After the Cataclysm, much of the accrued knowledge of the world was lost. One of your priorities will be to find scholars who can recover this lost knowledge.
Elemental doesn’t have a traditional technology tree. Instead, it has 5 research categories (the Kingdoms and the Empires have different categories). When enough research has been done, a breakthru in that category is made and the player is presented with possible technologies to learn at that point.
When choosing a category, a given technology is color coded (green, yellow, red). Green means that technology will be available upon the breakthru being made. Yellow means it might be available. Red means it will possibly be available. In addition, there are certain technologies that are so rare that they are not displayed until the time of the breakthru.
Each new level of a given category takes more research to achieve than the previous. Hence, players have to be mindful of what technology they choose, particularly when deciding whether to pick up a rare technology that becomes available.
Acquiring Knowledge
There are two primary ways of acquiring knowledge in Elemental. The first way is to construct improvements to your city that attract scholars. The second is to actually recruit famous scholars, inventors and other specialists as you find them.
Constructing Studies
Recruiting NPCs
I think everyone is getting figidy (sp?) awaiting the release of beta 4....
That must be it. To me it kinda feels like new testers are trying to open discussions on mechanics that have already been set in stone. Then again, nothing in Elemental is Ever really set in stone. It's an evolving game you know. If fact from the time it gets sent to the manufacturers to the time we get it it's going to morph into a MMORTSRPG with minor FPS attributes
J/K lol
Well, I know I can't wait for the next beta. I am hoping that the empires have been worked on. While it's been improving, it's nothing compared to what you can do with a kingdom. I die a little inside everytime I play. This kind of reminds me of something...it seems empires pretty much destroy things, and use death magic (which is why I like them), however, it doesn't quite jive with the whole thing with Elemental. The world is ALREADY dead (or damn near it anyways). Do empires make it deader? Is the world considered a zombie at that point? What the hell am I talking about? Sorry, I'll stop now.
I know I'm just counting down the days until I'm paid, so I can pre-order and start playing (hopefully beta4) SOON... as for the forums, these seem to be some of the most productive forums I've ever been on.
Are there different research trees depending on race or choices made? It would be interesting to go down initially slightly different paths that end up in very different results.
For example, you could go down a route that exploits and focuses on the rediscovery of magic that starts off with augmenting resources and troops and ends up with producing new resources and troops with magic. Said magically made troops/monsters/demons would be expensive and slow to produce but very powerful along with producing groups of weak troops cheaply and quickly. You could make use of magical defences. Plus this could be split into a kind of 'elven' group of nice happy magic, and 'demonic' group of evil magic, which would be different but both technologically challenged.
On the other hand, you could have a balanced approach of mixing magic with conventional improvement methods and rudimentary technology. Rediscovering armour and doing farming the hard way could make your citizens and soldiers generally hardier and tougher (ignoring magical boons), as they are not used to the convenience of magic for everything. Forged armour could be cheaper yet generally tougher than all but the most powerful of augment spells, and warriors would generally be more skilled in hand to hand combat, but economically you could be less capable of production or resource extraction.
Another group could rediscover magic but then focus on making use of it in technology, steam-punk style in a way similar to Final Fantasy VI. It would start with odd technological bonuses like using a crossbow over normal bows and more efficient water wheels or whatever, but end up with magically animated machines which are fragile but incredibly powerful and a hugely advanced level of production, giving the most powerful late game at the trade off of a weak early game. Plus this could be unique in the sense that with this tree you stop rediscovering and start inventing.
Plus this kind of thing fits in with the 'whole evil beings fight good men -> mens ingenuity allows then to beat evil things -> ingenuity eventually makes men worse than evil beings in first place' that everyone loves.
Each race has the possibility of having unique tech trees, however, I think there are only two or three (since beta 4). Basically, the Empire has different techs then the Kingdoms. Perhaps there will be more at launch?
I like the way research works in this game because it does give you options. You can focus on "Civilization" techs and really get an industrial or commercial giant out of your Kingdom but then you might lack a stronger military or magic abilities. Focus on "Magic" and you'll have some really powerful spells and magical abilities but lack in other means. Focus on "Warfare" and you'll have some of the strongest troops but lacking in industry, science, or commerce. It gives you the choice and I don't believe that it's a "zero" choice matter.
Look at ancient times, Athens could be an example of a country who researched "civilization" techs while Sparta focused on "warfare". Athens dominated Sparta in commerce, trade, industry, and size but Sparta had much better infantry. Throughout history civilizations have taken different paths, had different agendas, and had unique goals. I think you can do the same thing in Elemental but with the additions of "Magic" and "Adventure"... and I'm very curious to see how they'll be "balanced" at release.
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