April 16, 2011

Tech Levels in Gaia Gamma

Tech levels measure civilization and knowledge potential. The starting tech level of a character depends on his background (on which I will elaborate in a later post). Tech levels are designed to mirror the whole range of civilized states humanity achieved.

Currently I plan to use the following tech levels in the game:
  • Tech Level I: Stone Age.
  • Tech Level II: Barbarism.
  • Tech Level III: Medieval Society.
  • Tech Level IV: Industrial Revolution.
  • Tech Level V: Computer Age.
  • Tech Level VI: Age of the Ancients.
Tech levels influence a variety of things:
  • They define the subset of skills that a character can initially select.
  • They modify the costs of acquiring or raising skills later on (if the skill is of a higher tech level).
  • They limit the items a character can use without having to learn using them.
  • They influence the starting goods a character can select.
Initially the tech level of a character is influenced by his upbringing and cultural background (something the player either can select or determine randomly).

Later on a character might be able to increase his tech level (or not). I currently favour an approach where it is possible for a character to rise his tech level. Requirements would be to spend a quite a bit of time in a society of a higher tech level than the character (probably something like a year per target tech level - like 3 years to raise from tech level 2 to 3). Additionally the character probably would have to spend experience points on raising his tech level. Spending additional experience could spend up the process... but so far I have not made up any numbers for this. We'll talk again about that when I get to the experience system of Gaia Gamma ;-)

Ok, enough for today. What do you think: Do we need more tech levels, should there be additional uses for them, etc?

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