Inventions

''Currently, inventions are not yet implemented in game. What you see below is a representation of our future intentions, and is aspirational''

Inventions are a game-concept to described both the level and specifics of technological advancement, and the specifics of culture.

Invention basics Inventions are associated with population. Every invention can be invented by a certain POP type, and every POP keeps track of which inventions it has already invented.

All this means that technology doesn't have to be equal everywhere within a country, or even a province, as different POPs in a province may have different knowledge of the invention.

The chance for inventing a technology is based upon two things. First, the size of the POP that does the inventing, subject to diminishing returns, twice the number of people won't mean twice the invention chance. Secondly, a number of factors depending on the local situation, which decide which inventions are more or less likely to occur. For example, a country that is at war often, would be more likely to have its people invent better weaponry or tactics. A mercantile state, on the other hand, would be more likely to invent things relating to trade. Finally, socio-political factors play a role too, think of religious leadership preventing certain insights from occurring as they are heretical, but greatly improving the chance for advancements in theology.

So, while the player will not control the direction of technological advancement, it will most certainly be able to shape it, by taking the realm into a direction it should invent in, keeping the population well-fed, encouraging free thought, and establishing centres of learning.

Spread There are various ways inventions can spread.

Inventions can spread through migration, if part of a POP that knows an invention moves to a different place it has a chance of taking the invention with it. The chances for this happening would depend on the invention, the relative number of the people moving, and the relative number of people in the POP it joins. If a POP moves entirely, it's highly likely to take the invention with it.

Inventions can also spread through assimilation. Where POPs of the same type, but different race, religion, or culture live side-by-side, inventions can move between pops. Chances for this happening depend on the relative sizes of the pop, and again socio-political circumstances.

Finally, inventions can spread by trade. In this case, POPs that trade with each other can exchange inventions.

This spread of the invention is separate from the spread of the products of invention. If one place makes advances in metalworking, better weapons may be traded while the knowledge of how to make them remains secret.

Invention and Culture Culture is treated in a way very similar to technology, and there are a number of cultural inventions.

So, a culture is nothing but a group of POPs that have the same, or a very similar, set of cultural inventions. In most cases, cultural inventions spread quickly, keeping the culture intact. But if for whatever reason they cultural inventions no longer spread, and POPs with the same culture develop divergent sets of cultural inventions, eventually the culture will split.

Cultures, once split, typically won't re-merge. However, cultures (even unrelated ones) can grow together through the spread of cultural inventions. Relations between POPs will be based on how different their sets of cultural inventions are. These relations can influence diplomacy, trade, and civil clashes between different POPs.

Forgetting inventions

Crucially, as part of the decay mechanic, inventions can be forgotten. Sometimes, this is harmless, as new things are invented, older ones become obsolete and are forgotten. Other times, this is less than harmless, when civilisation crumbles, and people will be busy with other things for a long enough time, valuable knowledge will disappear.