The Freeciv Game User's Guide

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### 3.3 Research

When your civilization begins the game, it has knowledge of some exceedingly primitive "technologies": Pottery, Road Building, Horsemanship, and the like. Although your citizens can scarcely conceive of anything better, you (the human player) are undoubtedly aware of many more advanced technological and sociological developments. These advances would give your people advantages in controlling their environment, making weapons, influencing the neighbors, and otherwise achieving your goals.

At any point in the game, depending on what advancements your race already knows, there will be a limited number of technologies towards which you may perform research. Most advancements have two earlier advancements as prerequisites; for instance, you may not do research into Magnetism until you have developed both Iron Working and Physics. The choices available to you will include only those for which you have the prerequisites. You will use the game's Research Window to select from the available advancements the one you wish your people to work towards. This selection will be forced on you when you first start researching, or when you complete an advancement (either by research, by discovery in a Village, or by diplomatic treaty). You will most likely set long-term goals, and when one step towards the goal is completed the game will automatically start the next step.

To develop an advancement requires a certain number of research points; the number of points required depends not on the advancement itself, but on how many advancements you have already discovered. A further increase in the cost of research takes place in 1 C.E., where it doubles. Each turn, your cities produce research points, as dictated by their raw trade input, your allocation of trade into research, the presence of research-promoting buildings and Wonders, and the employment of research specialists. These points accumulate, and the game's research window will show you the number of points you need. The main game window also has a lightbulb, which grows brighter as you grow closer to completing an advancement.

Civilization advancements bring a variety of benefits. Most open up new areas of possible research, as Physics makes it possible to work towards Magnetism. Many allow you to build buildings or units that were previously unknown to you; for instance, Construction allows you to build an Aqueduct, while Magnetism allows you to build the Galleon, and Electronics allows the Hoover Dam Wonder. Some advances also make earlier ones obsolete and thus make buildings or units based on them obsolete; for instance, the discovery of Gunpowder makes the Legion obsolete (because the new Musketeers unit is better in all respects), and makes obsolete the Barracks I (because the Barracks II is available and required), and the discovery of Electricity makes the Great Library Wonder obsolete. Some allow new forms of government; some, like Bridge Building, allow units abilities they lacked before; some trigger environmental effects.

The help system in the main game window contains all of the following information on each advancement. In addition, it displays a graphical depiction of the chain of advancements necessary to achieve a goal. Using it, for example, you could quickly see what you lack to develop Gunpowder, and in what order they must be discovered.

Advancement | Prerequisites | Description
Advanced Flight | Radio, Machine Tools | Allows Bomber, Carrier.
Alphabet | None |
Amphibious Warfare | Navigation, Tactics | Allows Marines, Port Facility
Astronomy | Mysticism, Mathematics | Allows Copernicus' Observatory Wonder.
Atomic Theory | Theory of Gravity, Physics |
Automobile | Combustion, Steel | Allows Battleship, Super Highways. Obsoletes Leonardo's Workshop Wonder.
Banking | Trade, The Republic | Allows Bank.
Bridge Building | Iron Working, Construction | Permits Settlers and Engineers to build roads in River squares.
Bronze Working | None | Allows Phalanx, Colossus Wonder.
Ceremonial Burial | None | Allows Temple.
Chemistry | University, Medicine |
Chivalry | Feudalism, Horseback Riding | Allows Knights. Obsoletes Horsemen, Chariot.
Code of Laws | Alphabet | Allows Courthouse.
Combined Arms | Mobile Warfare, Advanced Flight | Allows Helicopter.
Combustion | Refining, Explosives | Allows Submarine.
Communism | Philosophy, Industrialization | Allows Police Station, United Nations Wonder. Permits use of the Communism government type. Decreases the effect of Cathedrals in your empire.
Computers | Mass Production, Miniaturization | Allows Research Lab, SETI Program Wonder.
Conscription | Democracy, Metallurgy | Allows Riflemen. Obsoletes Musketeers.
Construction | Masonry, Currency | Allows Aqueduct, Colosseum. Permits Settlers and Engineers to build Fortress.
Currency | Bronze Working | Allows Marketplace.
Democracy | Banking, Invention | Allows Statue of Liberty Wonder. Permits use of the Democracy government type.
Economics | Banking, University | Allows Stock Exchange, Adam Smith's Trading Company Wonder.
Electricity | Metallurgy, Magnetism | Allows Destroyer. Obsoletes Ironclad, Great Library Wonder. Improves Colosseum; now makes 4 unhappy citizens content.
Electronics | The Corporation, Electricity | Allows Hydro Plant, Hoover Dam Wonder.
Engineering | The Wheel, Construction | Allows King Richard's Crusade Wonder.
Espionage | Communism, Democracy | Allows Spy. Obsoletes Diplomat.
Explosives | Gunpowder, Chemistry | Allows Engineers. Obsoletes Settlers.
Feudalism | Warrior Code, Monarchy | Allows Pikemen, Sun Tzu's War Academy Wonder. Obsoletes Warriors, Phalanx.
Flight | Combustion, Theory of Gravity | Allows Fighter. Obsoletes Colossus Wonder.
Fusion Power | Nuclear Power, Superconductors |
Genetic Engineering | Medicine, The Corporation | Allows Cure For Cancer Wonder.
Guerilla Warfare | Communism, Tactics | Allows all civilizations to spawn Partisan units if they meet other conditions; see Partisans. Obsoletes Explorer.
Gunpowder | Invention, Iron Working | Allows Musketeers, Barracks II. Obsoletes Archers, Legion, Pikemen, Barracks I.
Horseback Riding | None | Allows Horsemen.
Industrialization | Railroad, Banking | Allows Transport, Factory, Women's Suffrage Wonder. Obsoletes Galleon, King Richard's Crusade Wonder.
Invention | Engineering, Literacy | Allows Leonardo's Workshop Wonder.
Iron Working | Bronze Working, Warrior Code | Allows Legion.
Labor Union | Mass Production, Guerilla Warfare | Allows Mechanized Infantry.
Laser | Mass Production, Nuclear Power | Allows SDI Defense.
Leadership | Chivalry, Gunpowder | Allows Dragoons. Obsoletes Knights.
Literacy | Writing, Code of Laws | Allows Great Library Wonder.
Machine Tools | Steel, Tactics | Allows Artillery. Obsoletes Cannon.
Magnetism | Iron Working, Physics | Allows Galleon, Frigate. Obsoletes Caravel, Lighthouse Wonder.
Map Making | Alphabet | Allows Trireme, Lighthouse Wonder.
Masonry | None | Allows City Walls, Palace (if you need to rebuild one), Great Wall Wonder, Pyramids Wonder.
Mass Production | Automobile, The Corporation | Allows Mass Transit
Mathematics | Alphabet, Masonry | Allows Catapult
Medicine | Philosophy, Trade | Allows Shakespeare's Theatre Wonder
Metallurgy | Gunpowder, University | Allows Cannon, Coastal Defense. Obsoletes Catapult, Great Wall Wonder.
Miniaturization | Machine Tools, Electronics | Allows Offshore Platform.
Mobile Warfare | Automobile, Tactics | Allows Armor, Barracks III. Obsoletes Cavalry, Barracks II, Sun Tzu's War Academy Wonder.
Monarchy | Ceremonial Burial, Code of Laws | Permits use of the Monarchy government type.
Monotheism | Philosophy, Polytheism | Allows Cathedral, Michaelangelo's Chapel Wonder.
Mysticism | Ceremonial Burial | Allows Oracle Wonder. Doubles effectiveness of Temple, to make a total of two unhappy citizens content.
Navigation | Seafaring, Astronomy | Allows Caravel, Magellan's Expedition wonder. Obsoletes Trireme.
Nuclear Fission | Mass Production, Atomic Theory | Allows Manhattan Project Wonder.
Nuclear Power | Nuclear Fission, Electronics | Allows Nuclear Plant. Gives all of your sea units an extra movement point.
Philosophy | Mysticism, Literacy | First player to discover Philosophy gets an extra advancement.
Physics | Literacy, Navigation |
Plastics | Refining, Space Flight | Allows Space Component.
Polytheism | Horseback Riding, Ceremonial Burial |
Pottery | None | Allows Granary, Hanging Gardens Wonder.
Radio | Flight, Electricity | Allows Airport.
Railroad | Steam Engine, Bridge Building | Allows Darwin's Voyage Wonder. Obsoletes Hanging Gardens Wonder. Permits Settlers and Engineers to upgrade roads to railroads.
Recycling | Mass Production, Democracy | Allows Recycling Center
Refining | Chemistry, The Corporation | Allows Power Plant.
Refrigeration | Sanitation, Electricity | Allows Supermarket.
Robotics | Mobile Warfare, Computers | Allows Howitzer, Manufacturing Plant. Obsoletes Artillery.
Rocketry | Advanced Flight, Electronics | Allows Aegis Cruiser, Cruise Missile, Nuclear, SAM Battery. Obsoletes Cruiser.
Sanitation | Engineering, Medicine | Allows Sewer System.
Seafaring | Pottery, Map Making | Allows Explorer, Harbour.
Space Flight | Computers, Rocketry | Allows Space Structural, Apollo Program Wonder.
Stealth | Superconductors, Robotics | Allows Stealth Fighter, Stealth Bomber. Obsoletes Fighter, Bomber.
Steam Engine | Physics, Invention | Allows Ironclad. Obsoletes Frigate.
Steel | Electricity, Industrialization | Allows Cruiser.
Superconductors | Nuclear Power, Laser | Allows Space Module.
Tactics | Conscription, Leadership | Allows Alpine Troops, Cavalry. Obsoletes Dragoons.
The Corporation | Economics, Industrialization | Allows Freight, Capitalization. Obsoletes Caravan.
The Republic | Code of Laws, Literacy | Permits use of the Republic government type.
The Wheel | Horseback Riding | Allows Chariot.
Theology | Feudalism, Monotheism | Allows J. S. Bach's Cathedral Wonder. Obsoletes Oracle Wonder. Improves Cathedrals to make one more unhappy citizen content.
Theory of Gravity | Astronomy, University | Allows Isaac Newton's College Wonder.
Trade | Currency, Code of Laws | Allows Caravan.
University | Mathematics, Philosophy | Allows University.
Warrior Code | None | Allows Archers.
Writing | Alphabet | Allows Diplomat, Library.

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