General Tech Level
Maximum sophistication resembles the Industrial Revolution through 1950s:
- Steam power (dominant)
- Basic electricity (limited, often viewed as magical)
- Mechanical engineering
- Pneumatics and pressure systems
- Chemical processes
What Does NOT Exist
- Artificial Intelligence
- Nanotechnology
- Modern computing or computer networks
- FTL (faster than light) travel
- Time travel
- Mass-produced electronics
- Advanced genetic engineering (except Ares's work, which is ~90% divine magic)
What DOES Exist
- Recovered electronics from Gaia (limited, often repurposed)
- Basic handheld electronics (flashlights, simple tools)
- Link-powered devices of varying sophistication
- Link-powered lighting systems (mirrors and lenses focusing emitted light)
- Steam-powered machinery
- Mechanical automation (clockwork-level complexity)
- Chemical engineering (D.E.W., fungi cultivation, etc.)
Innovation Focus
Ongoing innovation is slow and focuses on:
- More efficient Link utilization
- Shade/astral plane understanding
- "Mad science" (Dionysus-style accidental breakthroughs)
- Mechanical ingenuity rather than electrical advancement
- Practical steam applications