Wishlist: High level design thoughts

[MattII]

Okay, this isn't my idea, it belongs to a friend over on spaceempires.net who's having trouble with activating his account here and asked me if I could post it for him.

Originally Posted by Central_Speaker_Dan

the tech tree in all games is very linear. You (the designers) mentioned something about scripted visibility requirements for the upcoming tech level however this still creates a one track tech tree.
Would it be possible to create a scripted requirements list for the tech levels. I am reasonably sure that in reality we have not discovered a vast variety of possible technologies because they are incompatible with our existing technologies. Equally different races would do things at different speeds and in different ways.
Here's a good example: Brunel (a British Engineer) developed an alternate track gauge that was more fuel efficient, comfortable and faster than the one used at the time for trains. He built all his own train tracks to this gauge including the Edinburgh to London line.
When he died the other train companies either had to change to his tracks, which would have meant re-building the whole industry, or keep to what the rest of the country was already using, which was less efficient.
They chose to keep the original track because it was cheaper.
As such 'Brunel's Train Tech' was made more costly the more 'UK Train Tech' you have in use.
Could this sort of thing not be added to a game?