********************************************* TECHNOLOGY LEVELS ********************************************* Based on the Tech Levels from the Traveller RPG. EXTREMELY LOW (TL0): Stone Age. Crude tools made out of natural materials (stone, wood, bones, fur/pelts). Domesticated livestock, simple shelters, transition from hunting-gathering to agriculture. Tribal gatherings, shamanistic religions and medicine, barter for trade. VERY LOW (TL1 to TL3): Bronze, Iron, Medieval ages into the Industrial Revolution. Manufactured materials (metals, glass, cement, concrete). Rise of science, mathematics, study of anatomy. Astronomy, telescopes, navigation by star positions in the sky. Ocean travel in ships. Kingdoms, city states, some use of cannons in warfare. Written texts and laws, broad literacy. LOW (TL4 to TL6): Mechanized, Broadcast and Atomic ages. Widespread use of electricity to power tools, processed oil to power vehicles. Manufactured materials (plastics, fiberglass, titanium). Biochemistry, viral science and vaccines, mapping of DNA. Regional broadcast signals first in audio, later adding video. Industrial robots. Travel by aircraft common. Continent-wide nations and alliances, global trade. Widespread use of personal firearms. Use of orbital satellites for global communications. MODERATE (TL7 to TL9): Information Age into early stellar/fusion age. Multiple methods of generating electrical power (nuclear, geothermal, solar). Micro-manufacturing of new materials. Bionic and cybernetic prosthetics, artificial organ replacements. Audio-commanded robots. Arcologies on planet's surface, permanent settlements in orbital stations. Global digital data networks, broad computer literacy. Sublight spacecraft explore local system. HIGH (TL10 to TL12): Gravitic Age, average Imperial. Jump drives (range 1 to 3 parsecs), grav vehicles and structures (starships, hovertanks, air/raft, speeders, floating cities). Fusion power local and common. Manufacturing of superdense materials. Nanosurgery, advanced medicines, growth quickening, implanted neural computers, personality recording. Robots with low autonomy. Instant multilingual translators. Starship meson and fusion weapons. Planet-wide weather control, regional terraforming. VERY HIGH (TL13 to TL15): Geneering Age, High Stellar, Imperial Maximum. Jumps drive (up to 6 parsecs). Grav belts for personal flight, whole grav-mobile cities. Industrial nanotechnology. Fast cloning of whole bodies, memory erasure, temporary personality transfers, brain transplants. Robots with high autonomy. Pseudo-reality chambers. Meson communicators, starship x-ray laser weapons. Global terraforming (ecopoiesis on barren worlds). EXTREMELY HIGH (TL16 to TL18): Beyond known sciences. Self-aware starships. Exotic custom lifeforms. Artificial people with original minds or permanent copies from previous recordings. Short-range matter transport for cargo and people (regional teleporters). Starship disintegrators, tractor beams, Black Globe fields around elite military starships. ULTRA-HIGH (TL19 and higher): "Indistinguishable from magic." Multi-parsec matter transports for starships. Jump drive range up to hundreds of parsecs. Construction of whole artificial worlds (first small planets, later ringworlds then dyson spheres). Fields to block jump drives. Mobile planets. Hand-held disintegration weapons.