Technological Advancement Tiers

Technological Advancement of civilizations is categorized into Tiers. All life and civilizations in the Universe fall into one of the categories. The lower the Tier number, the more advanced the civilization's technology is/was.

Tier 9: Ancient Age
Tier 8 is one of the most common and stable states, with limited weaponry and environmental threats. Societies tend to be small and scattered, driven by subsistence farming, foraging, or hunter-gathering needs. Culture is rudimentary and still developing greatly. Technology is limited to simple hand made tools, weapons, or agrarian implements and methods, but a very broad understanding of planetary and solar mechanics is possible among intelligent species.

General Threat Level: None

Tier 8: Pre-industrial Age
These civilizations are diverse, and may consist of anything from single villages to states with many hundreds of thousands of individuals. Technology is still primitive but starting to develop. Metal armor and weapons are the norm, most societies have sophisticated writing systems and languages, there is a clear division of labor and definite cultural differences may start to emerge. Societies may utilize gunpowder weapons.

General Threat Level: Minimal

Tier 7: Industrial Age
Tier 5 is the outset for massive urbanization. Agrarian societies can remain stable in the pre-industrial stage, but Tier 5 population strain and mechanized food production invariably create political and economic pressures very few can balance. Moving past this usually promises advancement. Some societies improve environmental and medical understanding concurrently with mechanical and transport advancement. Those that do not are frequently doomed.

Humanity entered this Tier in 1781 with the advent of steam technology.

General Threat Level: Low

Tier 6: Atomic Age
Tier 5 species usually begin focusing on clean energy production. The occasional belligerent species will use atomic energy for weapons, often resulting in mass extinctions. While others focus on medical and environmental pursuits. In-atmosphere craft are a hallmark, often leading to eventual manned space flight, albeit on a short-scale.

Humanity entered this age in 1945, when the first atomic bombs were deployed, and manned space travel was accomplished for the first time in 1961

General Threat Level: Moderate

Tier 5: Exploration Age
Tier 4 is often the final resting place for species intelligent enough to break free from their cradle's surface only to fill the gulf surrounding it with war. Their comfort-focused technology can include medical advances. Tier 4 often regards sophisticated civilization with a number of megacities. Progressive scientific advancement has led to increased life expectancy and globalization. Population numbers in the billions and most live in cities. Orbital satellite grids exist and the society may be attempting to make extra-terrestrial contact. Space exploration within the solar system is not uncommon. Colonization of planets within solar system has been recorded on occasion.

Humanity reached this level in 1957, when the first artificial satellite was launched.

General Threat Level: Elevated

Tier 4: Space-Faring Age
Highly sophisticated civilization with numerous megacities and interplanetary and/or interstellar colonies. Space-capable vessels with efficient interstellar navigation and ship-to-ship weapons systems. Early planetary defense setup. Population may approach the trillions mark. Has eradicated almost all disease. May wield energy or particle-based weaponry.

General Threat Level: Relatively High

Tier 3: Interstellar Age
The species has the ability to perform exceedingly accurate Shiftspace navigation, near-instantaneous communication and man-portable application of energy manipulation. Rudimentary terraforming and basic manipulation of physics such as gravitational forces is a distinct possibility. This tier also generally regards advanced technology in most fields of science, and often an expansive list of colonies outside one's native solar system.

General Threat Level: High

Tier 2: World-Builder
Tier 2: World-Builder This tier regards advanced society with an interstellar or perhaps even galaxy-spanning empire. Capabilities of building entire planets and manipulating various gravitational forces are not uncommon. Highly advanced technology across the board. Wields highly refined energy, particle and hard-light weaponry. Has incredibly advanced ships capable of almost instant transit.

General Threat Level: Dangerously high

Tier 1: Inter-Galactic
This is a theoretical ceiling. It is suspected that they can travel across galaxies and accelerate the evolution of intelligent life. Along with this the use of neural physics is suggested at this stage.

General Threat Level: Tremendously high

Tier 0: Omnipotent
There are no records of any civilization ever progressing to Tier 0.

Tier 0 would require nothing short of complete and total control of the unified laws of physics, and utter mastery of all dimensions, including space and time.

General Threat Level: Impossible to estimate