quote:
Originally posted by Baron Munchausen:
...There ought to be more special techs, anyway. And it's not too hard to think of some good ones. How about a cloaking device that gives level 5 cloaking in everything so it is undetectable? An AI which got that would almost certainly use it (the AI is smart enough to use the 'best' Version of whatever is available) and would be really dangerous with it. A special type of engine that gives very low supply usage would be good. I've got one in my techs...
Baron, I have to disagree on this one. Maybe a special component to enhance an existing tech tree, but not jump the whole thing - what would happen if an empire hadn't even researched Physics yet? (isn't Physics II a prereq for Cloaking?) Do they just jump all those tech levels (2 physics and 3 or 4 cloaks) - if they do, it could turn into a 'race for the ruins' game. And would the AI even look for them???
A good alternative may be a tech that enhances. Possibly one that boosts your existing cloak tech by 1 (then you could get to level 5 but not in 1 jump) or a 'conservation optimizer' that saves 20% on fuel and weapon consumption. I don't know if these things are possible, but IMO the big jumps in existing tech would unbalance the game.....