The level of technology available when the vehicle is designed has a significant impact on what can be included in your vehicle. The Drawing Board considers nine levels of technology, referred to as TR (Tech Rating). TR 0 is the modern-day, 21st century world. Negative TRs indicate more primitive technology; positive TRs indicate higher, science fiction technology.

This is stone-age technology. Contrary to popular opinion, however, stone-age people did have technology, and they did have vehicles. Said vehicles were limited to rafts, dugout canoes, travois and sledges, but they did exist. Some advanced communities used rollers to help transport heavy objects on land.

The Bronze Age saw surprisingly advanced vehicles, especially for ships and land transportation. While early sails were smaller and less efficient than later versions, skilled oarsmen powered many vessels. Animal-drawn land vehicles, such as carts, wagons, and chariots, became widespread. The chariot, a testament to the engineering and tactical thinking of the era, emerged as a powerful and mobile force on the battlefield.

The Middle Ages witnessed a significant leap forward in shipbuilding with the introduction of improved sails, such as lateen sails, and sturdier hull designs like clinker-built construction. Advancements in harnessing techniques allowed for greater efficiency in animal-drawn vehicles. Winter travel also saw improvements with the development of sledges featuring better runners for easier movement on snow. Improved steering mechanisms on wagons and carriages enhanced maneuverability and comfort for passengers.

Sails reached their pinnacle in design during this time period, but the seeds of change were sown with the exploration of alternative propulsion. The introduction of steam power led to the development of paddle wheelers. While this new technology wasn't yet sufficiently compact or efficient for land vehicles, new advancements in metallurgy led to better suspension, making land travel easier and more comfortable. Perhaps the most significant change for vehicles was the rise of firearms. This revolutionized warfare, forcing a re-evaluation of vehicle design for both offense and defense.

The late 19th and early 20th centuries witnessed a surge in transportation innovation, with the widespread adoption of steam-powered railways, the invention of the automobile and tank, and the early development of functional airplanes and submarines. This era marked a turning point in vehicle technology, laying the foundation for the diverse range of vehicles we see today.

This is the modern era, the 21st century. Aircraft fly faster than the speed of sound; trains have been streamlined to operate at ridiculous speeds as well. Spacecraft are still in their infancy, but have become common enough that people no longer view them as science fiction impossibilities. Nuclear power allows ships to remain at sea for years, or allow submarines to remain submerged for weeks.

As space travel becomes more common, humanity begins to establish its first interplanetary colonies. Rockets remain large and wasteful vehicles, but once a spacecraft leaves its gravity well, plasma ion thrusters allow for reasonable acceleration over prolonged periods. On ground-side, vehicles of every sort have reached high levels of efficiency, both in terms of fuel consumption and in terms of weight. For weaponry, lasers and particle acceleration guns finally reach maturity.

This is a level in which interplanetary travel has become commonplace. Generational ships, or cryogenic “sleeper” ships, begin making the long trip between stars. Maglev becomes much more commonplace with the introduction of room-temperature superconductors, and personal vehicles begin to recede in size once again. Fusion is the most commonly used power source for any larger vehicle, whereas superconductor-based capacitors tend to be used for smaller personal vehicles.

The introduction of practical FTL is a game-changer in almost every way. Fusion and capacitors remain the principal power systems, but the technological developments needed to attain FTL have refined every other level of technology. If deflector shields or reactionless thrusters are to become a thing, this is where they will first begin to appear.

This level is characterized by the development of gravity control. Aside from contragravity systems, this will also see improvements in fusion engines, FTL systems, shields, reactionless drives and, of course, weaponry.

This approaches the Clarke limit: technology at this level begins to seem like magic. Molecular rearrangement allows for transporters, replicators, and the total conversion reactor. Technology beyond this level is also beyond the scope of this document.