Town Centre

In Bronze Dawn, the Town Centre takes over the role of both the Outpost and the Library in Rise of Nations, being allowed to conduct technology research as well as detect hidden units within its LOS. It has a fairly limited LOS though, so use it wisely wherever you can by tying it in with vital infrastructure.

This, however, is not its primary task. As the intellectual and administrative nerve centre of your empire, it is a rather costly building to erect: each one costs a whopping 100 Timber and 50 Wealth like a newly built Senate, so whatever happens, you should be very careful as to where you build your Town Centres, as well as take care of them since they are fairly difficult to replace. Having a vast number of Town Centres overseeing your settlements and providing the research to introduce new upgrades and units is of tantamount importance for survival and eventual victory.

Difference between the Town Centre and the Library

Note the following differences:

• A Town Centre cannot be built in a low-tier settlement. Like the Assembly, it can be built only in a large one (Large City, City).
• Town Centres, however, build faster than a Library (3/4 build time to be exact), and have additional armour.
• Town Centres are not captured if the main settlement falls.
• The cost structure of a Town Centre is different. They in turn produce different loot when they are destroyed.
• Town Centres also have their vanilla LOS restored (but can't upgrade their LOS).

As a result, if you are playing Bronze Dawn or the later era versions of New World Empires, nomad starts can be daunting since so many buildings require Technological research, yet these are not available until you have a large Settlement. Fortunately, there are several traits to help you:

• Farms, Logging Posts and Mines usually can be built early on at little to no cost.
• Beginning with Bronze Dawn, Outposts and Hovels no longer need research for all installments of Rise of Kings, other than Chronicles.
• For New World Empires (and The Unravelling) Drill Squares and Armouries are available early on without needing research.

Trunk technologies

The Bird of Time has but a little way
To flutter--and the Bird is on the Wing. — Omar Khayyam, Rubaiyat

Trunk technologies allow your faction to grow and mature as a civilisation, and are required to access Reforms and Research which enhance your faction vis-à-vis others. They replace the former Age or Epoch techs of other games.

RESEARCH LEVEL	NAME	GRANTS ACCESS TO	COST
1	Bronze Age	"And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass." —Deuteronomy (28:32) Basic tech level	None, basic.
2	Iron Age/Imperial Era	"Good iron is used not to make nails." —Chinese saying Advanced tech level and units Required for non-barbarian, non-Western factions to obtain cavalry. Required for Western factions to obtain Greek units.	1,000 1,000

Military research

What's the point of building something or growing crops, if you can't prevent people from taking them away from you? for this reason alone, Military research is a crucial component for survival and ultimate victory, be it through annihilation of all that oppose you or through humbling them. Besides boosting your numbers, Military research also unlocks new units.

• Armoured infantry - armoured infantry all require different levels of Military research. Level 1 allows for heavy spearmen, Level 2 for Swordwmen, and 4 Ji Infantry.
• Cavalry - although you have Horsemen and War Chariots, you can upgrade Horsemen to Light Cavalry, and then replace War Chariots with Scythed Chariots. Level 4 is required for mounted units as opposed to chariots.

Note that the first 3 levels of Military research in Bronze Dawn does not use Influence gathered at your Assembly, but instead uses gradually increasing inputs of Food and Metal in order to advance.

RESEARCH LEVEL	NAME	GRANTS ACCESS TO	COST	UNLOCKS
1	Feudal Levy	"To win a boar’s head one must sacrifice the hounds." —Wolfram von Eschenbach Transport of land units by sea Research cost cheaper and research speed improved by 10% Increased LOS	Resource cost: 170	Barracks (Spearmen become available) Ram (Siege w'shgop)
2	Military Tradition	The good man wins a victory and then stops. —Taoist saying Research cost cheaper and research speed improved by 10% Increased LOS	Resource cost: 200	Swordsmen Archers Light Horse (with Stables)
3	Hierarchy and Command	"Be one in self-harmony, in Yoga, and arise, great warrior, arise." —Bhagavad-Gita (Cap 4, v XLII) Research cost cheaper and research speed improved by 10%	Resource cost: 300 100	Light Cavalry Signal Tower Flaming Arrow/Thunder Cart
4	Soldiery	Train soldiers for a thousand days to use them for a day. — Chinese saying Increased Population Cap	460 280	Light Cavalry Heavy Cavalry Ji Infantry
5	Professional Corps	"An army of sheep led by a lion is better than an army of lions led by a sheep." Research cost cheaper and research speed improved by 10% Increased LOS	650 400	Heavy Chariots Traction Trebuchet Crossbow Infantry
6	Strategic Reserves	"You forget one thing Gisgo, among all their numerous forces, there is not one man called Gisgo." —Hannibal Granary Sawmill. Research cost cheaper and research speed improved by 10% Increased LOS	1,300 500	Heavy Cavalry
7	Impressment	As the scale and devastation of conflict increased, so too did the numbers of men committed by warring states, be it for greater glory or basic survival. Foundry Low-level crops and lumber upgrades in Granary and Sawmill. Research cost cheaper and research speed improved by 10% Increased LOS	1,800 1,200

Administration research

Administration research, like the original Civics branch of technology from the vanilla game, is highly sought after for raising the number of cities you can build in a single game. Note that Administration in Bronze Dawn does not involve the use of any Food but instead relies on the use of Timber and Wealth. Additionally, Wealth is more important in the research of the first 3 tiers.

RESEARCH LEVEL	NAME	GRANTS ACCESS TO	COST	UNLOCKS
1	Commandery System	Post-feudal Chinese society chose to reorganise annexed vassals and newly acquired lands as "commanderies" or marchlands, overseen by a marquess or margrave, or an appointed official. Transport of land units by sea Research cost cheaper and research speed improved by 10% Increased LOS	Resource cost: 50
2	Bureaucracy	"So smoothly do Qin's courts and bureaus function, that one would think that there were no government at all." —Xun Kuang, Confucianist on the Qin state Research cost cheaper and research speed improved by 10% Increased LOS	150 120
3	Fiscal Policy	"The accumulation of booty is not an end in itself." —Cyrus the Great Research cost cheaper and research speed improved by 10%	300 160
4	Ambassadors	Humble words from an ambassador's mouth and enemy troops arrayed in position are a sign that the enemy is about to attack. —Sunzi Bingfa Research cost cheaper and research speed improved by 10% Increased LOS.	500 230
5	Nationhood	"United we stand; divided we fall." —Aesop Research cost cheaper and research speed improved by 10% Increased LOS	800 500
6	Statecraft	"During peacetime, prepare for war; during wartime, prepare for peace." Low-level knowledge upgrades for University Granary Sawmill. Research cost cheaper and research speed improved by 10% Increased LOS	1000 800
7	Heavenly Mandate	"Everyone suffers bitterly from endless wars because of the existence of feudal lords and kings."  —Qinshi Huangdi, First Emperor of China Foundry Low-level crops and lumber upgrades in Granary and Sawmill. Research cost cheaper and research speed improved by 10% Increased LOS	1,500 1,000 800

Commerce research

Unlike Chronicles, the cost structure of Commerce research consists of Food and Influence.

RESEARCH LEVEL	NAME	GRANTS ACCESS TO	COST	UNLOCKS
1	Records and Tallies	Bean counting is especially valuable in a world of feast and famine. Increased Caravan limit Increased Commerce Cap for all resources	Resource cost: 100
2	Entrepot Trade	"He shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Sidon." —Genesis (49:13) Allows for resource trading at Market. Increased Caravan limit Increased Commerce Cap for all resources.	200
3	Coinage	With bureaucratisation in full swing, the standardisation of currency in China also unfolded at a steady pace in the Warring States period . Increased Caravan limit Increased Commerce Cap for all resources	400 200	Smelter
4	Compass	The first compasses used in all of China were thought to be lodestone spoons placed on top of bronze plates. Increased Caravan limit Increased Commerce Cap for all resources	800 300
5	Road Networks	New road networks established by the many polities of China connected hitherto remote communities, fostering trade and administration. Increased Caravan limit Increased Commerce Cap for all resources	1,200 500
6	Infrastructure	"...The King of Kings; this mighty City shows / The wonders of my hand..." —Ozymandias Low-level knowledge upgrades for University Increased Caravan limit Increased Commerce Cap for all resources	1,500 800
7	The Silk Road	Silk was a coveted resource which the Chinese traded for goods they did not have, most notably horses. Increased Caravan limit Increased Commerce Cap for all resources	2,000 1,500

Cultural research

Unlike Chronicles, Cultural research does not rely on Wealth, but instead uses both Food and Influence to advance.

RESEARCH LEVEL	NAME	GRANTS ACCESS TO	COST	UNLOCKS
1	Loremastery	All words hold a seed of truth, from their very syllables all the way to the mood of the speaker. Research cost cheaper and research speed improved by 10% Increased LOS	120
2	Cosmology	“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” —Taoist saying Research cost cheaper and research speed improved by 10%	170
3	Mathematics	"I sought [the Way] in measures and numbers, and after five years I had still not got it." — Zhuang Zi Research cost cheaper and research speed improved by 10% Increased LOS.	160 200	Sawmill
4	Formal Education	He who goes unpunished never learns. —Greek Proverb Research cost cheaper and research speed improved by 10% Increased LOS	300 300
5	Standardised Script	How can men reach agreements when even the words they use are not the same? Low-level knowledge upgrades for University Granary Sawmill. Research cost cheaper and research speed improved by 10% Increased LOS	800 500
6	Heaven and Earth	In Taoist thought, all things are united and connected to one another ... and the universe a state of perpetual flux.  Foundry Low-level crops and lumber upgrades in Granary and Sawmill. Research cost cheaper and research speed improved by 10% Increased LOS	1,200 800
7	Philosophy	"I only wish that wisdom were the kind of thing that flowed from the vessel that was full to the one that was empty." — Plato Transport of land units by sea Research cost cheaper and research speed improved by 10% Increased LOS	Resource cost: 1,500 1,500

See also

• The Unravelling :– "Techs and Upgrades"
• The Southeastern Dragon :– "Town Centre"
• Swords of the Prophets :– "Library".