Guide: technologies

[Evil4Zerggin]

Techs

Each tech consists of the following:

• Name
• Type
• Year. The speed of researching a tech will be faster if behind this or slower if ahead. There is a random factor, but I don't expect this to make a huge difference in decision-making most of the time.
• Difficulty. The "cost" of the tech.
• Effect. Each tech either unlocks a component or gives some passive effect(s).

Tech types

Techs are organized into types:

• Engines: 8 techs at 60 difficulty each. Unlocks engine components. 
• Boilers: 16 techs at 32 difficulty each. Unlocks fuel and boiler components. Gives passive bonuses to boiler weight and fuel stowage.
• Special Machinery: 14 techs at 36 difficulty each. Unlocks auxiliary and shaft components. Gives passive bonuses to rudder, acceleration, engine weight, and slowdown from engine damage.
• Hull Strengthening: 11 techs at 45 difficulty each. Unlocks BB hulls. Gives passive bonuses to hull weight and hull stats.
• Hull Construction: 8 techs at 60 difficulty each. Gives passive bonuses to hull weight and build time. May reduce the chance of hull defects in the future.
• Armor Quality: 8 techs at 60 difficulty each. Unlocks armor components.
• Armor Forging: 11 techs at 45 difficulty each. Unlocks Turtleback and AoN Citadel Gives passive bonuses to armor weight, armor cost, and build time.
• Control Station: 12 techs at 42 difficulty each. Gives passive bonuses to accuracy.
• Rangefinders: 12 techs at 42 difficulty each. Unlocks rangefinder components.
• Hull Protection: 8 techs at 60 difficulty each. Unlocks double/triple bottom and torpedo belt components.
• Internals Protection: 20 techs at 26 difficulty each. Unlocks bulkhead, anti-flooding, and Protected/Armored Citadel. Gives passive bonuses to damage control.
• Gun Layout: 19 techs at 27 difficulty each. Unlocks barbette components. Increases maximum gun and barbette counts.
• Turret Mechanisms: 28 techs at 19 difficulty each. Unlocks turret rotation and reload components. Increases maximum guns per turret and reduces penalties for twin/triple/quad turrets. Gives passive bonuses to reload.
• Destroyer Design: 26 techs at 20 difficulty each. Unlocks DD hulls. Increases max DD displacement.
• Cruiser Design: 52 techs at 10 difficulty each. Unlocks BC, CA, CL hulls. Increases max CA, CL displacement.
• Torpedo Tubes: 6 techs at 32 difficulty each. Increases maximum tubes per launcher. Allows above-deck launchers on heavier ship types. Increases the Mark of torpedo launchers. Gives passive bonuses to torpedo reload, rotation speed, and weight.
• Torpedo Size: 10 techs at 49 difficulty each. Unlocks torpedo size components.
• Torpedo Propulsion: 15 techs at 34 difficulty each. Unlocks torpedo propulsion components. Gives passive bonuses to torpedo range, speed, and accuracy.
• Shells: 11 techs at 45 difficulty each. Unlocks shell weight components. Gives passive bonuses to shell range, penetration, and damage; and self detonation chance.
• Explosives: 20 techs at 26 difficulty each. Unlocks shell explosive components. Gives passive bonuses to range, penetration, damage, self detonation chance and self flash fire chance.
• Submarines: Not implemented yet.
• Maneuver Warfare: 15 techs at 34 difficulty each. Not implemented yet.
• Naval Communications: 6 techs at 77 difficulty each. Unlocks communications components. Gives passive bonuses to communications range.
• Mines: Not implemented yet.
• ASW: 11 techs at 45 difficulty each. Unlocks hydro/sonar components.
• Small Guns: 35 techs at 15 difficulty each. Increases the Mark of guns up to 8".
• Big Guns: 60 techs at 9 difficulty each. Increases the Mark of guns of 9" or larger.

The tech counts include starting techs, of which there is usually one for each tech type, but some have multiple. It looks like they attempted to make all the tech types about the same total difficulty.

Research mechanics

Note that these may change before the first playable release.

At current the research speed is equal to the product of the following:

• A piecewise-linear modifier for the tech year versus the current year. I think it is likely the current values will change so I won't list them here.
• The fraction of your total naval budget versus the highest total naval budget among all nations, but no less than 50%.
• A curve based on the percentage of your budget allocated to research. At current, it seems a safe bet to put it at half of the maximum possible, or perhaps slightly higher.
• Possibly other research speed modifiers, though I was unable to find anything that grants them so far.
• Priority: By default research is divided equally between all tech types. At current it looks like you can assign a double share of research speed to up to three priority techs.

If this came out today, the tech types at the top of my list for prioritization would be:

• Big Guns. Range has a dramatic effect on accuracy, and most gun range comes from Marks.
• Hull Strengthening. Hull Form has a huge effect on engine requirements, and if it continues to affect maintenance cost as currently slated, its effect on the campaign will be even greater.

[Cptbarney]

Wait is this from the campaign itself?

Edited June 22, 2021 by Cptbarney

[Elrerune The Honorbound]

10 hours ago, Evil4Zerggin said:

Techs

Each tech consists of the following:

• Name
• Type
• Year. The speed of researching a tech will be faster if behind this or slower if ahead. There is a random factor, but I don't expect this to make a huge difference in decision-making most of the time.
• Difficulty. The "cost" of the tech.
• Effect. Each tech either unlocks a component or gives some passive effect(s).

Tech types

Techs are organized into types:

• Engines: 8 techs at 60 difficulty each. Unlocks engine components. 
• Boilers: 16 techs at 32 difficulty each. Unlocks fuel and boiler components. Gives passive bonuses to boiler weight and fuel stowage.
• Special Machinery: 14 techs at 36 difficulty each. Unlocks auxiliary and shaft components. Gives passive bonuses to rudder, acceleration, engine weight, and slowdown from engine damage.
• Hull Strengthening: 11 techs at 45 difficulty each. Unlocks BB hulls. Gives passive bonuses to hull weight and hull stats.
• Hull Construction: 8 techs at 60 difficulty each. Gives passive bonuses to hull weight and build time. May reduce the chance of hull defects in the future.
• Armor Quality: 8 techs at 60 difficulty each. Unlocks armor components.
• Armor Forging: 11 techs at 45 difficulty each. Unlocks Turtleback and AoN Citadel Gives passive bonuses to armor weight, armor cost, and build time.
• Control Station: 12 techs at 42 difficulty each. Gives passive bonuses to accuracy.
• Rangefinders: 12 techs at 42 difficulty each. Unlocks rangefinder components.
• Hull Protection: 8 techs at 60 difficulty each. Unlocks double/triple bottom and torpedo belt components.
• Internals Protection: 20 techs at 26 difficulty each. Unlocks bulkhead, anti-flooding, and Protected/Armored Citadel. Gives passive bonuses to damage control.
• Gun Layout: 19 techs at 27 difficulty each. Unlocks barbette components. Increases maximum gun and barbette counts.
• Turret Mechanisms: 28 techs at 19 difficulty each. Unlocks turret rotation and reload components. Increases maximum guns per turret and reduces penalties for twin/triple/quad turrets. Gives passive bonuses to reload.
• Destroyer Design: 26 techs at 20 difficulty each. Unlocks DD hulls. Increases max DD displacement.
• Cruiser Design: 52 techs at 10 difficulty each. Unlocks BC, CA, CL hulls. Increases max CA, CL displacement.
• Torpedo Tubes: 6 techs at 32 difficulty each. Increases maximum tubes per launcher. Allows above-deck launchers on heavier ship types. Increases the Mark of torpedo launchers. Gives passive bonuses to torpedo reload, rotation speed, and weight.
• Torpedo Size: 10 techs at 49 difficulty each. Unlocks torpedo size components.
• Torpedo Propulsion: 15 techs at 34 difficulty each. Unlocks torpedo propulsion components. Gives passive bonuses to torpedo range, speed, and accuracy.
• Shells: 11 techs at 45 difficulty each. Unlocks shell weight components. Gives passive bonuses to shell range, penetration, and damage; and self detonation chance.
• Explosives: 20 techs at 26 difficulty each. Unlocks shell explosive components. Gives passive bonuses to range, penetration, damage, self detonation chance and self flash fire chance.
• Submarines: Not implemented yet.
• Maneuver Warfare: 15 techs at 34 difficulty each. Not implemented yet.
• Naval Communications: 6 techs at 77 difficulty each. Unlocks communications components. Gives passive bonuses to communications range.
• Mines: Not implemented yet.
• ASW: 11 techs at 45 difficulty each. Unlocks hydro/sonar components.
• Small Guns: 35 techs at 15 difficulty each. Increases the Mark of guns up to 8".
• Big Guns: 60 techs at 9 difficulty each. Increases the Mark of guns of 9" or larger.

The tech counts include starting techs, of which there is usually one for each tech type, but some have multiple. It looks like they attempted to make all the tech types about the same total difficulty.

Research mechanics

Note that these may change before the first playable release.

At current the research speed is equal to the product of the following:

• A piecewise-linear modifier for the tech year versus the current year. I think it is likely the current values will change so I won't list them here.
• The fraction of your total naval budget versus the highest total naval budget among all nations, but no less than 50%.
• A curve based on the percentage of your budget allocated to research. At current, it seems a safe bet to put it at half of the maximum possible, or perhaps slightly higher.
• Possibly other research speed modifiers, though I was unable to find anything that grants them so far.
• Priority: By default research is divided equally between all tech types. At current it looks like you can assign a double share of research speed to up to three priority techs.

If this came out today, the tech types at the top of my list for prioritization would be:

• Big Guns. Range has a dramatic effect on accuracy, and most gun range comes from Marks.
• Hull Strengthening. Hull Form has a huge effect on engine requirements, and if it continues to affect maintenance cost as currently slated, its effect on the campaign will be even greater.

Excellent guide! Thank you!

[Evil4Zerggin]

9 hours ago, Cptbarney said:

Wait is this from the campaign itself?

A lot of this is already playable, though not obvious---these techs are what the "+15 Big Guns" etc. mean in the Naval Academy tech/funds options, and they apply in the background to Custom Battles as well.

Of course the research part is not playable yet. There is already a considerable amount of campaign code and data in other areas as well. So there is obvious progress being made. Though I don't want to speculate on how close the campaign is to playable.

[ChristieWH]

Kind of a dumb question but just to clarify,does completing missions in the Naval academy effect custom battles? i.e. if i complete all missions will my ships and modules in custom battles have better 'base' stats?

[Evil4Zerggin]

No, all custom battles are complete one-offs.