Modern Metallurgy is an advance in Call to Power II.
Gameplay[]
Modern Metallurgy represents developments in the process of refining, smelting and casting stronger, lighter and more versatile metals. The Ironclad ship unit takes advantage of these developments and brings with it greater defensive capabilities.
Great Library entry[]
Metallurgy is the art and science of extracting metals from their ores and modifying the metals for use. Although it is primarily a commercial, rather than a scientific, endeavor, metallurgy is also concerned with the chemical, physical and atomic properties and structures of metals, as well as the combination of different metals to form alloys. Simple metal working dates back to 4500 BC, in which Stone Age peoples fashioned ornamental and utilitarian items out of gold, silver and copper. Most likely found in riverbeds, gravels and sands, these metals were in a metallic state naturally, and required little more than cleaning and hammering. What brought humans into the Metal Age, marking the first efforts at metallurgy, was the discovery that metals, such as copper, could be melted and cast into molds. The next step was the discovery that metals could be extracted from metal-bearing minerals. This increased the availability of metals, and further refinement of the process signaled the start of the Metal Age.
Modern metallurgy in the early 19th century was primarily focused on iron and steel production. Although the processes were intense and non-mechanized, the metals were in high demand. Iron armor-encased wooden ships, called ironclads, revolutionized naval warfare and dominated seas for two decades before the advent of all-metal ships in the second half of the 19th century. Advances in metallurgy led to the production of cheap steel and lighter, resilient metals such as aluminum.