Tech Stagnation

[creamcheese]

Anyone have experience with this option?

A little backround first:
I am a hardcore builder, I like to build as many SPs as I can and get every base to full size with as many improvements as possible. I prefer the Diplo or Transcendence wins, but sometimes I bulk up and then spam advanced clean drop troops and win by conquest. I have found that the tech pace is often so fast that I am Finishing a prototype for the previous tech when I'm about to get something better, and It seems to me like this option would slow the tech pace down and allow me to actually have games that last a significant portion of the max turns. Even on huge maps on transcend I can push my tech rate down to ~4 turns or less.

Is tech stagnation any fun? Exactly what does it do anyway?

 

[vyeh]

Tech Stagnation adds 50% to the cost of tech. It sounds like you would enjoy this option.

 

[bdanv]

tech stagnation will give you time to fight with all the weapons available in the game.
also, there's a big chance your invading forces may not be obsolete when they land on you're enemy's shores if you use that on MP games.

 

[creamcheese]

50% might even be a little cheap, but I think I'll give it a whirl. Thanks for the info!

 

[vyeh]

You can also modify your alpha.txt or alphax.txt file (the first if you are playing the original and the second if you are playing the expansion).

At the beginning of the file under #RULES, find the line

100,      ; Technology discovery rate as a percentage of standard

If you feel that +50% is too cheap (tech stagnation), you could try alternatively to set the number 100 to 50, which will give you +100% for tech cost.

 

[creamcheese]

I'll give that a go as well. Right now I'm working on a tech stag game, and it's slower for sure. I'll mess around with different % settings in the rules file later.

Thanks for the great ideas! I totally forgot about editing the rules.

 

[FlayerSlayer]

See for me, it's not the overall speed, it's the S-curve! In the beginning of the game, I need SO MANY TURNS to build anything and the early techs give me so little improvement, that I struggle to get anywhere. Then at the end of a game, I am researching so fast that I cannot build quick enough to keep up with the flood of new options. Only in the middle of the game (100 turns or so) can I really feel like I am keeping my head above water. Slowing down the rate would make the end game more manageable, but the early and mid games would feel too slow then. I would be interested in a way to increase the CURVE for tech costs though...

 

[vyeh]

There isn't much that can be done for that given the exponential way research productivity can increase (especially if you are using ICS) and the linear way research cost goes up.