quote:
Too much work for MM to implement though.
Not necessarily: a cut down Version could be implimented very cheaply.
Add a "Tech Maintenance Cost" parameter to the race - default (say) 5%.
Then every turn reduce the available research points by 5% x cummulative number of points spent thus far.
If the result is <=0 no further research until you build more research centers.
This would have the effect of making late changes of research emphasis suitably expensive. E.g. If I'd focused on missiles and at a late stage of the game decided that I needed some direct fire tech, I'd have to build extra research centers just to catch up with my maintenance outgoings before spending the next 10k points on "Polaron Beams I" or whatever.
Perhaps this is a more realistic "tree" model? Techs aren't mutally exclusive - it's just very expensive to change tack.
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Resistence is futile.
(Edit to clarify that tech maintenance shouldn't be cummulative. I.e. -ve research points shouldn't be carried forward. This is to match the "use 'em or lose 'em" property of +ve research points.)
[This message has been edited by Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz (edited 01 June 2001).]