[LordFulgrymm]

Random Tech is probably a good thing...anyway, just a few more random thoughts which may (or may not!) be nice to see included in the game:

(1)
Paying "research maintenence" i.e. a percentage of research points need to be expended just to keep your current level of technology (representing training/teaching); otherwise you will start losing tech levels (might be more appropriate to rename research to knowledge or something in this case)...that way you can bomb someone back to the stoneage. Also means you still need some research even when you reach the end of the tech tree.

(2)
Have a "facility prerequisite" on components (or even other facilities), so you can have factory facilities that "build" components (at least in abstact terms) - for example, you want to build that quantum engine do you? well, have you got a quantum engine factory in your empire? No factory, no engines. Could extend it so more advanced weapons/components need more infrastucture present, so lets say, basic DUC doesn't need a factory, APB 1 needs a single level 1 weapons factory, APB 2 needs a single level 2 weapons factory, PPB 3 needs 2 level 3 weapons factories, WMG needs 5 factories at level 10, etc (these are just arbitrary numbers BTW). Extending it to facilities, could have something like "uber research centre" which requires the existence of, say, 10 basic research centres before it can be built...

entries in the components text files would look something like this:
Types of Facilities Req := 1
Number of Facility Req 1 :=5
Facility Name Req 1 := Weapons Factory
Facility Tech Level Req 1 := 10
Facility Location Req 1 := Empire ; can be Sector,System or Empire

so this tells us we need 5 Weapons Factories at level 10, located anywhere in the empire, for us to be able to build this component

(3)
This is an alternative to (2)...could have it so the presence of the appropriate factory in the empire simply gives a small discount when building that component; having no relevant factory just means it costs more to build (hand built prototypes or whatever..no mass production). Could have it so the bonus kicks in only if the required level and number of factories are present in the empire.

Could use the same format as the previous example, just add the following lines:
Facility Effect Req 1 := Bonus ;can be Enable or Bonus
Facility Bonus Req 1: 50

enable tells us if the component is "enabled" by the facility (i.e. can't be built without its existence), otherwise bonus tells us the percentage reduction in cost when building that component