steep increase in the cost of technologies

treborblue

Join Date 03/2006

+17

After several frustrating games of TA I have abandoned it. I have gone back to DA.

Haven't played DA since the first TA beta.

Although I miss all the good new features of TA, I have to say that DA plays so much better. Everything seems quicker paced.

The AI seems more agressive (but dumber). The economy is easier, which means you can go to war much sooner without worrying about going bust.

The tech trees arn't broke.

It just seems more fun.

Please make TA fun again.

p.s. I miss the class 1 & 2 planets of DA

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Inflation makes the Creativity bonus all that more important. I now plan my research to make an end-run of those branches which don't inflate costs before hitting the inflationary ones. Of course, game dynamics don't always make this strategy viable.

Also, it seems without a research bonus the costs don't inflate as much.

It is easy to finish a game now without needing to research beyond Medium Hulls since the AI rarely gets beyond that. I imagine all the AI races are scratching their heads and wondering "WTF? This sucks!" Their overwhelming research superiority was what made them challenging.

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I'm quite sure that this is not working as intended, or designed. Yes, a tech inflation curve may well supposed to be in place - but this is no curve.

Example of research cost for Nightmare Torpedo

At start of game (immense galaxy, very fast tech), cost is 3,737rp
Stays at that until the first jump is triggered (no idea by what) and then became 10,423rp
Stayed at that for ages until another jump to 35,700rp for no apparent reason.

This affects the value of all techs, including those already researched, and has the following impact:

All AIs effectively stop getting new techs, as they invariably are moving up towards the top end of one of the weapons branches and the huge costs now associated.

If tech trading is on, AI values their techs at the "new" rates, making them very expensive to get. Not a problem as they also value your techs at the new rate, but... that opens up huge exploitability in trading over-valued techs for ships / planets etc.

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It appears pretty certain that this is a bug. If inflation were intended, then it should be maybe a few percent per year and or should only impact branches which you have gone significantly faster than other players. However sudden and unreasonable tech cost increases (by multiple time) across the board and apparently across all players is definitely a game ending bug.

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My apologies. Tech inflation is in there by design, but not to that extent.

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I just tested this using a couple saves

1. I got an auto save and a previous auto save. They only differ by a few number of turns as they are the auto saves created by the game automatically.

2. Auto save has tech costs across the board more than double previous auto save.

3. I loaded previous auto save and played from there. After research one tech, taking 13 turns, tech costs across the board immediately jumped more than double just like in the other case.

This is with Altarians on a gigantic map.

This is most definitely a bug.

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Borg999

Join Date 02/2006

+59

I guess this is a "me too" post, but I've noticed this tech cost inflation as well. Techs that usually take me 8-10 turns are now taking twice as long,if not longer. I usually play the same way with the same civ each time, so a "change in playing styles" is not the issue.

It's very fustrating, and reduces the enjoyment of the game. I I hope this isn't the "curse of 3" (e.g. civ 3, MOO3, etc.) I realize that SD wants to move onto "bigger and better" things, but I really hope they fix this issue.

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Stardock can you please release a hotfix before June? Games until then are mostly broken or unplayable with this problem.

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Joining the bandwagon on complaining like a madman about the inflation. It sucks just as bad as in real life (hehe...)

Because I mostly tech to ridicilous stuff first before building up real military. I pumping out small hulls with only the best weapontech i got at that point. And then research for a decent good fighter, this evil new feature is going to ruin the game for me! I'll have to spend about 30 to 40 turns teching to plasma 3 (if it doesn't go up again). The doomsday building tech was 2099, then 2147 and then 4000+ I would have posted the exact number put as I alt+tabed the game crashed on me

)

So here we go;

Please stardock, stop the INSANITY! Add it as an option or chance the formula of inflation because. DAMN, it sucks bad.

Kind regards,
Oogje

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Just adding my name to the list to stress the importance to fix this now ASAP, and not wait for June. I don't really have a desire to play TA at this point knowing that the technology tree (pretty much the heart and soul of this game) is bugged.

I don't understand why inflation is even in the game. Yes, it probably makes from a game perspective so you don't max out the technology tree as fast. But it is counter-intuitive. I mean if a race is improving, and becoming more and more technologically advanced, don't you think it would be easier to research other techs, and not harder? For example, if a race masters the theory behind hyperwarp drive or some other incredibly challenging technology like discovery sphere, doesn't it stand to reason that picking up farming mark I would be fairly easy than if they tried researching farming from the get go? By the way, I am not advocating a deflation of tech costs; I'm just saying that inflation doesn't really make sense.

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I can't say for sure the exact amount of inflation - but I'd wondered why in my last game none of the races bothered to research anything beyond medium ships... and it took me forever to research planetary invasion. I'd already researched way up the laser line and the armor line... went back and forth a few times on invasion tech and in the end - sacrificed my whole game just to try and get that tech. I thought it was because I was playing as the Korx and I didn't have my normal research advnatage (and had tech trading off).

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I'm coming back from a bit of a hiatus from playing GalCiv2, and thought I was missing something because the Planetary Invasion tech seemed like awfully expensive. Jamming on the Turn button just seems so...wrong.

-HM

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Currently, this is not inflation, it's a bug. There's no way it's something that's intended to happen.

If you read one of my previous posts where I posted the example. In one save, the tech costs are as usual, then after research one more tech, all tech costs more than doubled.

I tested this again by going back to the old save and try research other techs, same thing happened.

So this is NOT inflation (which is gradual increase in price), but a sudden jump in costs without any reason.

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One important thing to figure out right now is if this is experienced by all players or just a few of us. And has any of you guys tried to play with other races on different sized maps? Is the same thing happening?

It seems that those guys who are commenting about the terror star were able to do a lot of research. Are they also experiencing this sudden and extreme increase in costs?

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I'll do a new game and see (but will take a while). I'm curious... did this just happen after the last update?

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Any word from Stardock about when/if a fix is in order?

This just ruined my current immense game as the Yor.

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Oh good, it's not just me experiencing this.

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Friend of mine had it with the Terran on Huge map with the Altarians. I've only playwed witht he altarians huge and though.

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Seen it happen with Iconians on a Medium map and a custom race (Terran tech tree) on a Large map. I did not have a research bonus either time. I had Creativity both times. Naturally, I have picked up +research anomalies and +research techs. Both times, tech speed was on normal, difficulty on Tough.

It's pretty annoying, but it hasn't really hurt me too badly, I think. Still, I agree that it's a bug and should be fixed.

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treborblue

Join Date 03/2006

+17

Can someone explain why we need inflation with research ?

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Inflation made dealing with the Pirates Event incredibly hard. It took forever to research up to their level, both in real time and game time. A lot of smashing on the turn button then waiting while the game sequences through the pirates' attacks. The AI never reached a tech level to kill a single pirate ship. It spent all effort on military production, building fighters with 10 attack no defense, then getting them wiped out while in orbit.

I get a kick when the Altarians IM me to let me know that their powerful civilization has just begun researching enhanced minituarization (10 years into the game). Ok, I'm calling your bluff...

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Publius of NV

Join Date 08/2002

+189

I've seen the inflation in both of the games I've played so far, the first as humans with tech set to fast, and the second as Torians with tech set to very fast. Both times I had a 10% research bonus.

tegac: I enjoy that IM also. The Arceans sent me (Torians) a message saying "Fear us! We have started researching mass driver theory!" A few turns later they surrendered to the Yor

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Getting it too. I also get a kick at watching the poor AI boast that it has begun research on Mass Drivers after 100+ turns in the game.

Beside that, it's really fracking annoying. It's compound intrest on research with an APR of 100%. The AI's research has stagnated and the only reason I am afloat is because I nabbed 4 research resources and maxed them out.

What's the point of a normal research rate when it plays like DA's "Long" rate... after you;re already many many turns into the game?

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"Uninmaganable Destruction" was at 2300+ when you start the game it then jumped to 4000+. And from there to 14000+ it's now on 17000+ but by smaller increments.
And also getting a laugh from the poor AI bragging about it's superdupereviltech which actually doesn't really matter.

It does however make sure you can only really tech in one way, and then you can just really forget about the rest. And just wait 30 turn before you got Planetary invasion

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I play as Alteran with full bonus skills on research and with technologist party, meaning my research rating is awesome. I also play on reserach level slow. However, nightmare missiles took 100 turns!! Ouch! Many planets have highest level research buildings all over them (not neutrality learning centres though). My spending is 100% and research is at 70% (and have some fully upgraded research resources). Btu still 100 turns?! Thankfully I have creative good researched and also spent one ability point on +25 creativity. I love being creative. Anyhow, what was really funny in my game was that there was the apathy plague mega-event late in the game and none of the other races (on tough difficulty) could generate the research to develop a cure. I laughed heartily at them as they suffered!! -Did I say that out loud!? Actually, I chose good ethics and would have been *happy* to send them the cure, but darn it tech trading was off.

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