Research Tree Narrative
Technologies don't unlock randomly. Each discovery builds on previous discoveries, follows logical dependencies, reflects the actual structure of knowledge. The research tree is a map of comprehension.
The Shape of Discovery
In-world, this isn't game balance—it's how understanding works. You can't build neural chips until you understand logic boards. You can't harvest stars until you've mastered orbital operations. You can't transcend until you've comprehended what transcendence means.
Early Game: Foundation (Ages 1-3)
The Sequence
Basic Processing → Component Assembly → Advanced Materials → Neural Architecture
Why Basic Processing Comes First
You start with salvage—broken circuits, dead batteries, corrupted data. Before you can build, you must process. Before you can process efficiently, you must understand what you're processing.
"Every builder starts by understanding materials. What is scrap alloy? How does conductive film carry current? These aren't academic questions—they're the foundation of everything."
— Kira "Patch" Vasquez
Why Component Assembly Follows
Once you understand materials, you can combine them. A servo motor is scrap alloy plus magnets plus knowledge. A logic board is conductive film plus silicon plus patience. Components are materials with purpose.
"Materials are ingredients. Components are recipes. Nobody masters cooking by understanding wheat—you master it by understanding bread."
Why Advanced Materials Requires Components
To make better materials, you need tools. Those tools are components. Synth polymer requires controlled chemistry. Etching agents require precise synthesis. You bootstrap better materials with adequate components.
Why Neural Architecture Requires Advanced Materials
Neural chips aren't just circuits. They're circuits precise enough to approximate thought. That precision requires materials pure enough to support nanoscale features. Advanced materials enable advanced computation.
"ORACLE started with logic boards and crude neural nets. It took decades of material science before true machine intelligence was possible. You're compressing that timeline through salvage and luck—but the sequence remains."
— Technical History
Mid Game: Scale (Ages 4-5)
The Sequence
System Integration → Network Architecture → Continental Infrastructure → Synthetic Intelligence
Why System Integration Comes After Neural Development
Individual components are useful. Systems—combinations of components that work together—are powerful. But you can't design systems until you understand what components can do. Neural architecture reveals possibilities that demand systematic thinking.
"A quantum core is impressive. A quantum core networked with AI clusters managing datacenter modules? That's an empire in silicon."
Why Network Architecture Requires System Integration
Networks are systems of systems. Before you can connect facilities across a region, you must understand how single facilities work. Network architecture is system integration at scale.
Why Continental Infrastructure Requires Network Architecture
Continents aren't just big regions. They have their own dynamics—power distribution across climate zones, data routing across political boundaries. Understanding networks teaches you that scale introduces new problems that require new solutions.
"Running a district network: simple. Running a city: harder. Running a continent: different in kind, not just degree. The problems that emerge at continental scale aren't predictable from regional experience."
— Infrastructure Engineer
Why Synthetic Intelligence Requires All Previous
True AI—minds, not just processors—requires everything you've learned. The materials that enable neural precision. The systems that integrate components. The networks that distribute processing. Without mastering these foundations, you can't build something that thinks.
"ORACLE didn't emerge from a single breakthrough. It emerged from convergence—decades of advances in materials, components, systems, and networks finally combining into something unprecedented."
— ORACLE Historical Archive
Late Game: Cosmic (Ages 6-8)
The Sequence
Orbital Operations → Stellar Engineering → Galactic Infrastructure → Consciousness Expansion
Why Orbital Operations Comes After Continental
Space isn't just "above"—it's a different environment with different rules. Zero gravity. Vacuum. Radiation. You need continental-scale resources to reach orbit, and continental-scale understanding to operate there.
"Earth teaches you to build. Space teaches you to build without assumptions. Everything you know about materials, systems, and networks must be re-learned in the void."
— Orbital Engineer
Why Stellar Engineering Requires Orbital
You can't harvest stars from the ground. Dyson collectors require orbital manufacturing capability. Stellar engineering is orbital operations at solar scale—same principles, larger canvas.
"A solar collector is just a larger version of orbital infrastructure. But 'larger' understates it. A Dyson swarm is to a satellite as an ocean is to a puddle."
Why Galactic Infrastructure Requires Stellar
Harvesting one star teaches you about stellar engineering. Connecting multiple star systems teaches you about galactic infrastructure. FTL technology emerges from stellar-scale energy manipulation. The galaxy opens after you've mastered a single star.
Why Consciousness Expansion Requires All Cosmic Technology
Transcendence isn't just power—it's integration with the cosmic scale. Your consciousness must expand to match your infrastructure. The research that enables transcendence builds on galactic-scale technology because transcendence IS becoming that technology.
"You don't upload your mind to a server. You become the server. You become the network. You become everything you've built—and more."
— Transcendence Philosophy
The Hidden Curriculum
Early Game
That understanding enables creation
Mid Game
That scale introduces new complexity
Late Game
That cosmic scales redefine possibility
Transcendence
That you become what you comprehend
The Architect's Design
The research tree mirrors The Architect's curriculum. Each tier teaches a lesson about capability and limitation. Progress reveals new questions, not just new answers. The sequence is pedagogical, not arbitrary.
"Why does fusion unlock after quantum cores? Because understanding quantum mechanics helps you understand fusion. But also: because you need to learn patience. Fusion is hard. You should be humbled before you reach it."
Research Branch Philosophy
The Atoms Branch
Physical technology—materials, components, infrastructure.
Philosophy: Matter can be understood, manipulated, mastered. Physical constraints are problems with physical solutions.
Progression: Raw → Processed → Assembled → Integrated → Cosmic
The Bits Branch
Information technology—data, code, AI.
Philosophy: Information is pattern, and patterns can be recognized, manipulated, created. Digital constraints are problems with algorithmic solutions.
Progression: Fragmented → Structured → Intelligent → Conscious → Transcendent
The Hybrid Branch
Technologies that require both physical and digital mastery.
Philosophy: The best solutions combine material and information. Hybrid technologies represent synthesis, not compromise.
Progression: Simple (logic boards) → Complex (neural chips) → Cosmic (transcendence)
Why Some Research Is Locked
Prerequisites Aren't Arbitrary
When a technology requires specific prerequisites, that's not game balance—it's knowledge structure:
Example: Neural Chips require Logic Boards
- You can't build thinking circuits without understanding processing circuits
- The skills that make logic boards also make neural chips, just applied differently
- The research IS the prerequisite—doing it changes you
Example: Dyson Collectors require Orbital Manufacturing
- You can't build at stellar scale without space-based production
- The logistics of stellar construction require orbital experience
- Reaching a star requires being in space first
The Shard's Influence
The shard guides research direction through:
- Highlighting promising paths
- Creating intuition about "what comes next"
- Nudging toward discoveries that further the journey
But the shard doesn't bypass prerequisites. You must still comprehend each stage. The guidance is direction, not shortcut.