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Quick Jump: List of Technologies

Technologies[]

During the game all nations will race to discover more powerful advances (technologies.) A few advances provide immediate benefits, such as making new actions available to your units. Many introduce new units or buildings you can construct. Most are gateways to further technology. Beware that some advances also make things obsolete. While obsolete units merely become impossible to make, obsolete buildings are immediately sold, and obsolete wonders lose their effect.

By default, each player starts with no technology (this could be changed with the techlevel server option). You direct your research toward one advance at a time. Research progress is measured in research points which are called "bulbs." You can generate your own bulbs through trade and scientists, or receive them from others through blueprints. Unlike gold, which can be transferred or spent on anything, bulbs are research knowledge tied toward acquiring a specific technology. Each technology has a specific bulb cost.

Researching technologies[]

Each "bulb" or research point you generate is permanently credited toward the technology that was your current research when the bulb was generated. The technology becomes "discovered" and usable when you acquire bulbs equivalent to 100% of its bulb cost. If you switch technology goals, you will start learning the new technology from zero again. You will keep a research bulb credit toward your previous research, which will be there when you come back to your previous research.

Instead of selecting each new advance manually, you can establish a future goal that is several technologies away, and your scientists will work through all the prerequisite advances automatically. (In Freeciv-web, you can do this by 1) clicking a far off tech for which you do not yet have the pre-requisites, 2) middle click, 3) alt-right click.) You can open the Tech tab at the top of the screen to view science progress and set new tech goals. The online hover-help system displays information for every item and technology in the game, allowing you to explore technologies and the capabilities they unlock.

Techleak[]

The more nations who already know a technology, the more the bulb cost will be reduced, due to a phenomenon called techleak. (See /help techleak). Loosely speaking if the techleak setting is 50: if no other nations know a tech, it will be full bulb cost. If all the nations of the world know a tech, it's 50% cost. All gradations in between those two extremes will fit between those proportions. Techleak puts a bit of a premium price on "rushing techs" faster than the rest of the world, though having such tech certainly brings advantages.

Blueprints[]

The only way to learn a technology is to research it. But there are several ways to more easily gain advances from other civilizations. You might discover Blueprints for enemy technology when you capture a city*. You can steal Blueprints with Emissaries, Diplomats and Spies. You can also get Blueprints from another player in a tech trade as part of the terms of a pact.

Tech theft through espionage, city conquest, and tech trade give you Blueprints: a non-transferable bulb credit toward a specific technology advance. The bulb credit reduces the remaining bulb cost for researching the advance. A blueprint fills a technology's bulb account up to but not past the blueprint's value toward that technology. Bulbs are not like "wallet dollars" you can transfer from one research project to another. It is a waste of research effort to acquire partial bulbs into a tech for which you later get blueprints, since the bulb account for a blueprinted tech will not exceed the bulb value of the blueprint.

Use /help blueprints and /show blueprints to learn about the server setting and its configuration in a particular game.

* In older game versions, events such as city conquest and technology theft immediately awarded you a technology. This is no longer the case.

Research Goals[]

If you have no future goal and discover a tech, your current research target will go to an unselected state. You will probably have remaining bulbs. At TC, if your current research is still unselected and you have no future goal, then a current research is randomly set for you.

Whenever a new current research is set, all remaining bulbs are permanently assigned to that current research instantly. The same happens for subsequent techs along the path to your future goal, if there is one.

👉🏻 Blueprints can be obtained by diplomatic treaty, theft, or conquest at any point in time, especially in multiplayer games. It is favorable to leave current research unselected and set new future goals turn-by-turn, so you can weigh your chances of acquiring blueprints before spending your remaining bulbs on techs for which blueprints might give you the bulbs for free.

👉🏻 TIP - If you are unsure how many bulbs are remaining after your last discovery, middle-click an already-researched technology to fetch this information from server.

The Space Race[]

If the server option is enabled, the game may be won peacefully by building a spacecraft and becoming the first civilization to reach Alpha Centauri. To enter the "space race" you must complete the Apollo Program. With the necessary technologies, this allows you to begin building spacecraft parts:

B.space modules Space Module

cost:2000 upkeep:0

requires:Superconductors

B.space structural Space Structural

cost:500 upkeep:0

requires:Space Flight

B.space component Space Component

cost:1000 upkeep:0

requires:Plastics

The skeleton of your spacecraft consists of structural components, each of which can hold in place either a component or module. Components provide fuel and propulsion systems, and decrease the amount of time your craft will require to reach Alpha Centauri; you can install up to sixteen, though they must be installed in pairs. Modules themselves come in three flavors: a habitation module provides living space for ten thousand colonists; a life support module can keep ten thousand colonists alive; and a solar panel provides the power required by any two other modules.

Use the spaceship window to observe your progress as you build your spacecraft. You may manufacture spacecraft elements anywhere with a factory; they will automatically be assembled in your capital city. As you add components you improve the craft's probability of success and travel time; you may launch as soon as you find these satisfactory. If several civilizations are building spacecraft, they are faced with the decision of whether to launch quickly and start their craft on its way, or continue building in the hopes of launching a faster spacecraft later, or one with a higher probability of success.

During construction and after launch, the spaceship is considered a building of your capital city. It will be lost if your capital is taken or destroyed.

List of Technologies[]

Technology
  • requirements
Effects Allows (Units, Buildings, Techs)

Obsoletes (Units, Buildings)

Advancedflight
Advanced Flight
Alphabet.mp2c
Alphabet
  • Disables Well-Diggers
Amphibiouswarfare
Amphibious Warfare
Astronomy.mp2c
Astronomy
Atomictheory.mp2c
Atomic Theory
Automobile.mp2c
Automobile
  • +1 move to Light Armor
Avionics.mp2c
Avionics
Banking.mp2c
Banking
  • Prevents Philosophy from awarding bonus tech
  • Converts upkeep on Infantry from 1 shield to 1 gold
  • Globally expires extra gold bonus for new trade routes from capitals.
Bridgebuilding.mp2c
Bridge Building
  • Allows roads on rivers.
  • Upgrades all roads in cities to Bridges
Bronzeworking.mp2c
Bronze Working
Ceremonialburial.mp2c
Ceremonial Burial
Chemistry.mp2c
Chemistry
Chivalry.mp2c
Chivalry
Codeoflaws.mp2c
Code of Laws
Combinedarms.mp2c
Combined Arms
Combustion.mp2c
Combustion
  • +1 move for Trains
  • Increases population pollution 25%
Combustion.mp2c
Combustion.2
Specialization tech for Combustion
Communism
Communism
  • Allows government Communism.
  • pre-req for spawning Partisans
Computers.mp2c
Computers
Conscription.mp2c
Conscription
  • Cities can use multi-slot build slots for units...
  • Allows upgrading all foot units to Musketeers for free.
Construction.mp2c
Construction
  • Allows building Fortresses
  • Allows mining deserts
Currency.mp2c
Currency
Democracy
Democracy
  • Allows Democracy government
  • Instant free upgrade to Workers II
Economics.mp2c
Economics
Electricity
Electricity
  • Increases Amphitheater effect +1
  • +1 move point for Trains
  • Reveals all tiles within one's borders
  • Disallows making Lighthouse
Electronics
Electronics
Engineering
Engineering
  • Allows building Canals
  • Allows building Naval Base
Environmentalism
Environmentalism
  • Reduces population pollution by 50%
Espionage.mp2c
Espionage
  • Allows Diplomats and Patriarch to establish embassy...
    • ...vs Courthouse or Homeland Security
Explosives.mp2c
Explosives
Disallows free upgrade from Workers to Workers II
Feudalism
Feudalism
Flight.mp2c
Flight
Flight.mp2c
Flight.2
Specialization tech for Flight
Fusionpower.mp2c
Fusion Power
  • Hbomb Hydrogen Bomb
  • Doomsdaybomb Doomsday Bomb
  • Tacticalnuke Tactical Nuke
  • Enrichment facility Enrichment Facility
  • The Fusion reactor Fusion Reactor
Guerillawarfare.mp2c
Guerilla Warfare
  • Globally sets ability to spawn Partisans for Communism, Democracy
  • Globally sets ability to spawn Zealots or Fanatics for Theocracy
Gunpowder.mp2c
Gunpowder
  • pre-req for spawning Partisans
  • prevents building new Castles
Horsebackriding.mp2c
Horseback Riding
Travelers spread news to the world if discovered before Turn 15 (2600 BC)
Industrialization.mp2c
Industrialization
  • Increases population pollution 25%
Invention.mp2c
Invention
Ironworking.mp2c
Iron Working
Laser.mp2c
Laser
Leadership.mp2c
Leadership
Literacy.mp2c
Literacy
Machinetools.mp2c
Machine Tools
  • Globally obsoletes Great Wall when discovered
Magnetism.mp2c
Magnetism
Mapmaking.mp2c
Map Making
  • +2 moves for Scouts
Masonry.mp2c
Masonry
  • Allows building Forts
Massproduction.mp2c
Mass Production
  • Increases population pollution 25%
  • +20% output for Coal and Hydro Plants
Mathematics.mp2c
Mathematics
Mechanization
Mechanization
  • Allows converting Musketeers to Riflemen for free.
Medicine.mp2c
Medicine
Metallurgy
Metallurgy
  • City Walls cost 75 (+10)
  • Fortifications cost 45 (+10)
  • Globally obsoletes all Siege Rams
Microbiology
Microbiology
Miniaturization
Miniaturization
Mobilewarfare.mp2c
Mobile Warfare
Monarchy1
Monarchy
  • Allows Monarchy government
Monotheism
Monotheism
Mysticism.mp2c
Mysticism
  • Doubles the effect of Temples
Nationalism
Nationalism
  • Allows Nationalism government.
Nuclearfission.mp2c
Nuclear Fission
Nuclearpower.mp2c
Nuclear Power
  • Gives sea units +2 moves
Philosophy.mp2c
Philosophy
Gives a bonus tech blueprint before T85 (1600AD). Tech awarded will be random if you have no future goal. Otherwise, it will be the first undiscovered tech leading up to your selected "Future Goal." No bonus tech is given to nations who already have Banking, Invention, or Physics.
Physics.mp2c
Physics
  • Increases unit vision from 1.44x to 2x
  • Prevents Philosophy from awarding bonus tech
Plastics.mp2c
Plastics
  • Increases population pollution 25%
Polytheism.mp2c
Polytheism
  • Statue of zeus Statue of Zeus
Pottery.mp2c
Pottery
  • Allows building Quays
  • Disables Well-Diggers
Radar.mp2c
Radar
  • Allows building Radar installations on Airbases.
Radio.mp2c
Radio
  • Allows building Airbase
  • Allows building Buoy
Radio.mp2c
Radio.2
Specialization tech for Radio
Railroad.mp2c
Railroad
  • Allows upgrading Roads to Railroads
  • Less first-time revenue for Trade Routes
Recycling.mp2c
Recycling
  • Reduces unit upgrade costs by 20%
Refining.mp2c
Refining
  • Allows Oil Wells on Glaciers
Refrigeration.mp2c
Refrigeration
  • Allows upgrading Irrigation to Farmland
  • Allows laying Fishtraps
Robotics
Robotics
Leonardo's Workshop only upgrades 1 unit per turn
Rocketry.mp2c
Rocketry
Leonardo's Workshop only upgrades 1 unit per turn
Sanitation.mp2c
Sanitation
Seafaring.mp2c
Seafaring
Spaceflight.mp2c
Space Flight
  • Increases unit vision
  • Increases city radius vision
Spaceflight.mp2c
Space Flight.2
  • Specialization tech for Space Flight
  • Mobile SAM built with 1 free Anti-Ballistic Missile
  • AEGIS Cruiser built with 1 free Anti-Ballistic Missile
Stealth.mp2c
Stealth
Steamengine.mp2c
Steam Engine
  • Ends Colossus discount on Commerce units.
Steel.mp2c
Steel
  • Allows building Sea Bridge
  • Allows building Bunker
Superconductors.mp2c
Superconductors
  • Allows building MagLev super-rails
Tactics.mp2c
Tactics
Thecorporation.mp2c
The Corporation
  • +25% Coinage rate for Stock Exchanges. (2.25 gold per shield)
Republic
The Republic
  • Allows Republic government
Thewheel.mp2c
The Wheel
Theocracy
Theocracy
Theology.mp2c
Theology
  • Improves Cathedral effect by +1
  • Improves Michelangelo effect by +1
Theoryofgravity.mp2c
Theory of Gravity
Trade.mp2c
Trade
University.mp2d
University
Warriorcode.mp2c
Warrior Code
  • Allows building Hideouts
Writing.mp2c
Writing
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