Move Strike Craft Repeatable Tech to Physics

[Hastet]

In the end-game, the Engineering branch of tech is filled with multiple repeatable tech. Two kinetic techs, two missile techs, two strike craft techs, two platform techs, armor, and minerals. That's 10 technologies competing with one another for engineering points.

Contrast this with the Physics branch, where the repeatable tech is limited to shields, energy weapons, and energy production. That's just four repeatable techs, not counting the building discount option since it maxes out at 5.

So why not move strike craft repeatables to the physics branch instead?

It's completely feasible from a lore perspective. Strike craft use energy-based weapons after all, as do flagella and prethoryn craft.

From a balance perspective, it should help ease the congestion in the Engineering branch. Moving SC to physics should make it easier for players to get the tech they want to stack in the Engineering branch--specifically kinetics or missiles. Moving SC to physics allows for simultaneous research on the weapons that complement them, after all. Missiles bypass shields (which strike craft also do) while kinetics will have an easier time drilling through armor thanks to strike craft bonuses.

Also, SC could also be assigned to the Computing sub-category of the Physics branch. Leaders with computing expertise become useless in the endgame because no permanently repeatable tech uses computing. Maybe edit the flavor text to say that improving computers helps the power output of strike craft weapons or something along those lines.

 

[Lorenerd11]

Yeah, agreed. Engineering is definitely overburdened, while Physics doesn't have nearly enough repeatables, resulting in energy weapons and shields being over-researched, while armors and kinetic/explosive weapons are under-researched at the same time.

Also, Strike Craft could also be assigned to the Computing sub-category of the Physics branch. Leaders with computing expertise become useless in the endgame because no permanently repeatable tech uses computing.

I'd suggest Strike Craft Attack Speed to Particles instead, and then move Assembly Algorithms (Planetary Build Speed) over to Computing as well.

Here's what I would change:

• Strike Craft Attack Speed: Engineering (Voidcraft) → Physics (Particles)
• Strike Craft Damage: Engineering (Voidcraft) → Physics (Computing)
• Planetary Build Speed: Engineering (Industry) → Physics (Computing)

Strike Craft Attack Speed would use Particles research just like energy weapons, and the flavor texts of Strike Craft Damage and Planetary Build Speed techs mention "processing enemy positioning data" and "application of game and puzzle theory", making them perfect candidates for Computing. With these three shifted to Physics, we have 8 Engineering, 9 Society, and 8 Physics repeatables in contrast to the 11 Engineering, 9 Society, and 5 Physics we have now.

7 Engineering and 6 Physics of which would be permanently available, as opposed to the 9 Engineering techs and 4 Physics permanently repeatable techs we have now. The 4 Society permanently repeatable techs would remain unchanged.

 

[Lorenerd11]

Old suggestion, but I still would like to see this happen.

 

[LucasG21]

Great suggestion! But wouldn't it make more sense to instead create new repeatable techs for Society and Physics instead?

 

[Everstill]

When the time comes, problably with the expansion that adds Institutions to the game, they need to rework this repeatable techs system to something more interesting and without any tedious "trap choices" at the end.

But to remedy the current problem, why they have separate techs for the same thing...? Like a tech for Energy Attack Speed and other for Energy Damage, why not a single Tech that give both (with half the numbers)....?

Same thing for armies, with a single Tech giving Damage and HP, Strike Craft with a single tech for Attack speed and Damage, Stations, etc....

 

[SirBlackAxe]

Rather than the strike craft repeatables, I'd move the entire explosives weapon tree to physics. That gives both engineering (strike craft) and physics (missiles) a shield bypass weapon, and the PD type effective against the other.