Techs on the way to victories

[Minor Annoyance]

The techs you need for each victory we all know but beelining just those wouldn't get you too far. I'm pretty sure vertical farming is too good not to get for purity. However augmentation and the augmentary is probably too out of the way for supremacy.

So I'm wondering what y'all think are the techs that you need to get on the way to the tech you need for victory, for each affinity. Also which leaf techs are you getting more for the affinity points than what they do. Techs that you would skip if you didn't need the points.
I'm partly asking because I'm wondering how good either buildings, bonuses, or affinity points have to be to lure someone away from the direct path. So I can try and redirect a path by changing how much affinity points are where.

 

[omniclast]

For my preferred Supremacy, I really like to have WCs and Orbital Fabs. Cognition and Fabrication are no-brainers. Mechatronics for optical surgeries, sometimes. If it's a warlike game or I'm behind and need to kill PWs, then Cybernetics for transporters and OLs. Augmentation never.

In all affinities, Bionics is a must-have. Institutes for free tech is good to get early, and with current health balance biowells are a necessity. I often get Organics for the +1 on generators, and about half the time I go to Photosystems for solar collectors. If I am really heavy on generators I'll go up to Bioengineering for Xenomalleum. Alien Sciences I'll pick up mid-to-late-game if there's a lot of Xenomass around me and it takes less than 5 turns.

It might be better to classify which outer tier techs are utterly useless and never worth getting unless you need extra affinity points for some reason: Field Theory, Augmentation, Social Dynamics, Synergetics, Astrodynamics. Bioengineering is also pretty mediocre if you're not getting XM.

It's interesting how the dynamics change in MP. When you actually have to defend your planetary wonder, you have a greater need to build up military tech, and the game takes longer so you have more time to explore outer tiers. In that case, Cybernetics is an absolute must, and ultimate affinity units are often worthwhile as well. Nanotech for nanopastures is useful on all affinities in this case, and if Purity, Boreholes at Planetary Eng are really damn good for pumping units. Planet Carvers are also sometimes useful for the one-two with a transporter (if you've got a lot of petrol).

 

[Minor Annoyance]

Ok. I made a mod based on having the most affinity points in the areas of the tech web least traveled. I've played one game and it went as I intended. The AI got the tech for the gate but did not have the affinity level to build it yet. I have several levels more than the next highest so I was either playing well or the AI wasn't prepared for the change. I assume the AI would just be using the points exactly as they are in the xml rather than some flavor to know where the points are. I got tactical LEV through spying but couldn't build the LEV Destroyer because I was several levels too low. Moved a lot of points away from it. I'll put it on the workshop and see if anyone else wants to try it. Would be good to see how a better player plays it.

 

[sylvanllewelyn]

So I'm wondering what y'all think are the techs that you need to get on the way to the tech you need for victory, for each affinity.

Supremacy I have been having way too much fun with lately.

For virtues, get: 1) “colony initiative”, 2) “adaptive sciences”, 3) 15 tier-one virtues for the free-technology synergy.

The “+20%” description for adaptive sciences is inaccurate, instead the virtue adds an integer number of xp-points to each leaf tech.

Research the following techs, not sorted in order:
Power systems (14)
Autonomous systems (21)
Tactical robotics (21)
Climate control (30)
Collaborative thought (30)
Synthetic thought (30)
Sub-total (146)

Deviations include: “chemistry”, “ecology”, “genetics”, “physics”, “bionics”, "alien lifeforms", again not necessarily in order.

Quest xp reduces the number of techs needed. For example, most games I get one of: a) “solid state citizen”, b) “familiar exotics” or c) “occupational hazards”. The reward for completing each one is normally at least 12xp.

Free techs speed up the process. Get “hypercomputing” with the free tech from the institute quest. Get “neural uploading” with the virtue-synergy reward.

146 (research) + 12 (quest) + 48 (neural uploading) = 206xp.

206xp is exactly level 12. Research “fabrication” and “mechatronics” while waiting for the next virtue. Get “martial meditations” as the next virtue. Now you are exactly at level 13.

In all affinities, Bionics is a must-have. Institutes for free tech is good to get early, and with current health balance biowells are a necessity.

Not sure about bionics. The free tech provides a net positive in science points, but the net number of turns can be positive or negative. Ironically, I always get it for supremacy. Harmony has food buildings and gene smelters. Purity has gene gardens and vertical farming.

It might be better to classify which outer tier techs are utterly useless and never worth getting unless you need extra affinity points for some reason: Field Theory, Augmentation, Social Dynamics, Synergetics, Astrodynamics. Bioengineering is also pretty mediocre if you're not getting XM.

Purity I am still crunching the numbers. Social dynamics into human conservation may be viable. HC unlocks the Deep Memory wonder, giving two free virtues to help finish off the knowledge tree for the free tech. Field Theory unlocks quantum computer to replace itself. FT unlocks mantle at level-8 purity, giving time to do some work.

Harmony… I have no clue. Transcendence victory is so complicated, I am close to giving up.