Focus Areas - Heliomance/Uncharted-Horizons GitHub Wiki
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 | ||
| 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 |
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
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.