Spring RTS Engine

Ever since CT began, I've wanted to make a tech tree, but I've had trouble both with design and execution. Finally, the two came together and the first official NKG Tech Tree is ready!

NKG Tech Tree

Lucid Chart is really awesome, the only problem is that the free package only allows 60 objects per document (not nearly enough to make an RTS tech tree) so I did the two week free trial. I hope this file doesn't go away after the trial runs out, but if it does I'll have an image of it on my hdd.

If you click on the build pics it'll take you to the corresponding Wiki page for the unit. Just what I've always wanted!

neat.
for creating such things vector graphic software is usefull too, for example Inkscape is free.

The clickable links do not work though. The cursor changes "to there is a link" cursor and the "show hotspots function" highlights the pictures, but on clicking nothing happens. Browser is Firefox.

needs names and should display stuff on hover
also it's not clear that there are multiple initial starting units

knorke wrote:neat.
for creating such things vector graphic software is usefull too, for example Inkscape is free.

The clickable links do not work though. The cursor changes "to there is a link" cursor and the "show hotspots function" highlights the pictures, but on clicking nothing happens. Browser is Firefox.

I just tried it with Firefox. I think Firefox may be blocking it because it is treating it as a pop-up. I had to allow pop-ups for lucidchart.com.

And you're right, vector graphics would be the best. I haven't heard of Inkscape but I will try it out.

gajop wrote:needs names and should display stuff on hover
also it's not clear that there are multiple initial starting units

Yeah I would love it to display names but I couldn't figure out how to make it do that. Which may cause me to abandon this for something more ideal down the road.

There aren't multiple starting units. The box that says Starting Unit is pointing to the starting unit. But I guess aligning everything to the top may be what is confusing. I will try shifting that alignment.

SanadaUjiosan wrote: There aren't multiple starting units. The box that says Starting Unit is pointing to the starting unit. But I guess aligning everything to the top may be what is confusing. I will try shifting that alignment.

Ah sorry, I just assumed they would be starting units, because they looked like subtree roots but only later realized that those same units can be built from elsewhere - is it possible to link all occurrences of the same unit?

Probably but honestly that was one of the biggest hang-ups that prevented a proper tech tree for the past three years: just trying to figure out how to represent that. I feel that any possible solution could also possibly make the chart too convoluted or complex. And then you throw in things like repeated units and it just gets hairy.

Part of the breakthrough that helped me put this together was the recently released "Age of Empires 2 HD". This tech tree mirrors the style of the in-game AoK tech tree. It's not so much a tree I guess as just showing what each building/unit can build.

Names would definitely help. Maybe I can find a way to weasle them in (problem is I'm afraid the text would be too small as is)

Maybe if when you clicked on a unit it would highlight all occurrences of said unit and display another graph in the sidebar.
That other graph would show the unit (node) in the center and all other incoming/outgoing links to that unit (node), so one would be able to see what can build that unit, be built by that unit, morph into that unit and morph from that unit.

these are beautifull and informative..
makes you wish for webkit as ingame help and this as blended in information and Anarchid got way to deep into my head..

gajop wrote:Maybe if when you clicked on a unit it would highlight all occurrences of said unit and display another graph in the sidebar.
That other graph would show the unit (node) in the center and all other incoming/outgoing links to that unit (node), so one would be able to see what can build that unit, be built by that unit, morph into that unit and morph from that unit.

Don't think LucidChart is capable of such things

Sounds fancy and time-consuming, apart from the fact that I'd have no idea how to accomplish it. A relatively static tech tree is better than no tech tree at all.

Perhaps when the game is finished or almost finished I can think about an interactive tech tree.