What is your research order in your games?

I usually ignore techs that give me a boost in production (research, military, or social) early on. You'll be short on money, and these techs will simply let you spend more money you don't have. Ion drives are a must if you like colony ships with two colony pods. So I usually go for ion drives first, followed by sensors. A few survey ships early on can make the difference financially if there are lots of anomolies around.

Any tech that increases economy or population growth is good. The key to the early game is (IMO) to get your population as big as possible as quickly as possible. This is achieved by evenly distributing your population as much as possible (smaller colonies grow at a faster per-population rate than larger ones). This is why I try to get dual-colony ships as soon as possible. I'm going to experiment with troop pod/colony pod combos next game to see if that will help with colony-startup.

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Hi there!

I'm cheap. I go with the cheap techs, xeno research is always first so that I get xeno labs instead of those cheap basic ones. Normally I'm the Thalans, so I get Xeno Industrial Theory can Xeno Economics from the start, so I don't go for the planetary improvements intil later. Next I research, propulsion Techs (normally up to Impulse Drive 1 or 2), After that basic logistics and the first life support tech.

I almost never go for universal translator, until the very early-mid game. But then I make sure that I have space weapons so I can research down that path later. By now, I need the Techno capital, so I research advanced computing, then I go for trade and xeno entertainment AFTER I get Xeno factories. I generally put building on my planets as my top priority. Then I research Xeno Trade Centers, and after that I get some weapon techs and build a small military (so the AI doesn't attack me in the early game and ruin my plans for the galaxy). Finally, I get Research centers.

After this the tech I research depend on the type of strategy I'm going to use.
My last game, I got some diplomacy techs because I was going for a diplomatic victory.
The game before that, I think I grabed some hull techs because I was going for a military victory.

So...after that it depends on the strategy.

Hmmm......that list sounds just about right.

Oh yeah, one more thing, I pick the neutral alighnment, so I don't need soil enhancement or the later techs of that branch.

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hey there
you know it doesnt really matter much but i always go for techs that are researched really fast so i can sell them for lots of money$$$$, it helps a lot when you want to colonize planets fast.

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I get stellar cartography if I don't have it (though I often play a race that starts with that tech). This means I don't need any scouts, I can usually guess where most of the planets are going to be. I then research up to Impulse Drive to speed up the colony ships. Then I research economics and morale techs. As soon as I make contact with a major civ, I will research Universal Translator, and a few more diplomacy techs after that to get the diplomacy trade good (can't remember the name or prerequisite tech). Finally I get Factory construction (or whatever its called). At this point I just keep track of what the others are researching, and I will research different ones so I can get their techs and trade mine to each civ for lots of money so I can overdrive my economy. I also try to beat them to techs that allow you to get trade goods so I can have them all.

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Ion Drive and some of the other drive tech, universal translator, then whatever I feel like I need at the time. Really, it ends up completely different every time.

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I've never gone wrong by researching the cheepest techs first. Prioritize with propultion, production and influence first and military techs last. If you research a broad base of cheap techs, you can always trade for better techs that someone else has first, and they are always there if you need cash.

Scincerely,
Scintor

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Philocthetes

Join Date 10/2003

+153

I tend to start with Xeno Research and engine techs, but overall I tend to agree with Scintor about getting the cheap stuff ASAP.

Reason 1: It drives me crazy to have a bunch of 1- and 2-week techs cluttering the top of my tree and I'm not the sharpest tech trader in the souk, so I might as well do them myself.

Reason 2: Keeping your research well diversified gives you more options for your own research choices and more dusty old techs to hand around as gifts or trade with the rubes.

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I am still begginer, but seems i have already "tactical plan".
Among first i target tech giving me acces to "harmony crystals", followed by "extreme spices". This usualy take few turns, but results are superb.
better morele let your planets grow faster and alov you tax plp more.
Why to tabe loads of plp if you cannot tax them? I keep tax rate at 80+ while spending are fixed at 100% for quite a time.
As pop grows up and i have too much money i research some improvemetns to be able waste money in research faster .. when i am happy with it .. i focus on diplomacy.
at the moment i got attacked .. i trade mine goods against best possible weaponery to be able repel first wave of attackers (it is good to have 1-2 mil base placed redy to be upgraded at that time). I can usually withstand every attack since every planet pops weak ship each turn (blesed enonomy bases) which is boosed by military base (so it is not weak any more) so i am pretty powerfull around mine planets.

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Most of these strategies are good, but I want to add one caveat: if you start off next to the Korath/Drengin, you may want to prioritize weapons and planetary invasion after the initial colony rush and just start invading planets. Also, attempting the Neville Chamberlain "I HAVE ACHIEVED PEACE IN OUR TIME!" route of giving the Korath tech to keep them pacified because the Drath and Altarians decided you had to die in a secret meeting and you couldn't fight a four-front war against them AND the Republic of Alcont (custom race). . . well.

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I tend to research the researching techs first (or are we assuming that?). Bulid up the tech that lead to more techs faster. At least an ugrade or two into the research buildings before wiping out all the 1's and 2's. Then production, etc. after that.

Does anyone else find what I call the 'middle techs' along the military branch tedious? My brain just turns to mush while I'm mashing the TURN key over and over and over again. Of course, I'm new and haven't played against aggressive AI's yet, so that would no-doubt liven up the middle-tech realm.

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The cool thing is that at higher levels, you don't have time to just mash turn, you need to be doing three things at once. Thankfully, the game's automated enough to let you do that without killing yourself micromanaging.

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A little more speed, little more morale, little more tech.
Then money, money, money. You have to have money to support
your building campaign to wreak havoc through the galaxy.
Upgrade trading centers to banks to stock exchanges. (There needs
to be an upgrade beyond stock exchanges.)
Earlier build sensors and survey ships to look for money.
But I start all my planets with 3-4 basic factories. And I tend to take
planets only of 10 or higher pqs.
Build aphrodisiac so the population grows and we get more money.

The money thing is basically not to grow broke.

Colony rush from the beginning.

Where you win is production. If you can outproduce your opponents, in a military
fight you will win. But if you upgrade your factories too soon, you will go broke if you have a lot of planets.

I hate winning a planet and getting an industrial center before I can afford it. Yeah, stop the planets from building them. Delete, delete, delete... My arm falls off.

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Also, attempting the Neville Chamberlain "I HAVE ACHIEVED PEACE IN OUR TIME!" route of giving the Korath tech to keep them pacified because the Drath and Altarians decided you had to die in a secret meeting and you couldn't fight a four-front war against them AND the Republic of Alcont (custom race). . . well.

Be wary however, the Korath cannot be trusted, if you give them any military/production/researched based technologies, they will use them against you, even if it does take a while. Their spore ships will tear you limb from limb, and if you haven't even worked on extreme colonization, if you take them back it will be a while...

As for my tech order, I like useing the modified Yor who don't start out with xeno research, so I always get that fast, then I do xeno medicine, then up to ion drive, then up to space weapons and space defenses, and usually by that time (nowadays I always do very slow research for challenge) the colony rush is over so I do planetary improvements, then farm construction, then either the next factory or bank tech depending on my needs, then I work up the laser techs a bit, then the engines for one or two, then logistics, then advanced hulls, then life support, then computing, then a few more reserch facilities (usually the next two after xeno research), then planetary invasion, then all of the other planetary invasion tech, usually all pretty quickly, then universal translater, then I do extreme colonization and the lower X planet colonization, and then I start invading, and all my other research is based on the events that follow. (Takes very deep breath)...

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The order will change slightly with super-ability, but I research the cheapest production bonuses generally first. Obviously Planetary Improvements is a bargain, but research the others only in the order of your initial development. Going for bases, than the first two Military production techs of course.

Every little bit counts. Don't forget to go for +10 Growth tech as well, since it's a bargain also.
Engines, SpaceShip Weapons, capital techs are secondary in priority. And prioritized based on what the race really needs.

An interesting thing is that with the Super-Diplomat, and Universal Translator, you can reap huge profits trading for those early techs (just short of the UT and anything with a diplo bonus of course, to maintain a monopoly). You can also stiff races that seem likely to be unfriendly for you, e.g. Drengin if you're aiming for "Good".

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Also, attempting the Neville Chamberlain "I HAVE ACHIEVED PEACE IN OUR TIME!" route of giving the Korath tech to keep them pacified because the Drath and Altarians decided you had to die in a secret meeting and you couldn't fight a four-front war against them AND the Republic of Alcont (custom race). . . well.

Be wary however, the Korath cannot be trusted, if you give them any military/production/researched based technologies, they will use them against you, even if it does take a while. Their spore ships will tear you limb from limb, and if you haven't even worked on extreme colonization, if you take them back it will be a while...

Hence the reference to Hitler. A few weeks after I bled myself dry trying to keep the Korath off my backs, they decided that since they couldn't squeeze blood from a turnip, they may as well eat the turnip. By that time, I'd managed to negotiate peace settlements, so instead of a four-front war I couldn't win, I was in a one-front war where I was just getting cremed. Since the Korath gotten a massive tech boost from my constant bribes, they walked over the rest of the galaxy, saving me for last (their way of saying thanks, I guess).

Their spore ships weren't even a factor, they just invaded everyone because, among other things, I'd given them Shock Troops (thinking that it would make them stronger when they became my allies

). It didn't work. . . well, it didn't work for me. Or the Altarians or Drath or Alcont, for that matter. It worked very well for the Korath.

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Always researching the cheapest tech is a bad strategy! If you play on level suicide where all AIs at set to ultimate you will lose with this strategy. At this level you need to always be working to one or more goals.

Everytime you make a research choice you need to consider more than the cost of a tech but also how it will assist you in achieving your goals. One turn researching a cheap tech that does not help you is a wasted opportunity.

Here are the research choices I made in a recent game taken from an AAR I'll be posting soon:

Map: Medium
Stars: Common (Loose Clusters)
Planets: Common
Habital Planets: Common
Asteriods: Abundant
Anomalies: Abundant
All vixtory conditions enabled.
Tech trading off.
Very fast research.
Mega events on.

Level: Suicide
6 Ultimate AIs:
Altarian Resistance
Torian Confederation
Krynn Consulate
Thalan Empire
Drengin Empire
Koranth Clan
Minors: Random (It turned out there was one, the Akilians)

I'm playing a custom race called the Lexionians.
Super Ability: Super Warrior (First Strike)
Economics: +20% (Policital Party: Federalists)
Logistics: +6
LucK: +25% (1 race point)
Morale: +10% (1 race point)
Population Growth: +40% (5 race points)
Speed: +2 (8 race points)
Starting techs:
Galactic Warfare (MP +10%)
Xeno Engineering (SP +10%)
Planetary Improvements (MP/SP/RP +10%)
Stellary Cartography

Legend: MP = Military Production, SP = Social Production, RP = Research Production, PG = Population Growth, E = Economy, M = Morale, PI = Planetary Improvement, TG = Trade Good, D = Diplomacy, S = Soldiering

The first year my focus was exploration, colonization, claiming galactic resources, and claiming anomalies, and growing my economy/morale/population/production/research. Since I'm playing the all factories strategy I ignore the research branch except for Advanced Computing (E. Starbase Module: Smart Drones [MP/SP/RP +4%]) and miniturization.

List of Techs Researched the 1st Year in Chronological Order:
Xeno Industrial Theory (SP +10%, PI: Factory, Manufacturing Capital, E. Starbase Module: Adv. Starbase Factory [MP/SP/RP +4%], M. Starbase Module: Mining Headquaters +5%)
Space Militarization (MP +10%)
HyperDrive -> New Propulsion Techniques -> Ion Drive (Ship: Constructor S3)
Sensors Mark I (Sensor Range +1, Ship: Survey Ship S3)
Impulse Drive (Speed +1)
Xeno Economics (E +10%, PI: Adv. Market Center)
Basic Logistics (+3 now 9)
Space Mining 1 (Level 2 Mining Base on Asteriods)
Xeno Factory Construction (PI: Enhanced Factory, E. Starbase Module: Massive Scaling Center [MP/SP/RP +4%], M. Starbase Module: Resource Excavation +5%)
General Life Support (Range +20, needed for my survey ships)
Extended Life Support (Range +40, needed for my survey ships)
Xeno Research -> Advanced Computing (E. Starbase Module: Smart Drones [MP/SP/RP +4%])
Basic Miniturization (+10%) -> Enhanced Miniturization (+15%, Ship: Colony Ship S3)
Soil Enhancement
Xeno Biology
-> Extreme Colonization
-> Aquatic World Colonization
-> Barren World Colonization
-> Toxic World Colonization
-> Xeno Medicine (PG +10%)
Xeno Communications (D +5%) -> Universal Translator (D +5%)
-> Interstellar Governments (D +5%, note researched in the same turn as the other two above)
-> Xeno Entertainment (Morale +15%)
-> Dipolmatic Relations (D +10%)
-> Trade (D +10%, Trade +10%, Routes +3, PI: Economic Capital)
-> Advanced Trade (Trade +10%, Routes +3)
-> Alliances (D +10%)

The 2nd year my focus was growing my economy/morale/population/production/research.

List of Techs Researched the 2nd Year in Chronological Order:
Interstellar Republic (D +10%, Influence +5%, Govt: Interstellar Republic = E +10%)
-> Star Democracy (D +10%, Influence +5%, Govt: Star Democracy = E +20%)
Master Trade (Trade +10%, Routes +3)
Habitat Improvement
Xeno Ethics ((D +5%, TG: Harmony Crystals = M +20%)
-> Good and Evil (D +10%)
-> Concepts of Malice (D +10%, Artifical Slave Center = MP +50%, Mind Control Center = E +100%, No Mercy Invasion Center)
Terraforming
Xeno Trade Centers (PI: Trade Centers)
-> Xeno Bank Construction (E +5%, PI: Banking Center)
-> Galactic Stock Exchanges (PI: Stock Market)
Extreme Entertaiment (TG: Ultra Spices = M +15%)
Advanced Aquatic World Colonization
Advanced Barren World Colonization
Advanced Toxic Atmosphere Reductor
Xeno Farm Construction I
Sensors II -> Sensors III -> Sensors IV (Eyes of the Universe)

The 3rd year my focus was war! So I researched all the invasion techs plus planetary defense for the soldiering bonus. I researched weapons, engines, hulls, miniturization, and logistics for better ships and larger fleets. Note if you have the Super Warrior(first-strike) ability, logistics is very valuable and defense does not matter much.
Manufacturing Centers not only let me upgrade my Enchanced Factories but also let me upgrade my economic(+21%) and mining(+34%) starbases!

List of Techs Researched the 3rd Year in Chronological Order:
Space Weapons -> ... -> Psionic Beam (Star Falcon)
Planetary Invasion -> Planetary Bombardment (S +5%) -> Stellar Marines (S +15%) -> Adv. Troop Mod (Troop Transport) -> Shock Troops (S +%15)
Tidal Disruption (S +15%)
Planetary Defense (S +%10) -> Adv. Planetary Defense (S +%10)
Impulse Drive II -> Warp Drive (Speed +1)
Advanced Hulls
Stole: Shields
Medium Scale Building (Ship: Star Eagle) -> Superior Hulls -> Stole: Large Scale Building (Ship: Star Hawk)
Stole: Advanced Miniturization (+15%, Ships: Star Hawk II, Constructor S1-T, Space Miner S1-T, Space Miner - S2-S)
Manufacturing Centers (PI: Manufacturing Center, E. Starbase Module: Intersellar Collectors [MP/SP/RP +4%], M. Starbase Modules: Extraction Center +5%, Extraction Complex +5%)
Enhanced Logistics (+6 now 15)
Expert Miniturization (+15%, Ships: Star Hawk III, Troop Transport S4B3)
Fertility Acceleration (PG +10%, PI: Fertility Clinic)
Stole: Fusion Power Plants (PI: Fusion Power Plant)
Stole: Space Mining II
Stole: Phasors IV
Stole: Anti-Matter Power Plants (PI: Anti-Matter Power Plant)
Advanced Logistics (+9 now 24)
Heavy Gravity Colonization -> Advanced Heavy Gravity Colonization
Ultimate Miniturization (+20%)
Warp Drive II (Ships: Star Hawk IV)
Master Hull Building (HP +15%)

The 4th year my focus was war!
Industrial Sectors allowed me to fully buildup my economic(+24%) and mining starbases(+39%).

List of Techs Researched the 4th Year in Chronological Order:
Stole: Total Majesty (D +20%)
Stole: Stole Warp Drive V
Stole: Star Federation (D +10%, Influence +5%, Govt: Star Federation = E +30%)
Massive Scale Building (Ships: Star Condor)
Reinforced Hull Design (HP: +10) -> Harden Hull Design (HP: +10)
Expert Logistics (+12 now 36) -> Ultimate Logistics (+15 now 51)
Stole: Phasors V
Stole: Space Mining III
Supreme Planetary Defense
Stole: Quantum Driver
Stole: Black Hole Gun
Stole: Singularity Driver
Stole: Mass Drivers
Stole: Graviton Driver
HyperWarp (Speed +1)
Stole: Neutrino Bullets
HyperWarp II -> HyperWarp III
Supreme Miniturization (+25%, Ship: Star Condors II)
Industrial Sector (PI: Industrial Sector, E. Starbase Module: Orbital Replicators [MP/SP/RP +3%], M. Starbase Module: Resource Sector +5%)
Xeno Farm Construction II

2229-07-22 Influence victory!

I could have easily taken out the Altarian Resistance to win an Alliance Victory since I was allied with the Korath Clan.
Or I could have taken out the Altarian Resistance and Korath Clan for a Military Victory.

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Philocthetes

Join Date 10/2003

+153

Always researching the cheapest tech is a bad strategy! If you play on level suicide where all AIs at set to ultimate you will lose with this strategy.

First, I'd like to say that the mini-AAR in Mascrinthus' post looks like something that I've long wished the game could produce for us lazy folks, and I hadn't even considered how it might help with discussions here in the forums until now.

Second, I'd like to note that the strategy assertion reminds me of another post I read recently but can't easily cite that said basically "If you play on the top AI+bonuses levels, you are playing a different game than the rest of us are." I've been playing at Tough (AI has no penalties or bonuses) since I finished familiarizing myself with GC2. Even though the Metaverse crowd have recently drawn me into some interest in scores, etc., I still think of this game as more like a toybox than a competition.

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I don't have gold edition yet so I have no idea what a korath clan is but do all the propultion then military then take all other civs out. you win. note:does note work if enemmy(s) is/are at genius or above.

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Second, I'd like to note that the strategy assertion reminds me of another post I read recently but can't easily cite that said basically "If you play on the top AI+bonuses levels, you are playing a different game than the rest of us are." I've been playing at Tough (AI has no penalties or bonuses) since I finished familiarizing myself with GC2.

Playing at harder levels can make a big difference but so to can switching map sizes, going from DL to DA, and/or changing super abilities.

In my last metaverse game, I played a gigantic, everything abundant, suicide, DL 1.2 game. Even on suicide this game proved to be easy. Tech trading with 9 majors and a few minors helped fund (along with money anomalies) my fast paced expansion and keep on tech wise. The AI's poor planetary development made is easy to catch up. Plus fast ships meant wars lasted only a few turns!

Prior to DL 1.2, every player attacking had the first strike advantage. I played the entire DL campaign in 1.0X on tough without losing a single combat ship (just constructors and starbases) and of course not one planet. Even the mighty Dread Lords failed to destroy any of my combat ships because they rarely got to fire and when they did my ships had gained enough HP from experience to absorb one hit. As the Dread Lord's ships grew from fighters to capital ships, added defenses, and finally started fleeting, the fire power of my fleets grew thanks to better ships and logistics.

For my first DA (1.6) suicide game, I disabled tech trading, and selected the medium map. I wanted to see how the Super Warrior (first strike) super ability would stack up in DA 1.6. In DA the AI is much better at developing its planets and without tech trading (and much less money anomalies) I fell far behind with little hope of catching up. I was also playing evil for the first time (always going neutral in the past) and so did not know which techs granted MC (+100% EC) and ASC(+50% MP). I kepted the AIs off my back (getting all the evil races to declare war on the Altarian Resistance is a good way to get a galactic wide good vs. evil mega war) for years but finally the Drengin declared war me just after my first war ships (all attack medium hulls loaded with evil beam weapons) were produced. A single fleet of initially 2 but soon 3 ships made short work of very powerful planetary defenders thanks to first strike. However, I quickly encountered the Drengin corvette fleets. Each had 9 ships with only gun attack 3 but they numbered like the stars! A square would have a dozen fleets and the neighboring squares and equal number. My solo fleet did not have enough firepower to destroy these fleets in my first strike so in each attack I received minor damage from the survivors before destroying them in the 2nd strike. With only speed 5 (race speed +2 + base speed 1 + bonus of warp tech +2), my fleet ran out of attack. Then the slow Drengin fleets attacked and without the first strike advantage I began losing ships. The first strike advantage was much more useful in DL 1.0X were I could build much faster (more attacks per turn) ships. If I was playing a human I would have surely lost. A human would have taken out my small military and star bases, then sent in escorted troop transports. So I resigned for the very first time! However, I wished I had continued to see how well the AI used their military advantage. Maybe the AI would have allowed me time to research armor defenses and build ships to defend against these fleets or just bypass their slower fleets and just invade their planets.

For my 2nd game (see my previous post) I played the all factories strategy which made a vast difference. My planets developed far quicker which even made research progress faster (factories focused on research quickly built) than the mixed (factories and labs) strategy.

Even though the Metaverse crowd have recently drawn me into some interest in scores, etc., I still think of this game as more like a toybox than a competition.

Playing for the best score it not much fun (especially if your computer is low on memory; I recently upgraded from 512MB to 2.5GB).Tips for Maximizing Your Game Score

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