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.