balance issues

[Aerothos]

While attempting to build my own Racial Technology it hit me that it may be to powerful for use in battles against the AI let alone against other ppl. So i decided to see what other ppl had made to try and get an idea of what is too strong. I found that not only was my Tech not to strong, but that it was far weaker than those others had built. How do you decide when you start a multiplayer game if your tech is unfair to use or unbalanced against others? My tech is a combo of organic and psychic. (im deciding on whether you should have to have both or just pay a large amout of points for it) The main use for it is the component "collective mind". Its a storage unit for ships (havent decided how much it will carry) that you place a part of you population in, and it powers various other components you get through this tech. Such as a shield that gains bonus defence depending on how many people you are carrying because they create a psychic field to enhance it. however should the component get destroyed and thus the people with it, the shield would turn into a normal one of its type. I also designed a weapon that increased damage and range depending on how many "collective mind" components you have.