I can see what the devs are trying to represent with technology cost modifiers, the tech schedule (ahead of time penalty) and institutions. However, they way these play out, with regard to what players have to do to take advantage of them, isn't really what was intended.
Technology cost and schedule:
So there are things that modify your technology cost. These seem to be intended so that some kingdoms/nations will pull ahead in tech while others fall behind. There are a couple different divisions: a scientific focus versus a religiously dogmatic focus, a big and overstretched empire versus a small and efficient kingdom etc. This is not however, how things play out for me. Regardless of tech cost modifiers, I develop my tech at the pace prescribed by the schedule, pausing on Jan 1st of the year I am no longer ahead to unlock all 3 techs at once, and the price is whatever the price is. The savings go into something else, usually development.
It might make more sense, if things that modified tech cost, instead modified the schedule for that kingdom. This would result in me actually pulling ahead when I'm meant to, and falling behind when I'm meant to as well.
Instituions:
This is the other point I wanted to speak to: Institution spread is weird. Institution spread should represent the trade of ideas, and in some ways this has been represented. More developed cities, which would have a higher population density, will spread the new ideas faster than undeveloped rural regions. The part where this breaks down is the requirement to be exactly adjacent for the idea to spread. In reality, ideas spread from city to city, while skipping the rural regions. Ideas follow the travel of people, and just as today there are "fly over" regions, in this period there would be...what would you call them? "Roll past" regions? The travelers wouldn't have to stop at every last farm house on the trade route, and tell them of the new ideas before the ideas would reach the next city. Ideas should spread to wherever the traders are going, which would mean jumping from urban center to urban center, based on a combination of the trade routes, and who gets along with who.
The final note that I want to make on how flawed the current institution spread system is is this: How I exploit it. It doesn't matter where in the world I am, or how close to the origin of an institution I am, I get it the same way. I pick a province that is close to my capital, and coastal, and touching two sea zones. I develop that one spot like crazy until I effectively spawn my own center of the institution. Is this what the devs had in mind when they developed this system? I don't think so.
Technology cost and schedule:
So there are things that modify your technology cost. These seem to be intended so that some kingdoms/nations will pull ahead in tech while others fall behind. There are a couple different divisions: a scientific focus versus a religiously dogmatic focus, a big and overstretched empire versus a small and efficient kingdom etc. This is not however, how things play out for me. Regardless of tech cost modifiers, I develop my tech at the pace prescribed by the schedule, pausing on Jan 1st of the year I am no longer ahead to unlock all 3 techs at once, and the price is whatever the price is. The savings go into something else, usually development.
It might make more sense, if things that modified tech cost, instead modified the schedule for that kingdom. This would result in me actually pulling ahead when I'm meant to, and falling behind when I'm meant to as well.
Instituions:
This is the other point I wanted to speak to: Institution spread is weird. Institution spread should represent the trade of ideas, and in some ways this has been represented. More developed cities, which would have a higher population density, will spread the new ideas faster than undeveloped rural regions. The part where this breaks down is the requirement to be exactly adjacent for the idea to spread. In reality, ideas spread from city to city, while skipping the rural regions. Ideas follow the travel of people, and just as today there are "fly over" regions, in this period there would be...what would you call them? "Roll past" regions? The travelers wouldn't have to stop at every last farm house on the trade route, and tell them of the new ideas before the ideas would reach the next city. Ideas should spread to wherever the traders are going, which would mean jumping from urban center to urban center, based on a combination of the trade routes, and who gets along with who.
The final note that I want to make on how flawed the current institution spread system is is this: How I exploit it. It doesn't matter where in the world I am, or how close to the origin of an institution I am, I get it the same way. I pick a province that is close to my capital, and coastal, and touching two sea zones. I develop that one spot like crazy until I effectively spawn my own center of the institution. Is this what the devs had in mind when they developed this system? I don't think so.