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{{Quality|Superior|06:10, 17 May 2015 (UTC)}}
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{{Quality|Unrated}}
 
 
{{av}}
 
{{av}}
  
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[[File:Topics.svg|thumb|500px|A diagram of all knowledge topics.]]
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{{new in v0.42}}
  
 
'''Topics''' (also '''Tech''' or '''Innovations''') are part of [[knowledge]].
 
'''Topics''' (also '''Tech''' or '''Innovations''') are part of [[knowledge]].
  
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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). Only the discovery of [[Book#Literary_Forms|literary form]] topics has any effect on gameplay, as it allows scholars to write new types of books.
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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.
 
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.
  
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There are 9 "branches" of the knowledge system. Each branch is further divided into categories of topics, such as methodologies, theories, etc.
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There are 9 "branches" of the knowledge system.
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==Astronomy==
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==Discovering Topics==
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* "The theory that the sun moves around the world"
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* "The relationship between the lunar and solar year"
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* "The rise of the sun according to the season"
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* "The path of the moon"
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* "The rise of the moon according to the season"
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* "The relationship between the moon and the tides"
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* "The creation of star charts"
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* "The theory that the world moves around the sun"
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* "methods of empirical observation in astronomy"
  
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According to a [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf//index.php?topic=169696.msg8071983#msg8071983 Future of the Fortress reply]:
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== Chemistry ==
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<blockquote>
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* [[wikipedia:Sulfuric acid|Oil of vitriol]]
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Fortress [[scholars]] do activity cycles, the length of which is 1-2 days (whether they are pondering or discussing etc.)  Once they get through 50 cycles, it rolls 0-50 vs. the number of completed cycles minus 50 to see if they get "breakthrough credit."  So at 51, they have a 2% chance, and at 100, they have a 100% chance.  Then, it resets the cycle number to zero and gives them breakthrough credit, based on a skill roll plus 100 (for discuss, the other researchers contribute half of their summed skill rolls.)  Based on the difficulty (1-4) of the topic, total lifetime breakthrough credit is then assigned a number of 50-sided dice.  An easy topic is dice=credit/2500, then /5000, then /10000, then /20000 for level 4 topics.  The number of dice cannot exceed 10.  Then roll these dice -- if you get a 50 on any of them, discovery!  This is a bit archaic, and I'm not suggesting it works particularly well.  But that is how it works.  Also: if they fail to get the breakthrough after the 50-sided rolls, they have a 2% chance of switching topics, or if their credit exceeds 100000, they always switch topics (though they keep the credit, so returning to the topic later gives them a decent chance at breakthrough.)
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* [[wikipedia:Nitric acid|Spirit of niter]]
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</blockquote>
 
  
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For unskilled roles, some initial back-of-the-envelope calculations and some rough estimates observed through dfHack gives a basic idea of just how long research can take.  Note that player testing had found that the skill roll contributes a lot to the breakthrough credit.  Even dabbling dwarves can gain over 2000 breakthrough credit at once and may average around 1000 breakthrough credit.  Additionally the formula for the skill roll seems to have a very large spread, players have reported as low as 3000 breakthrough credit and as high as 25000 breakthrough credit awarded to a dwarf with legendary skill.  Analytically calculating from the algorithm Toady gave, it takes an average of 58.54 cycles to get a breakthrough credit. Player testing has confirmed breakthrough credits typically take 55-65 cycles, so this calculation seems plausible.  Likewise, player testing has not shown any correlation between skill level and number of cycles to get breakthrough credit.  An unskilled dwarf might average around 120+ cycles to get their first breakthrough die for a level 1 topic.  With only a single research die,  it would take an average of 2528 cycles to get a breakthrough. Pondering takes slightly over 2 days per cycle, so this would be around 14 years.  In a real fortress, the research dice and skill level will be increasing during the process.  However, in a real fortress, the scholars will also need to take breaks to eat, drink, and meet other needs. A more reasonable estimate is around 5-10 years for a breakthrough starting with no skills.  In short, research takes an unreasonably long time with an unskilled dwarf.
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== Engineering ==
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* "The construction and use of the pulley"
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* "The construction and use of the lever"
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* "The construction and use of the windlass"
  
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To optimize for research, there are several ideas worth considering.  Discussion is faster, taking only a single day, but requires at least 2 dwarves.  [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=174850.msg8061426#msg8061426 Player testing] has found discussion also awards more XP, (0-5 for pondering vs. 15-30 for discussion).  So to optimize research, dwarves should be separated by topic/skill, with unskilled dwarves paired with skilled dwarves.  This way, discussions will be equally divided between increasing the skilled dwarf's cycle count and the unskilled dwarf's cycle count. Only half the cycles will go to the skilled dwarf's cycle count, but discussion only takes a single day, so this is at net the same speed for the skilled dwarf with the additional bonus of the unskilled dwarf's cycle count also being increased.  Both dwarves benefit from the increased XP gain.
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[[wikipedia:Differential (mechanical device)|Differential gears]] are a difficult innovation and a prerequisite for [[wikipedia:South-pointing chariot|pointing chariot]]s and [[wikipedia:Astrarium|astrarium]]s.
  
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Note that several topics benefit from skills that can be trained through faster means.  Diagnostician and Wound Dresser can be trained through intentionally causing injuries or simply engaging in dangerous activities that require regular dwarf healthcare.  Organizer can be trained through assigning make work to the manager, or Mechanic can be trained by spamming the creation of mechanisms.  Skill level will increase much faster through these activities than through pondering or discussion.  Thus, to optimize for producing breakthroughs in engineering topics, mechanics could first be quickly trained to a legendary within a year or two at only the cost of the stones for the mechanisms, and then assigned as a scholar.
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== Geography ==
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The geography innovations include several related to [[wikipedia:cartography|cartography]].
  
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[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=174850.msg8061426#msg8061426 Player testing] has also found that [[visitors]] can come with research credits already done, thus, for forts aiming to maximize research, it makes sense to prioritize attracting wandering scholars.
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== History ==
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Innovations for historians are, in part, writing forms like [[wikipedia:biography|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.
  
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==Astronomy==
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Historians can start to understand how cultural differences and state bias affects source reliability and think a bit about social forces.
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These topics are relevant to [[astronomer]]s.
 
  
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{{/table/astronomy}}
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* Archaeology - "the method of collecting and evaluating artifacts to learn about history and culture"
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* Cultural history - "the method of accurately and comprehensively describing cultures and civilizations"
  
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==Chemistry==
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== Mathematics ==
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These topics are relevant to [[chemist]]s.
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* [[wikipedia:Positional notation|Positional notation]]
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{{/table/chemistry}}
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* [[wikipedia:Harmonic series (mathematics)#Divergence|Divergence of harmonic series]]
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* [[wikipedia:Plus and minus signs#Plus sign|Symbol for addition]]
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* [[wikipedia:Proof by contradiction|Proof by contradiction]]
  
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==Engineering==
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== Medical science ==
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These topics are relevant to [[engineer]]s.
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Medical innovations include dedicated hospitals with specialized wards, staffing, medical labs and treatment for many illnesses.
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{{/table/engineering}}
 
  
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==Geography==
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* "Mineral remedies"
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These topics are relevant to [[geographer]]s.
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* Medical ethics
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{{/table/geography}}
 
  
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==History==
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== Natural science ==
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These topics are relevant to [[critical thinker]]s.
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Toady on natural science innovations:
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{{/table/history}}
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<blockquote>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.</blockquote>
  
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==Mathematics==
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Naturalists can build a theory of [[wikipedia:rainbow|rainbow]]s using water-filled spheres and a [[wikipedia:camera obscura|camera obscura]], and they can calculate the height of the atmosphere based on [[wikipedia:atmospheric refraction|atmospheric refraction]] using the [[wikipedia:law of refraction|law of refraction]] (though it tries not to get into the actual shape of the world, since that might vary).
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These topics are relevant to [[mathematician]]s.
 
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{{/table/mathematics}}
 
  
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==Medicine==
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* "The forces that govern wind patterns"
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These topics are relevant to many medical professions, including [[doctor]]s and [[diagnostician]]s.
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* "The classification of creatures by their physical features"
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{{/table/medicine}}
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* "The way that creatures are suited to the climates in which they live"
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* "The migratory patterns of creatures"
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* "The classification of ores"
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* "The origin of rainfall through evaporation and condensation"
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* "A world-wide cycle involving precipitation, oceans, rivers and other forms of water"
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* "A precise description of buoyancy and water displacement"
  
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==Nature==
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== Philosophy ==
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These topics are relevant to [[naturalist]]s and [[tracker]]s.
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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).  
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{{/table/nature}}
 
  
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==Philosophy==
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Toady on philosophy innovations:
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These topics are relevant to [[logician]]s.
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<blockquote>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.</blockquote>
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{{/table/philosophy}}
 
  
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{{D for Dwarf}}
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* "The worthlessness of peace"
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If visitor scholars are allowed in a library, one should regularly check all books for nature-related value agenda to prevent fortress citizens from wandering off to start a dwarven forest retreat.
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* "The value of knowledge"
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* "The nature of truth"
  
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{{Category|World}}
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==Unknown/unsorted==
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[[Ru:Topic]]
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* "Economic policy, its forms and recommendations"
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* "The diseases of creatures"
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* Dictionaries

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