Technology points
Technology is unlocked by three types of technology points. These points are obtained by different actions, as well as items and study of items. Essential to progress are the study table in the church basement and the science and faith points that are used to study items. Eating cake gives the player a temporary buff that boosts the amount of points earned from studying items.
Red
"Hand-crafting skills, and your ability to work with materials". Anything involving physical labor generates points. Actions include operating machines in the farm, cutting down trees, and mining stone and coal.
Green
"Knowledge about the nature of things, and of nature itself". Anything involving organic materials generates green points. This means cutting down weeds, gathering wood and farming.
Blue
"Spiritual knowledge of the immaterial world". Blue tech points are often among the hardest to earn in the early game. Tasks involving the morgue, graveyard, writing and alchemy often generate them but many of these aren't options until later. The best early source of them is the study table. Organs are studied to gain as well as gravestones, fences and some alchemical substances. The study table is unlocked after the player gets access to the church.
Another way to gain those points is producing hemp ropes, polished stone bricks, steel parts or advanced conical flasks. Each time you produce one of these items, you gain 1.
Some players claim, that ultimate way to gain them, is buying or producing blue techbooks, which add 25 or 50.
Another viable way is to exchange 3×
A piece of stone into 3 points by crafting 1×
Gravestone II . Afterwards it could be recycled into 1×
A piece of stone. This is time-consuming, but rather cheap way to obtain tech points, especially after you setup working
Zombie stone quarry.
See also: Blue Techpoint Checklist
Study table
Once you progress through the main quest to unlock the church and give sermons or upon clearing debris in the tunnels under your home, you unlock the study table. It can be found beneath the church in the alchemy lab.
The study table is used to study items. After an item has been studied it cannot be studied again and you will obtain both technology points as well as possible decomposition products. Organic materials tend to generate points, inorganic materials (iron, stone, tools) generate points, and mortuary, graveyard, and alchemy items generate points. What an item provides when studied is seen next to the "Study Not Complete" text when hovering over an item.
Studying most items requires
faith (except most alchemy items) and
science.
faith can be obtained by holding sermons in the church on or from a confessional.
Science can be obtained by decomposing paper, notes, chapters, lenses, or books on the study table.
Books
The astrologer sells books and great books, that can be used to instantly gain 25 (standard) or 50 (great) techpoints of one of three colours. Those books can also be crafted by zombies on the random text generator.
Technology Tree
The technology tree is sorted by related technology branches.
Anatomy and Alchemy
Anatomy and Alchemy tree deals with autopsies and acquired organs. Alchemy is unlocked upon speaking to the old woman in the swamp. As you unlock items along this branch, you gain access to better autopsy resources and techniques, alchemical equipment, and products. |
Theology
Theology deals with the church and graveyard. It unlocks better gravestones and fences to increase graveyard rating , new church items and sermons to boost church rating with unique bonuses. |
Book Writing
Book Writing deals with the production of knowledge and science. The early stages of the tree involve paper making and ink but later levels change how you can use stories to create more complex written resources for use in top-tier sermons and crafting. |
Farming and Nature
Farming and Nature deals with farming and the manipulation of nature. This involves growing crops, fruit trees, beekeeping, wine and beer production, and fishing. |
Smithing
The Smithing tree deals with the processing of iron and sand into metal parts, tools, and glass. |
Building
Building deals with processing of wood and stone into wooden and stone products. |
Cookery
Cookery deals with the preparation of various food items. |