Research
You research in the palace. It is a single technology tree for your whole account: a researched technology works in all your villages. The tree has two branches — economy and military.
Rules
- Research requires a palace in a capital that nobody occupies. The cost is taken from the capital's resources, the same amount of wood, stone, iron and food.
- One research runs at a time. On faster worlds research takes less time.
- A research opens once you know all the research listed in its requirements and have the required building at the given level in one of your own unoccupied villages — or in the capital, where stated.
- Production buildings count by their level on the production slot (1 to 5).
- When two research give the same effect, the higher one applies — bonuses do not add up. Example: Assaying and Jeweller together give an artifact quick sale of +20%, not +25%.
- Combat bonuses from research apply only to your own army. Allied support in your village fights with the research bonuses of its owner.
- Front-line attack and crossbowman attack work only when attacking.
Doctrines
Assault and Cover are doctrines: you can research both, but only one is active at a time. The first one researched becomes active. Switching to the other costs resources and time (below the military table) and takes the research queue — the current doctrine works until the switch is complete.
Field hospitals
Once Field hospitals are researched, part of the fallen regular army (not mercenaries or settlers) survives a battle on the world map. The wounded are treated for 6 hours and then march back to the capital. If you have no available capital for a day, the evacuation is lost. Field hospitals do not work in expedition battles. On faster worlds treatment is shorter.
Economy
| Research | Effect | Requires | Cost (each of the 4 resources) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forestry | Wood production +5% | Tree nursery 3 | 1,500 | 3 h |
| Stoneworking | Stone production +5% | Quarry 3 | 1,500 | 3 h |
| Iron mining | Iron production +5% | Iron Mine 3 | 1,500 | 3 h |
| Milling | Food production +5% | Mill 3 | 1,500 | 3 h |
| Geometry | Warehouse capacity +5% | — | 2,500 | 4 h |
| Accounting | NPC exchange fee −10% | — | 2,000 | 4 h |
| Tracking dogs | Unlocks fox hunting | Hunting lodge 1 | 3,000 | 4 h |
| Sawmill | Unlocks the sawmill | “Forestry”, “Iron mining”, Tree nursery 5 | 2,000 | 4 h |
| Stonemason | Unlocks the stonemason | “Stoneworking”, “Forestry”, Quarry 5 | 2,000 | 4 h |
| Foundry | Unlocks the foundry | “Iron mining”, “Stoneworking”, Iron Mine 5 | 2,000 | 4 h |
| Bakery | Unlocks the bakery | “Milling”, “Forestry”, Mill 5 | 2,000 | 4 h |
| Transport | Merchant capacity +15% | “Milling”, “Accounting” | 5,000 | 6 h |
| Assaying | Artifact quick sale: +5% gold in total | “Iron mining”, “Accounting” | 4,000 | 6 h |
| Hunting crossbows | Unlocks aurochs hunting | “Tracking dogs”, Hunting lodge 3 | 10,000 | 12 h |
| Planning | Building costs −5% | “Sawmill”, “Stonemason” | 10,000 | 12 h |
| Master blacksmith | Smithy upgrade costs −15% | “Foundry”, “Geometry” | 15,000 | 18 h |
| Preservation | Stash decay: 4% → 2%/h | “Bakery”, “Geometry” | 15,000 | 18 h |
| Efficient caravans | Merchant delivery time −15% | “Sawmill”, “Transport” | 8,000 | 12 h |
| Trade agreements | Trade route purchase price −5% | “Transport”, “Assaying” | 12,000 | 18 h |
| Surveying | Reveals the true number of production slots on any map tile | “Geometry” | 5,000 | 8 h |
| Hunting organisation | Hunting lodge: maximum level 5 | “Hunting crossbows”, Hunting lodge 3 | 25,000 | 24 h |
| Construction planning | Construction time −10% | “Planning”, “Foundry” | 15,000 | 24 h |
| Standardisation | Regular troop costs −5% | “Foundry”, “Sawmill” | 12,000 | 18 h |
| Fortifications | Wall defence bonus +20% | “Stonemason”, “Master blacksmith” | 15,000 | 18 h |
| Army logistics | Loot capacity +20% | “Efficient caravans”, “Standardisation” | 10,000 | 18 h |
| Egyptian architects | Palace upgrade costs −20% | “Construction planning”, “Trade agreements”, “Geometry”, Palace 10 | 60,000 | 72 h |
| Jeweller | Artifact quick sale: +20% gold in total | “Assaying”, “Master blacksmith”, “Efficient caravans”, Treasury 3 | 40,000 | 48 h |
Default values for a normal-speed world (x1); research is shorter on faster worlds. The administrator can change them — if anything differs, the game is right.
Military
| Research | Effect | Requires | Cost (each of the 4 resources) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drill | Attack +3%; Defence +3% | Barracks 3 | 2,000 | 4 h |
| Tracking | Expedition outbound travel time −5% | — | 2,000 | 4 h |
| Anatomy | Medic kit price −10% | — | 2,000 | 4 h |
| Quartermaster | Regular troop upkeep −3% | — | 2,000 | 4 h |
| Reconnaissance | Scout kit price −10% | — | 2,000 | 4 h |
| Archery | Unlocks archers | “Drill”, “Tracking”, Barracks 5, Smithy 5 | 5,000 | 8 h |
| Crossbows | Unlocks crossbowmen | “Drill”, “Quartermaster”, Barracks 5, Smithy 5 | 5,000 | 8 h |
| Orderlies | Medic kit saves 7% of losses instead of 5% | “Anatomy”, “Quartermaster” | 10,000 | 16 h |
| Logistics | Troop march time −10% | “Tracking”, “Quartermaster” | 15,000 | 18 h |
| Court connections | Guaranteed daily hero offer in the capital | “Reconnaissance”, “Accounting”, Tavern 1 in the capital | 10,000 | 18 h |
| Assault (doctrine) | Rear-line attack +10% | “Archery”, “Crossbows” | 15,000 | 18 h |
| Cover (doctrine) | Rear-line defence +10% | “Archery”, “Crossbows” | 15,000 | 18 h |
| Training | Regular troop training time −10% | “Drill”, “Quartermaster” | 12,000 | 18 h |
| Improved crossbows | Crossbowman attack +10% | “Crossbows”, “Logistics” | 10,000 | 18 h |
| Court renown | Two hero offers in the capital; recruit one | “Court connections”, “Tracking” | 20,000 | 24 h |
| Front line | Front-line attack +10% | “Drill”, “Logistics” | 15,000 | 18 h |
| Elite cavalry | Unlocks elite cavalry | “Training”, “Logistics”, Stable 20, Smithy 10 | 30,000 | 36 h |
| Expedition rewards | Gold from won expedition battles +10% | “Logistics”, “Court connections” | 20,000 | 24 h |
| Expedition headquarters | Expedition commander capacity +250 troops | “Logistics”, “Court renown”, “Transport” | 50,000 | 48 h |
| Field hospitals | 5% of regular troop losses return to the capital after treatment and travel | “Orderlies”, “Training”, “Preservation” | 60,000 | 72 h |
Switching the active doctrine: 3,000 of each resource, 6 h.
Default values for a normal-speed world (x1); research is shorter on faster worlds. The administrator can change them — if anything differs, the game is right.