[Psitticine]

I agree that it's good you can't use the special tech unless born to it, so to speak. It is often conceptualized as being a product of special inborn understanding or ability rather than just something that could be copied like blueprints so I think there's a lot of logic to it.

I also like keeping something unique in the various nations, be they computer- or human-controlled. It adds profoundly to the flavour of things if everybody really seems *different* and not just the same basic foe developed to different levels of sophistication along the same tech path.

That's one of the reasons (the other is I love "exploring" the tree) that I always play with low starting tech. It makes it all that much harder to get deep into a game before the 100 turn bell goes off but the fact the AI opponents have followed different research paths means you will face an array of different ships. That's just more *fun*, IMHO.


[This message has been edited by Psitticine (edited 06 October 2000).]