Discussion: Does research cost decrease need to be buffed

[Volodio]

This is something I'd like to know too. Because there's a cap of five research slots it makes it very hard to "catch up" in one area of technology you neglected while not falling behind elsewhere. A great example is Germany and naval techs. A typical German player will put researching surface ships on the back burner in favor of tanks, planes, etc. What happens when Germany researchs the "behind schedule" techs to build the needed navy. Do they take the full time?

I think there isn't any change in the speed if you're late, but there are still the blueprints to gain some big bonus.

 

[Denkt]

Then I think about it, the tech reduction get stronger and stronger the larger you get it.

Lets take a technology that have 100 day research time and that tech is researched over and over. You research the -2% tech and thus have a tech reduction of -2%.

Then each 98 days you are saving 2 days for about 7.5 saved days per year.

Now lets say you have a tech reduction of -50% and research the -2% tech.

Then each 48 days you are saving 2 days for about 15.2 saved days per year.

So what Im saying is that you want to stack the research reductions.

Now a realistic tech reduction before -2% tech is between -2% to -10% depending on which trade law you use and if you use companies it is possible for some technologies to have as much as -20% tech reduction before the -2%.

If you have -10% you are saving 2 days every 88 days and if you have -20% you are saving 2 days every 78 days.

Then you get the -3%. Then you will be saving 5 days each 85 days with -10% and saving 5 days each 75 days with -20%.

You are thus undervaluing these techs. With -10% reduction the payback time is 2.71 years for -2% research reduction and 2.62 years for -3% research reduction if you have 4 research slots. The -3% also improve the -2% so the payback time may be even shorter then I have listed.

Then there is the fact that you can not develop encryption and decryption without the computer techs, how valuable these are I don't know but it is something to consider.

 

[vector1]

Maybe the real rebalance should be moving some of the bonuses from political power based ministers/laws to research bonuses from tech. Either way I'm reasonably happy with the small boosts from technology now since it has quite a lot of stacking potential if done right.

 

[Denkt]

Maybe the real rebalance should be moving some of the bonuses from political power based ministers/laws to research bonuses from tech.

No thanks, Im pretty sure the companies and trade laws are goods as they are currently and the computer techs have their uses without being completely no brainers.