Focus Areas

_{Design document §3}

Research is directed at focus areas rather than at technologies; each breakthrough below belongs to one home focus, and some can also be found through another (dual paths). Five foci are open from the start; each of the others opens with a breakthrough.

Focus	Available from	Breakthroughs	CORE	STANDARD	UNCOMMON	RARE	UNIQUE	Eras
🔥 Fire	Game Start	12	5	2	2	1	2	Primitive – Medieval
🌿 Foraging	Game Start	13	4	1	3	1	4	Primitive – Classical
⛏️ Stonework	Game Start	10	3	1	3	1	2	Primitive – Ancient
🔭 Observation	Game Start	13	5	5	1	1	1	Primitive – Early Modern
👥 Social Organization	Game Start	13	7	3	1		2	Primitive – Early Modern
🌾 Farming	G02 (Seed Saving)	12	1	3	4		4	Primitive – Space
🐎 Animal Husbandry	O03 (Animal Behavior Study)	12	2	3	3		4	Primitive – Medieval
⛰️ Mining	S04 (Ore Identification)	9	5	3			1	Ancient – Space
⚒️ Metallurgy	F04 (Smelting Discovery)	15	8	2	2	1	2	Primitive – Atomic
🏗️ Construction	S03 (Quarrying)	22	6	6	3	2	5	Primitive – Space
⚓ Seafaring	Coastal or River location, or S03 (Quarrying) + O01 (Star Observation) for inland civs	18	5	8		1	4	Primitive – Atomic
⚔️ Warfare	SO03 (Tribal Law) + S01 (Tool Knapping), or any military conflict event	26	6	10	2	4	4	Primitive – Atomic
📐 Mathematics	O05 (Celestial Mathematics) or SO01 (Counting) + SO04 (Writing)	20	6	11	2		1	Ancient – Space
🎭 Philosophy and the Arts	SO02 (Storytelling) + SO03 (Tribal Law)	19	5	7	2		5	Primitive – Atomic
💊 Medicine	G03 (Herbal Medicine) + SO04 (Writing)	22	3	12	3	2	2	Ancient – Space
💰 Trade	SO04 (Writing) or SO09 (Quipu)	14	1	6	2	1	4	Primitive – Space
🧵 Textiles & Materials	AH02 (Herd Animals — wool/leather) or G01 (Plant fibers)	8	3	2			3	Primitive – Atomic
💧 Water Management	FA01 (Irrigation)	11	3	2	2		4	Ancient – Atomic
⚙️ Mechanics	MA01 (Geometry) + S03 (Quarrying)	18	9	5		4		Primitive – Atomic
🌡️ Thermodynamics	MC08 (Steam Engine) or MC07 (Hero's Aeolipile)	19	3	16				Classical – Space
🧪 Chemistry	ME01 (Copper Working) + O06 (Natural Philosophy), or F03 (Charcoal) + ME04 (Iron Smelting)	23	9	11	2	1		Classical – Modern
🔍 Optics	OP01 (Glassmaking) + MA01 (Geometry)	7	5	1		1		Ancient – Atomic
⚡ Electricity	O06 (Natural Philosophy) + CH04 (Distillation — acids)	11	4	4	1	2		Classical – Atomic
💻 Electronics	EL06 + EL03	9	3	4	1	1		Modern – Atomic
🖥️ Computing	EN02 + MA07, or MC14 (Babbage — rare early access), or QM-E03 (Resonance/Cycle-Logic Computing — the elemental-world route, no semiconductor required)	19	2	14	1	2		Modern – Space
☢️ Nuclear Physics	CH06 + MA05 (Corpuscular/atomic worlds only — in Elemental worlds this focus never coheres; see Quintessic Physics for the niche equivalent)	20	3	13	1	3		Modern – Space
✦ Quintessic Physics	CH19 (Substance-Elemental or Process-Elemental validated) + MA05 — the elemental-world niche equivalent of Nuclear Physics	24	8	13	1	2		Modern – Space
🔬 Quantum Physics	NP02 + MA08 (Corpuscular/atomic worlds only — see Quintessic Physics for the elemental equivalent)	14	6	7		1		Modern – Space
🌌 Relativity & Cosmology	MA08 + EL03	10	1	9				Modern – Space
🚀 Rocketry	CH13 (Rocket Propellant)	16	4	6	4	2		Modern – Space
🔬 Materials Science	CH11 (Polymer Science) + ME12 (Bessemer)	13	2	8	2	1		Atomic – Space
🧬 Genetics	MD05 (Germ Theory) + CH07 (Organic Chemistry)	13		9	3	1		Modern – Space
✈️ Aeronautics	MC09, or AE01 (Hot Air Balloon)	20	1	14	4	1		Early Modern – Space
🛰️ Space Engineering	RK03 (Multi-Stage Rocket) + MS01 (Composite Materials)	10		8	2			Atomic – Space
⚡ Energy Systems	WM01 (Canal) + MC03 (Gearing), or TH01 (Laws of Thermodynamics) + EL03 (Electromagnetism)	22	1	15	4	2		Modern – Space

How the foci open

flowchart LR
  f_Fire["🔥 Fire"]
  f_Foraging["🌿 Foraging"]
  f_Stonework["⛏️ Stonework"]
  f_Observation["🔭 Observation"]
  f_Social_Organization["👥 Social Organization"]
  f_Farming["🌾 Farming"]
  f_Animal_Husbandry["🐎 Animal Husbandry"]
  f_Mining["⛰️ Mining"]
  f_Metallurgy["⚒️ Metallurgy"]
  f_Construction["🏗️ Construction"]
  f_Seafaring["⚓ Seafaring"]
  f_Warfare["⚔️ Warfare"]
  f_Mathematics["📐 Mathematics"]
  f_Philosophy_and_the_Arts["🎭 Philosophy and the Arts"]
  f_Medicine["💊 Medicine"]
  f_Trade["💰 Trade"]
  f_Textiles_and_Materials["🧵 Textiles #38; Materials"]
  f_Water_Management["💧 Water Management"]
  f_Mechanics["⚙️ Mechanics"]
  f_Thermodynamics["🌡️ Thermodynamics"]
  f_Chemistry["🧪 Chemistry"]
  f_Optics["🔍 Optics"]
  f_Electricity["⚡ Electricity"]
  f_Electronics["💻 Electronics"]
  f_Computing["🖥️ Computing"]
  f_Nuclear_Physics["☢️ Nuclear Physics"]
  f_Quintessic_Physics["✦ Quintessic Physics"]
  f_Quantum_Physics["🔬 Quantum Physics"]
  f_Relativity_and_Cosmology["🌌 Relativity #38; Cosmology"]
  f_Rocketry["🚀 Rocketry"]
  f_Materials_Science["🔬 Materials Science"]
  f_Genetics["🧬 Genetics"]
  f_Aeronautics["✈️ Aeronautics"]
  f_Space_Engineering["🛰️ Space Engineering"]
  f_Energy_Systems["⚡ Energy Systems"]
  f_Foraging -->|G02| f_Farming
  f_Observation -->|O03| f_Animal_Husbandry
  f_Stonework -->|S04| f_Mining
  f_Fire -->|F04| f_Metallurgy
  f_Stonework -->|S03| f_Construction
  f_Stonework -.->|S03| f_Seafaring
  f_Observation -.->|O01| f_Seafaring
  f_Social_Organization -.->|SO03| f_Warfare
  f_Stonework -.->|S01| f_Warfare
  f_Observation -.->|O05| f_Mathematics
  f_Social_Organization -.->|SO01, SO04| f_Mathematics
  f_Social_Organization -->|SO02, SO03| f_Philosophy_and_the_Arts
  f_Foraging -->|G03| f_Medicine
  f_Social_Organization -->|SO04| f_Medicine
  f_Social_Organization -.->|SO04, SO09| f_Trade
  f_Animal_Husbandry -.->|AH02| f_Textiles_and_Materials
  f_Foraging -.->|G01| f_Textiles_and_Materials
  f_Farming -->|FA01| f_Water_Management
  f_Mathematics -->|MA01| f_Mechanics
  f_Stonework -->|S03| f_Mechanics
  f_Mechanics -.->|MC08, MC07| f_Thermodynamics
  f_Metallurgy -.->|ME01, ME04| f_Chemistry
  f_Observation -.->|O06| f_Chemistry
  f_Fire -.->|F03| f_Chemistry
  f_Optics -->|OP01| f_Optics
  f_Mathematics -->|MA01| f_Optics
  f_Observation -->|O06| f_Electricity
  f_Chemistry -->|CH04| f_Electricity
  f_Electricity -->|EL06, EL03| f_Electronics
  f_Electronics -.->|EN02| f_Computing
  f_Mathematics -.->|MA07| f_Computing
  f_Mechanics -.->|MC14| f_Computing
  f_Quintessic_Physics -.->|QM-E03| f_Computing
  f_Chemistry -->|CH06| f_Nuclear_Physics
  f_Mathematics -->|MA05| f_Nuclear_Physics
  f_Chemistry -->|CH19| f_Quintessic_Physics
  f_Mathematics -->|MA05| f_Quintessic_Physics
  f_Nuclear_Physics -->|NP02| f_Quantum_Physics
  f_Mathematics -->|MA08| f_Quantum_Physics
  f_Mathematics -->|MA08| f_Relativity_and_Cosmology
  f_Electricity -->|EL03| f_Relativity_and_Cosmology
  f_Chemistry -->|CH13| f_Rocketry
  f_Chemistry -->|CH11| f_Materials_Science
  f_Metallurgy -->|ME12| f_Materials_Science
  f_Medicine -->|MD05| f_Genetics
  f_Chemistry -->|CH07| f_Genetics
  f_Mechanics -.->|MC09| f_Aeronautics
  f_Aeronautics -.->|AE01| f_Aeronautics
  f_Rocketry -->|RK03| f_Space_Engineering
  f_Materials_Science -->|MS01| f_Space_Engineering
  f_Water_Management -.->|WM01| f_Energy_Systems
  f_Mechanics -.->|MC03| f_Energy_Systems
  f_Thermodynamics -.->|TH01| f_Energy_Systems
  f_Electricity -.->|EL03| f_Energy_Systems

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_{An arrow is labelled with the breakthroughs that open the focus; dotted arrows are one of several ways in. Seafaring is also open from the start to coastal and river civilisations, and Warfare to any civilisation drawn into conflict.}