There are 4 or so kinds of technologies in stellaris.
The first kind is a technology that doesn't unlock other technologies.
The second kind is a technology that gives a benefit (like +% energy from workers, or a weapon type) that unlocks other technologies that give an identical, but stacking benefit (or a weapon that is a clone of the earlier weapon, but more damage/power/etc).
The third kind of technology are the repeating technologies that you can take sometimes an unlimited number of times. They are a special case of the 2nd kind.
The final kind of technology is what I want special flags on. These technologies are required for a future tech that is qualitatively different than this one.
The biggest example of this is "Colonial Centralization". It is required by an insane number of other techs, from "Advanced Mineral Purification", "Integrated Cybernetics", "Droids", "Binary Motivators", tier-3 alloy and CG buildings. Others exist, like Cermo-Metal materials (unlocks a Society tech)
In game there is a "unlocks other tech" flag. It is actually a legacy flag that is from an earlier version of the tech tree that had everything branch off a few technologies.
I'm suggesting we reuse that flag. If a technology is type 4 or a requirement for a type 4 technology or a requirement for a requirement (etc), give it that flag.
Plasma weaponry, for example, doesn't get it. But disruptors and up to X-Ray lasers do, as they unlock X slot weapons that aren't strict upgrades.
The first kind is a technology that doesn't unlock other technologies.
The second kind is a technology that gives a benefit (like +% energy from workers, or a weapon type) that unlocks other technologies that give an identical, but stacking benefit (or a weapon that is a clone of the earlier weapon, but more damage/power/etc).
The third kind of technology are the repeating technologies that you can take sometimes an unlimited number of times. They are a special case of the 2nd kind.
The final kind of technology is what I want special flags on. These technologies are required for a future tech that is qualitatively different than this one.
The biggest example of this is "Colonial Centralization". It is required by an insane number of other techs, from "Advanced Mineral Purification", "Integrated Cybernetics", "Droids", "Binary Motivators", tier-3 alloy and CG buildings. Others exist, like Cermo-Metal materials (unlocks a Society tech)
In game there is a "unlocks other tech" flag. It is actually a legacy flag that is from an earlier version of the tech tree that had everything branch off a few technologies.
I'm suggesting we reuse that flag. If a technology is type 4 or a requirement for a type 4 technology or a requirement for a requirement (etc), give it that flag.
Plasma weaponry, for example, doesn't get it. But disruptors and up to X-Ray lasers do, as they unlock X slot weapons that aren't strict upgrades.