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Topic
v50.13 · v0.47.05 This article is about the current version of DF.Note that some content may still need to be updated. |
Topics (also Tech or Innovations) are part of knowledge.
There are around 300 innovations that can be discovered. Many of them have requirements, and many do not, so it's kind of a tech forest/grassland rather than a tree. Notably missing are innovations related to practical labors in the game (which will be added later in development).
Several innovations require innovations from other branches, and since all knowledge is individually tracked, that implies some investigators will need to be at least well-read if not skilled in various topics (there aren't currently joint research projects). There are some old and new mechanisms in place to ensure this happens.
There are 9 "branches" of the knowledge system.
Astronomy
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Geocentric Model | The theory that the sun moves around the world |
| Daylight And Seasons | The variation of daylight with the season |
| The relationship between the lunar and solar year | |
| The Sun and Seasons | The rise of the sun according to the season |
| The path of the moon | |
| The Moon and Seasons | The rise of the moon according to the season |
| Moon and Tides | The relationship between the moon and the tides |
| Celestial Cartography | The creation of star charts |
| Heliocentric Model | The theory that the world moves around the sun |
| Methods of empirical observation in astronomy | |
| Lunar Phase | The phases of the moon |
Chemistry
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Adhesives | The preparation and use of adhesive materials |
| Mineral taxonomy | The classification of ores |
| Evaporation | The theory and method of evaporation |
| Material taxonomy | The classification of materials based on which elemental materials might form them |
| Laboratory Science | Methods for performing experiments systematically in the laboratory |
| Ampoule | The construction and use of the ampoule |
| Alembic | The construction and use of the alembic |
| Alloys | The mixture of metals to produce alloys |
| Solvent Extraction | The theory and methods involved in the extraction of a constituent liquid from one solution to another |
| Blast Furnace | The construction and use of the blast furnace |
| Retort | The construction and use of the retort |
| Basicity and Acidity | The classification of alkali and acids |
Engineering
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| The Pulley | The construction and use of the pulley |
| The Lever | The construction and use of the lever |
| The Windlass | The construction and use of the windlass |
| The Screw | The construction and use of the screw |
| Models and Templates | The use of models and templates in engineering |
| The Warded Lock | The construction and use of the warded lock |
| The Tumbler Lock | The construction and use of the tumbler lock |
| The Siphon | The action of the siphon |
| Gear Mechanics | The reasons why gears are effective |
| The Crystal Lens | The construction and use of the crystal lens |
| The Funnel | The construction and use of the funnel |
| Camera Obscura | The construction and use of the camera obscura |
| Buoyancy and Water Displacement | A precise description of buoyancy and water displacement |
| Valves | The construction and use of valves |
| The Bellows | The construction and use of the bellows |
| The Straight-Beam Balance | The construction and use of the straight-beam balance |
| Wedge Mechanics | The reasons why the wedge is effective |
| Water Clocks | The use of water-based devices to tell time |
| Lamination | The use of lamination |
| Wheel Mechanics | The reasons why the wheel-and-axle construction is effective |
| Pulley Mechanics | The reasons why pulleys are effective |
| Screw Mechanics | The reasons why screws are effective |
Differential gears are a difficult innovation and a prerequisite for pointing chariots and astrariums.
Geography
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Surveying | The process of surveying land |
| Anemology | The forces that govern wind patterns |
| Econometrics | The process of economic data collection |
| Economic Map | The placement of economic information on maps |
| Surveying Staff | The construction and use of the surveying staff |
The geography innovations include several related to cartography.
History
Innovations for historians are, in part, writing forms like biography, and then any historian that reads a biography can start writing them as well. Innovations include comparative biographies describing multiple people, and matters of sourcing, etc.
Historians can start to understand how cultural differences and state bias affects source reliability and think a bit about social forces.
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Archaeology | The method of collecting and evaluating artifacts to learn about history and culture |
| Cultural History | The method of accurately and comprehensively describing cultures and civilizations" |
| Source Reliability | The reliability of sources |
| Personal Interviews | Using personal interviews as sources |
| Autobiographical Adventures | The method of writing a biography of oneself, particularly as it concerns a military campaign or adventure |
| Historical Causes | Discourse on the cause of historical events |
| Biography | The method of writing the history of a single individual |
| Cultural Comparison | The method of comparing and contrasting different cultures |
| The role of cultural differences in source reliability and interpretation | |
| Biographical Anthology | The compilation of brief biographies into one large collection |
| Genealogy | The compilation of family lineages and methods of displaying them artfully |
| Biographical Comparison | Compiling several biographies to compare and contrast the subjects' character and to gain insight into history |
| Alternate History | The exploration of how history would be different if some key past events had transpired differently the notion of historical, governmental and social cycles |
| Cyclic History | The notion of historical, governmental and social cycles |
| Historical Causation | The causes of historical events |
Mathematics
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Positional Notation | |
| Large Sums | Simple formulas for certain arbitrarily large sums |
| Equations | The technique of balancing and completion for solving equations |
| Very Large Numbers | Notation for very large numbers |
| Nothingness | A symbol for nothingness |
Medical science
Medical innovations include dedicated hospitals with specialized wards, staffing, medical labs and treatment for many illnesses.
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Diseases | The diseases of creatures |
| Mineral Remedies | |
| Disease Classification | The classification of disease |
| Toxicology | The classification of toxic substances |
| Suturing | The surgical method of suturing |
| Traumatic Injuries | The treatment of traumatic injuries |
| Draining | The surgical method of draining |
| Bandages | The method of bandaging wounds |
| Paroxysm | The notion of paroxysm |
| Fracture Treatment | The treatment of fractures |
| Scraping | The surgical method of scraping |
| Anesthesia | Anesthesia |
| Practice models | The use of practice models in surgery |
| Surgical Instruments | The use of specialized surgical instruments |
| Anatomy | Anatomical studies for medical edification |
| Ocular Anatomy | The anatomy of the eye |
| Disease and Foul Water | The connection between disease and fouled water |
| Herbal Remedies | Herbal remedies |
| Physical Examination | The method of physical examination in diagnosing illness |
| Probing | The surgical method of probing |
| Prognosis | Determining the likely outcome given a patient's current status |
| Progressive Pathology | The notion of the exacerbation of a patient's condition |
| Cauterization | Cauterization |
Natural science
Toady on natural science innovations:
And so on through the other seven branches - there are innovations in naturalist writings, for example, and then they can investigate specific critters with those in mind when they get down to work observing foraging behavior or performing dissections.
Naturalists can build a theory of rainbows using water-filled spheres and a camera obscura, and they can calculate the height of the atmosphere based on atmospheric refraction using the law of refraction (though it tries not to get into the actual shape of the world, since that might vary).
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Physical Features | The classification of creatures by their physical features |
| Climactic Adaptation | The way that creatures are suited to the climates in which they live |
| Migratory Patterns | The migratory patterns of creatures |
| The origin of rainfall through evaporation and condensation | |
| A world-wide cycle involving precipitation, oceans, rivers and other forms of water | |
| Water Displacement | A precise description of buoyancy and water displacement |
| Foraging Behavior | The foraging behavior and diet of creatures |
| Reproductive Behavior | The reproductive behavior of creatures |
| Social Behavior | The social behavior of creatures |
| Dissection | The dissection of creatures |
Philosophy
The specific view that a philosopher takes on, say, the nature of beauty or methods of education will depend on their individual/cultural values, where they apply, and a philosopher that encounters a philosophy book on beauty can then provide their own take (having acquired the innovation).
Toady on philosophy innovations:
For fields like philosophy, I've tried not to make judgments about which ideas are "right" or anything like that, but rather which subjects can be thought about at all.
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Value Agendas | Writers can push value "agendas" if they are skilled enough.
Description format: The [worthlessness | value | nature] of [belief] Examples:
|
| Interpersonal Ethics | Discourse on ethics as applied to interpersonal conduct |
| Causation | The nature of causation |
| Diplomatic discourse | Discourse on diplomacy |
| Discourse on Contentment | Discourse on the meaning of individual happiness |
| Economic discourse | Discourse on economic policy |
| Civic ethics | Discourse on ethics as it regards the benefit of the state |
| Phenomenology | Discourse on the nature of perception |
| Theory of justification | Discourse on the nature of justification |
| Objects and Properties | The relationship between objects and their properties |
| Horology | Discourse on the nature of time |
| Philosophy of Mind | Discourse on the nature of mind and body |
| Martial Ethics | Discourse on ethics as applied to war |
| Aesthetics | Discourse on the nature of beauty |
| Jurisprudence | Discourse on law |
| Syntactic theory | Discourse on grammar |
| Political science | Discourse on government |
| Dictionaries | Dictionaries |
| Formal Reasoning | Formal reasoning |
| Welfare Theory | Discourse on social welfare |
| Theory of Events | Discourse on the nature of events |
| Pedagogy | Discourse on education |
| Doxastic Theory | Discourse on the nature of belief |
| Medical ethics | Discourse on medical ethics |
Unknown/unsorted
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Economic policy, its forms and recommendations | |
| Dictionaries | |
| Shadow Clocks | The use of shadows to tell direction and time |
| Social Welfare | Social welfare, its forms and recommendations |