How to get ahead in technology

[Im Indeep]

Can someone explain technology to me in this game? I don't understand how this is intended to work. I build a lab that can generate a finite amount of tech points, that when used severely slow future tech point progression to the point of an outright stall of tech.

So you build more labs right? Well labs are incredibly resource intensive in the amount of manpower required to operate them. I have about 30 people dedicated to a single lab, right now that's about 20% of my population dedicated to tech, and it barely scratches the surface of what I can unlock with tech. So what do I do to get ahead in tech?

[Vane]

You should never have 20% of your population employed in labs. 30 people at full-time employment is what? ~1700 knowledge? You don't need this much knowledge at below 300 population. Make a lab for 10 workers, unlock the cheapest techs, add in a couple of upgrades for pastures/fields - you can easily fit all that into ~700 research points from 10 people in the lab.

In my current save I have 1650 Amevias, and we have, like, 90 people employed at level 2 labs, and I already think I basically need more only for unlocking wonders.

[herr_dechse]

Actually labs are NOT resource intensive but labour intensive. Quite an important difference. Also what the poster above me said.

[NoBel]

When you setup labs, expect that the people who work in them are removed from your workforce and won't be working anywhere else until they die. You can create a lab that fits 20 people, but start off with 3 employed, then add in more over time when you are in a comfortable position.

Your primary focus early on should be to sustain as large a population as you can, picking up techs that fulfill the next needs so you can bring in more immigrants and have more workers.

[robtock216]

You should have seen tech years ago if you think its a ballache now, tech used to be "forgotten" as soon as you hit a hiccup with workers and that took years to talk Jake into changing to the current system, toilets were locked behind technology, people forgot how to go for a sh*t!!
I agree its labour intensive even with humans but the current system is much better than it was, it gets kind of better once you have a library too as that refunds a % of the points you used based on its productivity, the only problem then is most of your city population will be employed in making paper, all your refunded points will go back into paper production, you will import nothing but paper - and you still won't have enough paper.

you kind of have to remember the game is made to have city populations in the thousands, so yer a 20 person lab isn't going to scratch much of the tech tree at all but that's why you specialise in certain techs and production early on rather than trying to master everything.

[Catsander]

As the others said: With only 150 people in your little colony you wont ever be able to go very far down the tech tree. You need several thousands of plebs in a huge city to unlock "everything". I don't even know if "everything" is unlockable in a single run? I think the game is designed so you should specialize in some area.

[herr_dechse]

Farming increases get very quick into the double diggits thousand realm so I doubt everything is unlockable. Maybe if the only purpose of the city is to unlock all tech and even then you would need 50 regions to feed you.