Impaler is against researching CentEmp next for PUT. Therefore here's an oversight of the techs we could research next as PUT after MMI is researched next year. As said above, Bioeng would probably be about everyone's favourite choice, but unfortunately that won't be available as a choice next. Instead our choices are:
- Doctrine: Initiative
- Centauri Empathy
- Progenitor Psych
- Polymorphic Software
- Doctrine: Loyalty
This leads to three possible research strategies we could follow:
1> Chosing Doctrine: Initiative as next tech to research
The idea would be that CyCon gives D:Ini to PUT in mid-research, so that PUT can switch to Bioeng immediately.
Advantage of this strategy:
We'll probably get Bioeng in some 4 turns
Disadvantage:
We'll need to give PUT a useless tech. As a consequence their research costs will rise, and for all following techs the cost will probably be some 50 to 100 labs higher than it could have been without giving D:Ini.
2> Chosing Polymorphic Software
Simply researching that, as it is one of the techs necessary to get to Biomachinery eventually. Bioengineering would then be picked and researched after PolySoft.
Advantages:
We research PolySoft, far prerequisite for Biomac.
We don't suffer any extra costs as in option 1.
Disadvantages:
We'll only get Bioeng in some 8-9 years.
The Drones have PolySoft, so if we research it, we can no longer steal or trade it from them.
3> Chosing Centauri Empathy
The idea would be to research CentEmp next, give it to CyCon (who are currently researching CentEmp) who would then be running 80% labs, and research Bioeng. The turn we get Bioeng would be dependent on when we decide to switch to 80% labs. Could vary from 4-5 to 9 turns I guess.
Advantages:
We research CentEmp, which gives us among others the ability to run Green economy if we want, and build roads on fungus, such as around the Ruins on Alecrast (PUT continent).
CentEmp is a prerequisite for Centauri Meditation, which gives us empath specialists. Empaths would probably give us some 40 extra credits per year.
Disadvantages:
We have to switch CyCon to 80% labs, and forget about hurrying anything for a while.
CentEmp (and CentMed) aren't prerequisites for Biomac.
Even if we now choose option 1 or 2, we still have to ask ourselves the question whether or not we're going to research CentEmp and possibly CentMed at a later date.
Impaler has suggested to forget about CentEmp/CentMed and let CyCon simply switch research to something else. This switching would result in a 50% loss of the already accumulated labs, which are some 250-300 IIRC.
Researching CentEmp/CentMed would result in several advantages, the most important being IMO having the ability to go Green, building roads on fungus and especially having empaths. Empaths would probably result in some extra 40 credits per year. But the question is: does that advantage and other weigh up against the extra cost of researching those two techs?
So what should we do? Discuss!
Edit: Oh yeah, we should also begin to ponder about what faction will research what tech in order to get to Biomac. For example it wouldn't be efficient to give pretty useless techs such as PolySoft or Optical Computers to both factions. One faction researching them is already enough to have them as prerequisite for the next tech in line.
Edit2: Btw, how about proposing to buster that PUT switches to PolySoft, that buster then gives us PolySoft and that we then switch to research Bioeng and give it to him. Little chance that he'll accept, but there's no harm in trying I guess.
What to research then? Centauri Empathy, just like the Consciousness? After Centauri Empathy PUT would be able to choose Bioeng next.
![Impaler[WrG]'s Avatar](customavatars/avatar19353_5.gif){kind=avatar}
