You guys have seriously got to fix the "research speed" setting

from GalCiv3 Forums

Hello all!

I don't want my games to feel like technology achievements are not a big deal or to deal with the constant churn of updating my ship blueprints every turn. It makes game decisions feel inconsequential and ruins immersion for me. It shouldn't take the same amount of time for a ship to cross my territory early game as it does for me to develop Missile technology from scratch.

Anyway, I'm currently playing a game, huge map, occasional habitable planets, normal game pace, very slow research speed. As of turn 157, the Snathi had declared war on me about 50 turns prior. So, I'm getting ready to try to propose a peace treaty and I notice they have TWENTY techs I don't possess. TWENTY. By turn 157, on very slow research settings I'm not sure a society like the Snathi would have twenty techs, period. I have 26 techs, plus the 20 they have that I don't minus the 6 techs I have that they don't, puts it at a total for 40 for them. 157/40 =

They were averaging  new tech early game every 3.925 turns. On very slow. I've never played on very fast but what happens there? You blast through the whole tech tree in 175 turns?

I mean, c'mon. This should be the easiest of easy fixes. I shouldn't have to mod my own game files just to get a research speed setting that actually works.

13,731 views 6 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

What difficulty where you playing on?

Reply #2 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

I usually play with all AIs as Gifted and I observe the same thing: playing only on insane maps with 10 other major factions I meet the first AI around turn 100-150 and they have always a loooong list of techs to trade while I have only a handful ...

Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #3 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

If you are playing above 'normal' the ai gets bonuses to tech and it gets bonus to research production. This is totally normal. I only play gifted or above and usually if you have not noticed but by turn 75 to 125 if you look at the ai, it will almost always be ahead of you in techs. You should be targeting anomalies which 'can' grant instant research completion or reduction in times. I also focus and specialize about 25% of my planets for research. 

 

 

Reply #4 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

I know about the bonuses but I have the impression that the tech advance is bigger than before 1.9 ...

I normally play with anomalies on uncommon so there are not so many to exploit. Apart from that I follow the usual tactics (switching to expensive techs just before exploring a Capsule or Artifact). Only the techwise planet specialization I do neglect a bit most of the time ;)

Reply #5 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

This was on normal.

I understand people are trying to offer affirmative explanations, and I appreciate that. However, a new tech in a 4x game every 4 turns is not "very slow" research development by any definition, irrespective of the difficulty, or any other settings. Even if I wasn't playing on normal, playing one or two difficulties above should not alter tech frequency such that I'm getting a new tech on the slowest setting faster than I would on a fast setting in other space 4xs. That would render the "research speed" option pointless. This is especially egregious when you consider the Snathi are not a research-focused faction.

The devs need to re-program the base code for techs so that research speed acts as a multiplier of research costs. It's really that simple. The current system does not accomplish anything close to what it's supposed to.

Reply #6 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Quoting rynebrandon, reply 5

The devs need to re-program the base code for techs so that research speed acts as a multiplier of research costs. It's really that simple. The current system does not accomplish anything close to what it's supposed to.

^^ This. Currently the Research Speed acts like a negative Research Improvement. Easily countered by building an extra research world. Its a mute thing tbh. It works better if you mod it to apply a flat value (this can actually be to effective since flat research in game is hard to come by compared to multipliers).