no.. I didn't see any screenshots
well I lost an hour worth of writing... lucky you
in short :
I think that my proposal, while wrong or badly design are also opportunity costs. and that your design seems, for the moment, to be punishing.
INdeed "science focus" seems to have no real opportunity cost, unless I'm missing something. :more techs, more versatile/better, better civ improvements...Etc
So I was thinking about ways to have a developpement in one or two other directions that one will have to forgoe if one focus on techs. But I don't know how.
A way would be through the policies trees.
Have the "completion bonus" of each tree give very important bonus that can act as improvement.
make it so that tech-focus is really possible only through the
science policy tree. (eg : one gets elephants + crossbows)
and then have another policies tree (
elit) unlocking big +strength promotion at end of tree (eg: one ends with boosted elephants that have +4 strenght OR boosted crossbows that have +4 ranged strenght)
and another unlocking big organisational boni (
imperialist) that enable to dominate very big areas
and another enabling to develop your territory to the upmost (
territorial),
and another that enable to build many more units (
efficiency). (eg: one ivory ressource enables 8 elephants instead of the normal 5. SO you have more elephants than through other policy trees, but they are weaker than through the "elite" tree, and you won't have the crossbows that the "science" tree enables through teching.)
a another policy tree that enable stronger version of spells (
magi) (you have to chose between many adaptative spell using the science tree OR few spell but more powerful).
...Etc
Policy is thus one way to compensate.
And even if one is able to complete 2 policies trees, they cost opportunity would still be there.... especially as policiies are independant from tech rate.
(But I would have preferred if teching somehow limited the options for some policies or reduces the number of policies that one can get.... not hardcoded, but maybe if getting culture means focusing on things a science focus has to reduce or sacrify.
BUt I think that secondary traits could be used if having more techs reduces the opportunity to get more traits. The opporunity cost is "do I use a strategy that will give me more techs or one that will lead me to have more traits?"