research is carried out by scientists in shonei.

there are a number of technologies that can be researched, like “weaving” or “mechanics”.

each technology has a research point cost. scientists study a tech to add research points.

research points decay over time, so scientists need to maintain techs or they will be forgotten. a tech is forgotten if the points drop below 75% of the cost to unlock it. in general, scientists will first maintain techs that are at risk of being forgotten, and research new techs with their left over time.

tech points are also granted passively from workers using the things unlocked by the technology. for instance, a clothier weaving will grant free research points toward weaving, so that scientists don’t need to actively study it as much. construction and building maintenance also grant tech points.

scribes can write books documenting technologies that have been unlocked. if a scientist needs to study a tech, they can fetch the corresponding book from a nearby bookshelf and use it to study 3x as fast. this is important to maintain large knowledge bases.