Tailoring Research? Possible?

[Ter.Yeah]

Hi.

I still haven't sunk too many hours into 2.2+, but I have a question (it might have been answered many times, if so I apologize).

Pre 2.2 we could upgrade our research buildings in the direction we wanted.

Is this possible to tailor in the current patch? I am now playing a hive mind, and I'm swimming in society and physics research, but my engineering is really really lacking. And unless the tech tree has changed in seriously drastic ways, I know that I want to reach some high-tier engineering techs sooner rather than later. So, how to do this? At the moment I feel like it's down to dumb luck, all based on the systems you find, but maybe I am missing something? (I have not gotten to 2300 yet, so if there is later tech/buildings that allow for this, please tell me).

It is really frustrating right now knowing that I will fall so far behind on engineering compared to the other two. This is single player, but I also play multiplayer with friends, - and there things like finding ruined ring worlds and such really mean something. If you can't get the tech before the game is over, it seems a bit void

 

[Bouchart]

No. Research labs give equal amounts of each research type. The monument/temple line adds extra society on top of that.

Off the top of my head, the only other asymmetrical research bonuses are the Black Hole Research Station building which gives physics, the natural physicist/sociologist/engineer trait, the Omega Alignment building that gives physics, the planet bonuses like Hostile Fauna that give +% research of one type, and the research paths in each of the three fields that give +20% to that type of research. And of course whatever research stations you can build.

You might also consider building ships with energy weapons and shields, bypassing kinetic weapons, missiles, and armor, and trying to get those techs through debris.

In general, tech progress is slower than it was in previous patches in the early game so you can't use your old baselines for determine whether you are ahead or behind in research.

 

[Gratak]

It's indeed really stupid. They should give us some way to focus on engineering and physics.

 

[Ter.Yeah]

Thanks for the answers. I am not really happy with the content, but I guess it at least confirms my own sanity.
It seems that if you create a race now with a goal of creating a scientific empire, you need to have the natural engineering trait. At least it's been engineering that's been lacking in all my restarts so far (no idea if only applicable for hive mind?).
Great tip about the weapon tech and debris. Thanks, never even considered that thought.
I've found a few planets with + society output, and I guess if I find one with engineering bonuses I *need* to make it a tech world.

Also agree with Gratak, it's "indeed really stupid" unless it was intended this way and the tech-tree would reflect that. Sadly, that does not seem to be case (so far).

Is my bad luck with engineering just bad luck, or is there a general trend that you're able to produce less engineering than the other two?

 

[ArcticISAF]

Right now it's a general trend. There's many ways built directly into your economy to produce society research, a few indirect ways of producing physics (black hole observatory, interdimensional study), and I don't think there's much in the way for engineering. Might be a good idea to focus on the engineering by the trait.

 

[artemis667]

Yeah I almost always feel engineering numbers lag physics and society just due to the nature of deposits on planetary bodies and other things that have been mentioned.

 

[Sigma 582]

I wrote a suggestion a while ago to add a group of policies allowing to boost one area in expense of the others to alleviate this.

But actually, extra soc is always good for three reasons:
- leader lifespan repeatable; if your soc is really strong, your leaders become virtually immortal.
- admin capacity repeatable; allows you to reduce penalties to all research costs by spending soc.
- starbase cap and naval cap repeatables; as pop count doesn't contribute to starbase cap anymore, at some point these two techs become your most effective way to increase naval cap (+36 from extra anchorage or +20 directly from naval cap tech)

 

[klopkr]

You can focus on one at no benefit if you nerf the others by never researching the research bonuses or building anything interesting in space.

It would be cool if you could build buildings to specifically influence the research gained from jobs in one direction for a planet.

 

[AlanC9]

Is my bad luck with engineering just bad luck, or is there a general trend that you're able to produce less engineering than the other two?

it's just bad luck. In my games physics and engineering deposits are just about balanced.

 

[Dalwin]

They also got rid of the old edicts which favored one flavor of research at the expense of the other two. I am not sure I see a good reason to have done this. It is almost as if in the process of redesigning everything they forgot to include some things from the old system which did not need changing and would still have a valuable place in the new system.

 

[icon41gimp]

I think you're unable to focus due to balance reasons. You'd almost always want to focus Engineering if you could - adding an option to do this would quickly become a prerequisite.

 

[Pope Thrax]

I believe there are a few edicts that boost engineering research