To ease the way we make a tech tree, i made a small program with Game Maker. With it, you can make a tech tree very easily, you can save it and edit/add more to it at any time. You can also save an image file of the tech tree and post it here.
Here are some screens:
The interface: http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/3576/scrrenm.jpg
And an example pic of the tech tree: http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/9365/exampleiamge.png
The UPLOAD LINK:
http://web.hit.bg/thrivedown/Tech%20Editor.exe
If you want to use levels, just name the Tech "Tech Name 1-10", or if you want do not use levels.
Controls:
You click on a tool from the tool box, there are 3 tools, one for placing tech boxes, one for placing connection boxes and one for deleting.
If you want to change the properties of a tech box/connection box, like the text or the connection, right click.
If you want to move the tech box/connection box right click, hold and move.

NOTE: There is a problem with gm, i do not know why its there, but it there. When you save an image of the tech tree, it will be saved on your main C:// hard drive. You can move it after that. Sorry for the inconvenience.

I hope it gets used.

Gamemaker :D I remember using it for a quiz in school long ago.


You should draw those buttons after drawing those lines, so they wont overlap them. Also those black stripes leave the text unreadable.

How does it work? What are those levels, 2 tech req and all? Are vertical tech trees possible?

Wouldn't it get a bit confusing when there are loads of different things sending lines backwards and forwards across the screen? Or is there an uber awesome way of making it tidy? Just a thought.
-Waap.

What are levels for techs?

Well, every research topic can have levels 1-99 (maybe even more), and dividing a button it into 99 little squares will look crap. Besides that, what is even slicing the button into two good for? When you will need that leveled tech later in the tree, you could just use the button again, with blue background and a little number in top right showing the level number.

i think it will be best like this:
No sliced tech boxes and no numbers in the corner. instead you can name a tech like this: "Laser 1-10" then that tech can lead to two other teches:
"Laser 10-20" and "Plasma 1-5". That way you can make a tech require a specific level of another tech.

What does a tech level represent relating to real life tech?

I think including many levels is the way. Instead of just having a few levels and huge skips between them, levels should be like upgrades to the technology boosting it's efficiency, allowing the user either to have smaller or more efficient techs.

Take computers as an example. There weren't just computers big as a room and then suddenly microprocessors. They were gradually shrinking and gaining effectivity, until they were like we have them now.