Tree of technologies

In much of video games of strategy, that it is in real-time or with the turn by turn, a tree of technologies or tree with technology is a chart abstracted from the existing dependences between various technologies available in the play.

Principle of research in a strategy game

In many strategy games, all technologies (structures, units, capacities) are not available immediately. The player generally begins the part with only some basic technologies and must carry out research or build specific structures to be able to free the higher elements. Each technology sought by the player opens on new possibilities, but can (on certain plays) close the way towards other technologies. The tree of technologies is the representation of all the dependences between existing technologies.

A technological change can arise in several forms:

the search for a specific technology which can:

to give a new capacity to a type of unit
to improve an existing capacity of a type of unit
to allow to build a new building

the construction of a new building or evolution of an existing building, which can allow:

to build new types of units
to build new buildings
to seek new technologies

One says of a player carrying out one or more technological research that it " tech" (to pronounce " tèque"). The analysis of a tree of technologies can carry out the players to memorize and use build orders specific (sequences of constructions which give access to them quickly certain technologies and to take an advantage in the battle).

Mathematically

A tree of technologies resembles a tree visually much, with several branches, because technological research of the strategy games is seldom linear. Theoretically, on the other hand, the tree of technologies is not a tree within the meaning of the Graph theory, because more than one relative can divide the same child. A tree of technologies is more exactly a acyclic Graphe directed.

History

The trees of technologies appeared in the first strategy games in real-time and of strategy tower by turn. The first play has to have a mechanism of research is MegaLoMania in 1991, equipped with a system of research levels/times which allows déploiment better units and defenses. Civilization, in 1991, is the first video game to implement the traditional structure of the trees of technologies of the plays of today. Dune II, in 1992, in is another example.

Implementations and balancing

The trees of technologies are implemented various ways:

Of the plays like StarCraft or the series of the Command & Conquer has a different tree of technologies for each race or faction. N the other hand, each unit finds a unit with the close properties in each other race (in StarCraft, Goliath of Terrans, Hydralisk of Zergs and the Dragon of Protoss all of the units on the ground are equipped with a remote attack).
Of the plays as Age off Empires have only one tree of technologies for all civilizations, but certain civilizations cannot reach certain elements of the tree. N the other hand, they are favoured in another manner. For example, the Egyptians cannot reach the units of seat, but they have a no-claims bonus for agriculture.
Of the plays as Civilization makes it possible each race to reach the same elements, but the configuration of the tree is different for each race: starting technologies are different from one civilization to another.

These differences support for each race certain types of strategies. The choice of the race by the player becomes a tactical criterion.

In general, the trees of technologies, even different between the camps, give similar units, or are combined with balancings of various values (price of the units, power, etc) which make it possible to balance the camps overall. Certain plays as Warcraft III have mechanisms of statistics pushed on the parts played on Internet which make it possible to more easily highlight imbalances between each races. In this manner of the corrective patchs can be created regularly to balance the play. However, these patchs generally modifies the values more than the tree of technologies. This one is more rarely modified at the time of the exit of extensions (which add new technologies).

Philosophy

A tree of technologies has properties and impacts various, realistic or not:

high level technologies are always advantageous. They generate an economic growth, an increase in the military power (by the increase in the capacities of the units or the facility of construction), and very occasionally, the victory
progress arrives by scientific revolutions, and not by gradual evolutions. A research is not applied before being completely finished. Once finished, it improves the unit or resolves a new capacity instantaneously. However, in certain plays and for certain technologies, each unit must develop itself to be able to use new technology.
progress scienfitic is foreseeable. To devote a resource has a research always will lead to an evolution envisaged qualitatively and quantitatively. Contrary, not to devote any resource will lead to a complete stagnation.
a research is carried out on a particular target. So certain plays make it possible to manage vast research fields (like Sid Meiler' S Alpha Centauri), the majority use a system which obliges to choose a technology, and whose research is carried out until it is finished.
the cost of progress increases. High level research is more expensive, in resources and/or time, that those of low level. This increase in the cost of progress is contrary with the concept inherent in the technological Singularité which stipulates that the speed of progress increases. This is compensated while returning each advance better than of others avencements passed, for a given invested resource. Moreover, in the strategy games with the turn by turn, past time is tiny room between each turn (for example, in the series Civilization, the turns pass from 20 years at the beginning of part to 1 year thereafter).

Sources and references

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