TTS Insight: Research 2.0

Hello everyone!

Research and upgrades are very interesting topics. Technically, upgrades have existed in the series since the original The Settlers, if we count the promotion of knights with gold.

Later iterations based their research on known staples of RTS, while The Settlers 7 had an entire tree and victory condition linked to it.

We have always been a fan of research, as it allows players to adjust their strategies to overcome their current situation.

Since the first iteration we presented, we've been hard at work to level up our research feature.

The first iteration

Initially, the research feature was focused mainly on the military aspect of the game.
It included stats upgrades for various military units, and overall was meant as a direct result of the player's economic power.

Sprinkled among those stats upgrades were unique research options which could dramatically change the gameplay of some units in particular.

The feedback we received was very useful during the work of the second iteration.
Firstly, that the options to research were bloated due to individualization of units and stats.
Secondly, there were no economic upgrades, if we don't count engineer research as economy-related.

The new paradigm: Research tiers, Research trees

The biggest difference that players will notice is the inclusion of research tiers.

In order to reach the bottom of a tree, any of the previous tier research has to be completed.

This way powerful and interesting inclusions are at the bottom of a tier, making sure that those powers won't be accessible on the early minutes of a match.

Enabled by this differentiation, we focus on early vs late game needs, like defensive power versus offensive power.

It is also possible for us to link earlier research as requirements for other research entries over the course of the balancing.

Additionally, research is now divided into categories, which we call trees.

Each of these trees is not bound to a single unit, but instead share a common theme.

The first two trees, Protection Guild and Crafting Guild handle both the economic aspect of the early game and the basic military upgrades applicable to standard situations.

The next step is what will add the most depth to the available strategies.

For each Academy, there will be 3 choices for advanced trees, of which only one can be picked.

That means the first choice is a key determining factor for the mid to late game.

Additional advanced trees can be unlocked with the construction of additional academies, so players with supreme economic power can channel it to further research.

The Cheat Sheet

For our players who like to get additional information before having to pull out spreadsheets and create wikis, we will offer all of it upfront before the release of the game.

This way, players will be able to do theory crafting, preparation and calculations about their favorite research entries.

See a Preview-Version of how it will look below.

The Highlights

As previously stated, we integrated economic research, so that players could choose the greedy route of doubling down on their economic power.

Among others, these include the increase in living space per residence, the return of resources when demolishing buildings, and the increase in building claiming range.

Best regards,
Your The SettlersTeam