Teching
Teching is the term used for researching Technological Advancements in order to gain any number of bonuses that affect your Dominion. Teching is often used for Converting strategies although can also be utilized well by Explorers, rarely by Attackers, and is the hallmark of Land Drop Attacking. By building Schools, your Dominion will produce Research Points which can be traded in for a new tech once you have enough points. Teching is a slow strategy that enables your Dominion to have increased efficiency later in the round. It is very difficult to keep up with the top players if you decide to tech but by the end of the round, you should be able to grow more effectively than other Dominions around you that have not teched. An important thing to note is that most techers will only research a handful of Techs and will then R/R their Schools to another building (often Diamond Mines or Homes).
Race Selection
Any race can be used to Tech although it is generally more efficient Races that will benefit most from Teching. The recommended races that benefit in the Base and Imp rulesets are:
Building Selection
Teching requires the construction of Schools. The number of Research Points produced is calculated by a formula:
Produces 26 research points each hour per 1% of total land owned, up to a maximum of 1040 at 40% of total land owned.
The Techs
| Advancement | Bonus | Prerequisites (only 1 required) |
|---|---|---|
| Granaries | +2.5% food production | none |
| Planar Emissaries | +7.5% mana production | Granaries, Green Thumb, Bankers Friend |
| Green Thumb | +5% lumber production | Planar Emissaries, Aquaponics |
| Aquaponics | +7.5% food production, -10% enemy fireball damage | Green Thumb, Midas's Bargain, Miser's Grasp |
| Midas's Bargain | +2.5% platinum production | Aquaponics, Master of Efficiency, Sleeper Agents |
| Master of Efficiency | -2% military training cost | Midas's Bargain, Explorer's Instinct |
| Explorer's Instinct | -5% exploring platinum cost | Master of Efficiency, Sneaky Spies, Industrial Machinery |
| Sneaky Spies | +10% resources gained from theft, -10% spies lost on failed operations | Explorer's Instinct, Frugal Foragers, Pastoral Planner |
| Frugal Foragers | -2.5% food consumption | Sneaky Spies
Mana Pools |
| Mana Pools | -10% cost of spells | Frugal Foragers
Explorer's Luck Explorer's Intuition |
| Explorer's Luck | -2 draftee per acre explore cost (min 6) | none |
| Surplus Management | -12.5% food decay
-12.5% lumber rot -12.5% mana drain |
Granaries
Banker's Friend |
| Banker's Friend | +10% better exchange rates | Planar Emissaries
Surplus Management Prefabrication |
| Prefabrication | -5% construction platinum cost | Banker's Friend
Miser's Grasp |
| Miser's Grasp | -20% resources lost to theft | Aquaponics
Prefabrication |
| Sleeper Agents | +1% max population
-12.5% spy losses on failed operations |
Midas's Bargain
Dark Artistry |
| Industrial Machinery | +5% lumber production
+5% ore production |
Explorer's Instinct
Dark Artistry |
| Pastoral Planner | +1.5% maximum population | Sneaky Spies
Preservationist Maelstrom |
| Preservationist | -25% food decay
-25% lumber rot -25% mana drain |
Pastoral Planner
Explorer's Intuition |
| Explorer's Intuition | -5% exploring platinum cost | Mana Pools
Preservationist Architects Touch Fearless Adventurers |
| Architects Touch | -2.5% construction platinum cost | Explorer's Luck
Explorer's Intuition Arcane Bloodlines |
| Miner's Spirit | +5% ore production | Surplus Management
Shipwright's Ingenuity |
| Ancient Mines | +2.5% gem production | Banker's Friend
Trick of the Light |
| Urg Smash Technique | +5% refund when destroying buildings
+7.5% lumber production |
Dark Pact |
| Dark Pact | +7.5% mana production
+5% wizard power |
Urg Smash Technique
Miser's Grasp |
| Dark Artistry | +2 spy strength per hour
+2 wizard strength per hour |
Sleeper Agents
Industrial Machinery |
| Maelstrom | +15% cyclone damage | Pastoral Planner
Master of Strategy |
| Explorer's Guile | -1 draftee per acre explore cost (min 6)
-7.5% exploring platinum cost |
Night Watch |
| Fearless Adventurers | -50% morale drop when exploring | Explorer's Intuition
Architect's Flourish |
| Arcane Bloodlines | -5% cost of spies
-15% cost of wizards |
Architect's Touch
Wizard Nexus |
| Shipwright's Ingenuity | -7.5% boat production | Miner's Spirit
Trick of the Light Lumberjack's Devotion |
| Trick of the Light | Fools Gold protects ore and lumber | Ancient Mines
Shipwright's Ingenuity Opulence |
| Opulence | +2.5% gem production
+7.5% ore production |
Trick of the Light
Midas's Fountain |
| Midas's Fountain | +5% platinum production | Opulence |
| Master of Strategy | -2% military training cost | Maelstrom |
| Night Watch | -20% draftees lost in assassination attempts
-20% wizards lost in assassination attempts -20% enemy disband spies damage |
Explorer's Guile
Architect's Flourish |
| Architect's Flourish | -7.5% construction platinum cost | Fearless Adventurers
Wizard Nexus |
| Wizard Nexus | +1 wizard strength per hour | Arcane Bloodlines
Architect's Flourish Ross' Benevolence |
| Lumberjack's Devotion | -5% construction lumber cost
-15% lumber rot |
Shipwright's Ingenuity
Weather Manipulation Urban Planner |
| Weather Manipulation | -10% enemy lightning bolt damage
+2.5% food production |
Lumberjack's Devotion
Master of Resources |
| Master of Resources | -2% military training cost | Weather Manipulation
Jeweller's Delight |
| Avatar of Ares | +2.5% offensive power
+7.5% wizard power |
Surveyor's Sense |
| Master of Discipline | -2% military training cost | Visionary Expansionist
Siege Weaponry |
| Visionary Expansionist | +1% max population
+15% population growth |
Master of Discipline
Ross' Benevolence |
| Ross' Benevolence | -1% platinum tax from Royal Guard | Wizard Nexus
Visionary Expansionist Survivalist Mentality |
| Urban Planner | +1.5% max population | Lumberjack's Devotion
Reinforced Bulwarks |
| Jeweller's Delight | +2.5% gem production
-5% cost of self spells |
Master of Resources
Reinforced Bulwarks |
| Carpenter's Expertise | -5% construction platinum cost
-5% construction lumber cost |
Military Culture
Wavehacker |
| Surveyor's Sense | -12.5% rezoning platinum cost | Avatar of Ares
Ares' Favor |
| Siege Weaponry | +40% fewer casualties when attacking wonders | Master of Discipline
Rations |
| Survivalist Mentality | +5% fewer casualties
+5% increased prestige gains |
Ross' Benevolence
Rations |
| Reinforced Bulwarks | +30% harbors investment
+30% towers investment |
Urban Planner
Jeweller's Delight Spy Network |
| Military Culture | +10% increased prestige gains | Carpenter's Expertise
Spy Network Battle Commanders |
| Wavehacker | +5 Boat Capacity
+5% fewer casualties |
Carpenter's Expertise |
| Ares' Favor | +2.5% offensive power | Surveyor's Sense
Bunk Beds Public Baths |
| Rations | +2 population from barren land
-2.5% food consumption |
Siege Weaponry
Survivalist Mentality Public Baths |
| Spy Network | +1 spy strength per hour | Reinforced Bulwarks
Military Culture Centralized Intelligence |
| Battle Commanders | +7.5% fewer casualties | Military Culture
Carpenter's Knowhow |
| Bunk Beds | +2 barracks housing | Ares' Favor
Carpenter's Knowhow |
| Public Baths | +30% population growth | Ares' Favor
Rations Ancestral Knowledge |
| Centralized Intelligence | -15% cost of spies
-5% cost of wizards |
Spy Network
Surveyor's Insight |
| Carpenter's Knowhow | -2.5% construction platinum cost | Battle Commanders
Bunk Beds Surveyor's Insight Carpenter's Touch |
| Ancestral Knowledge | -15% cost of racial spell | Public Baths
Carpenter's Touch |
| Surveyor's Insight | -7.5% rezoning platinum cost | Centralized Intelligence
Carpenter's Knowhow Battle Tactics |
| Carpenter's Touch | -5% construction lumber cost | Carpenter's Knowhow
Ancestral Knowledge Battle Tactics |
| Battle Tactics | +5% fewer casualties | none |
The full tech tree looks like this:
General Information
Teching is a very slow strategy. It almost always coincides with a Converting strategy as many of the Techs are geared towards attacking. Teching can be very useful for players who do not have much time to invest into the game early in the round, but wish to compete later on. New or inexperienced players may also benefit from teching. Also note that for multiple techs with the same bonus it is additive when it stacks i.e.: picking the tech Midas's Bargain gives you a +2.5% platinum production, whereas Midas's Fountain gives a bonus of +5% platinum production. Therefore when you unlock both of these then your total bonus is 2.5% + 5% = 7.5%.
Formulas
Tech Cost
Research points must be spent to obtain techs. The formula for tech cost is as follows:
MAX(3780, ([maximum acres achieved] * 6.4))
Essentially this means that there is a minimum cost of 3,780 research points, which will be the cost until you are above 590 acres. Additionally, a second minimum is in place, based on the highest acreage you have reached during the round. This means that, if you were 800 acres and then were successfully invaded and reduced to 730, you would still need 5141 Research Points to gain an additional tech.
Invasion RPs
Players may also obtain research points by attacking. The formula for gaining research points through invasion is as follows:
Conquered Acres * 17
This includes both acres that you directly take from your target and the generated acres.
Pros
- Great efficiency can be enjoyed late round
- Allows less experienced players to compete effectively late round
Cons
- Very few, if any winners from teching
- Slow; Techers make very little impact throughout the round
Recommendations
- Great for Converters
- Inexperienced players