierce Armour <==> LOS ("this shield blocks my view/I can't see in this helmet") Attack Range <==> Accuracy ("I can throw this rock for miles, but who knows what I'll hit?") Train Rate <==> HP ("mass-produced, lower quality")

A 2:1 ratio of increase:reduction is used for this purpose. For example, what if a certain unit needs to have high Attack and high Rate of Fire in the above example? If they were equal, they'd cancel each other out. They're fundamentally opposed, though, so the end result is at a slight loss compared to attributes that don't contradict each other. eg AT Tech: +2 AT -1 ROF ROF Tech: -1 AT +2 ROF

+1 AT +1 ROF

versus MA Tech: +2 MA -1 MR AT Tech: +2 AT -1 ROF

+2 MA +2 AT -1 MR -1 ROF

Tiered

When a civilisation is more powerful than a single instance of a tech can provide, we simply repeat the same tech pair a number of times. Each extra instance becomes available at the next phase.

For example, the civilisation with the fastest Cavalry in the game might have the choice to receive 'Cavalry Gallop I' (available at Village), Cavalry Gallop II (available at Town) and Cavalry Gallop III (available at City). A civilisation whose Cavalry's speed is merely above average would only receive the choice to choose 'Cavalry Gallop I' (not the other 2).

Limits per structure

As a GUI constraint, no structure can ever display more than 12 techs at a time. This must be taken into account when selecting a civilisation's Technologies.

What are the Techs?

  TC Increase Cavalry Armour
  TC Increase Infantry Armour
 
  TC Decrease Citizen Soldier Cost
  TC Increase Citizen Soldier Hitpoints
 
  TC Increase Citizen Soldier Movement Rate
  TC Increase Citizen Soldier Attack Rate
 
  TC Increase Melee Soldier Movement Rate
  TC Increase Melee Soldier Armour
 
  TC Increase Ranged Soldier Range
  TC Increase Ranged Soldier Accuracy
 
  TC Increase Ranged Soldier Damage
  TC Increase Melee Soldier Damage
 
   C Increase Siege Movement Speed
   C Increase Siege Attack Speed
 
   C Decrease Siege Cost
   C Increase Siege Hitpoints
 
 VTC Increase Female Citizen Aura Effect
 VTC Increase Female Citizen Gather Rate
 
 VTC Increase Support Structure Hitpoints
 VTC Decrease Support Structure Cost
 
 VTC Increase Structure Garrison Capacity
 VTC Increase Structure Population Increase
 
 VTC Increase LOS of Structures When Garrisoned
 VTC Increase LOS of Ships and Siege when Garrisoned
 
  TC Increase Citizen Soldier Gather Speed
  TC Increase Citizen Soldier Construction Speed
 
  TC Increase Ship Garrison Capacity
  TC Decrease Ship Creation Cost
 
  TC Increase Ship Movement Speed
  TC Increase Ship Acceleration
 
   C Increase Defensive Structure Hitpoints
   C Increase Fortress Hitpoints
 
   C Increase Offensive Structure Hitpoints
   C Decrease Offensive Structure Cost
 
   C Increase Hero Hitpoints
   C Increase Hero Aura Effect
 
   C Decrease Super Unit creation cost
   C Increase Super Unit Hitpoints
 
  TC Better Bartering Ratio at Market
  TC Increase Trader Trade Speed
 
  TC Increase Trader Movement Speed
  TC Increase Trader Hitpoints
 
 VTC Increase Citizen Soldier Gathering Rate Ore
 VTC Increase Citizen Soldier Gathering Rate Stone
 
 VTC Increase Citizen Soldier Gathering Rate Wood
 VTC Increase Citizen Soldier Gathering Rate Food
 
  TC Increase Medic Movement Rate
  TC Increase Medic Aura Effect
 
 V = Village
 T = Town
 C = City