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Contents 1 How research really works 2 Summary of techs and research costs 2.1 Engineering 2.2 Power 2.3 Chemistry 2.4 Sociology 2.5 Computers 2.6 Biology 2.7 Physics 2.8 Force Fields

[edit] How research really works

The previous pages presented research costs as if they were exact and always the same. It's more complicated than that, although no-one seems to have worked out the exact details. The best available information is:

• At first the game states an estimated number of turns in the Research Status box on the bottom right corner of the Galaxy Screen.
• When you've invested a very high percentage of the stated RP cost, the game displays in the Research Status box a % chance of completing research on the next turn as well as its estimate of the number of turns remaining, assuming you maintain the same rate of research.
• When the Research Status box says "100%", some players move all scientists into some other job, so that the only continuing research investment is what the buildings produce on their own, and these players think this causes no delay or at most 1 additional turn.
  You could try this (at your own risk). If your race is Tolerant, you could make your ex-scientists produce Trade Goods - you'll need the money some time, possibly to finance an invasion campaign. If not Tolerant, it makes no sense to move all your scientists into industrial production as a lot of it will be wasted by pollution. Research colonies tend to have high populations, so Housing is not efficient there. Farming looks like the best general alternative, as the surplus food will increase your income.

[edit] Summary of techs and research costs

Eight pages of tech details is a lot to remember, so this page tries to summarise the most useful points for each level, excluding the starting and Hyper-advanced techs:

• Name of each tech level (e.g. "Astro Biology").
• Names of the techs in that level.
• The most usual choice(s) for non-Creative empires.
• Number of RPs needed to research each level.
• Cumulative number of RPs needed to research each level from a Pre-Warp start. This will show how many RPS in total you need in order to get from your current position to some tech you really want - subtract the desired tech's cumulative RPs from your current level's cumulative RPs; then you compare the result with your current research output (bottom right of the Galaxy map and Colony List screens). You may then decide to research and build some more research buildings first.

Remember that the "Usual non-Creative choices" are only a guide:

• Choices you make in other tech subjects may makes other choices useful.
• You must adapt to what your opponents are doing.

[edit] Engineering

RPs	Cumul RPs	Level name	Technologies	Usual non-Creative choices
80	80	Advanced Engineering	Anti-Missile Rockets Fighter Bays Reinforced Hull	Reinforced Hull
150	230	Advanced Construction	Automated Factory Missile Base Heavy Armor	Automated Factory
250	480	Capsule Construction	Battle Pods Troop Pods Survival Pods	Battle Pods
400	880	Astro Engineering	Space Port Armor Barracks Fighter Garrison	Space Port Fighter Garrison
650	1530	Robotics	Robo-Miners Battlestation Powered Armor	Robo-Miners
900	2430	Servo Mechanics	Fast Missile Racks Advanced Damage Control Assault Shuttles	Advanced Damage Control Fast Missile Racks
1150	3580	Astro Construction	Titan Construction Ground Batteries Battleoids	Titan Construction Ground Batteries
1500	5080	Advanced Manufacturing	Recyclotron Automated Repair Unit Artificial Planet Construction	Recyclotron (Cybernetic races:)Automated Repair Unit
2000	7080	Advanced Robotics	Robotic Factory Bomber Bays	(neither is particularly impressive)
3500	10580	Tectonic Engineering	Deep Core Mine Core Waste Dump	(Tolerant:)Deep Core Mine (other races:) either, depends on situation
6000	16580	Superscalar Construction	Star Fortress Advanced City Planning Heavy Fighters	Advanced City Planning
7500	24080	Planetoid Construction	Doom Star Construction Artemis System Net	Doom Star Construction

[edit] Power

RPs	Cumul RPs	Level name	Technologies	Usual non-Creative choices
50	50	Nuclear Fission	Freighters Nuclear Drive Nuclear Bomb	This is a "general" tech level - even Uncreatives get all the techs.
80	130	Cold Fusion	Colony Ship Outpost Ship Transport	This is a "general" tech level - even Uncreatives get all the techs.
250	380	Advanced Fusion	Fusion Drive Fusion Bomb Augmented Engines	Augmented Engines
900	1280	Ion Fission	Ion Drive Ion Pulse Cannon Shield Capacitor	Ion Drive Shield Capacitor
2000	3280	Anti-Matter Fission	Anti-Matter Drive Anti-Matter Torpedoes Anti-Matter Bomb	Anti-Matter Torpedoes Anti-Matter Drive
2750	6030	Matter-Energy Conversion	Transporters Food Replicators	Transporters
3500	9530	High Energy Distribution	High Energy Focus Energy Absorber Megafluxers	(if using beams:) High Energy Focus (otherwise:) Megafluxers
4500	14030	Hyper-Dimensional Fission	Proton Torpedo Hyper Drive Hyper-X Capacitors	(if using beams:) Hyper-X Capacitors (otherwise:) Proton Torpedo
10000	24030	Interphased Fission	(if using beams:) Interphased Drive (otherwise:) Plasma Torpedo Neutronium Bomb	Interphased Drive Plasma Torpedo

[edit] Chemistry

RPs	Cumul RPs	Level name	Technologies	Usual non-Creative choices
50	50	Chemistry	Nuclear Missile Standard Fuel Cells Extended Fuel Tanks Titanium Armor	This is a "general" tech level - even Uncreatives get all the techs.
250	300	Advanced Metallurgy	Deuterium Fuel Cells Tritanium Armor	(Tolerant races:)Tritanium Armor (others:) Deuterium Fuel Cells
650	950	Advanced Chemistry	Merculite Missile Pollution Processor	Merculite Missile
1150	2100	Molecular Compression	Pulson Missile Atmospheric Renewer Iridium Fuel Cells	(Tolerant races:)Iridium Fuel Cells (others:) Atmospheric Renewer
2000	4100	Nano Technology	Nano Disassemblers Microlite Construction Zortrium Armor	Zortrium Armor
4500	8600	Molecular Manipulation	Zeon Missile Neutronium Armor Uridium Fuel Cells	Zeon Missile
10000	18600	Molecular Control	Thorium Fuel Cells Adamantium Armor	Adamantium Armor

[edit] Sociology

RPs	Cumul RPs	Level name	Technologies	Usual non-Creative choices
150	150	Military Tactics	Space Academy	Space Academy
650	800	Xeno Relations	Xeno Psychology Alien Management Center	Alien Management Center
1150	1950	Macro Economics	Stock Exchange	Stock Exchange
2000	3950	Teaching Methods	Astro University	Astro University
4500	8450	Advanced Government	The advanced version of your government
6000	14450	Galactic Economics	Galactic Currency Exchange	Galactic Currency Exchange

[edit] Computers

RPs	Cumul RPs	Level name	Technologies	Usual non-Creative choices
50	50	Electronics	Electronic Computer	Electronic Computer
150	200	Optronics	Research Laboratory Optronic Computer Dauntless Guidance System	Research Laboratory
400	600	Artificial Intelligence	Neural Scanner Scout Lab Security Stations	Neural Scanner
900	1500	Positronics	Positronic Computer Supercomputer Holo Simulator	Supercomputer
1500	3000	Artificial Consciousness	Emissions Guidance System Rangemaster Targeting Unit Cyber Security Link	Emissions Guidance System (Democracies:) Cyber Security Link
2750	5750	Cybertronics	Cybertronic Computer Autolab Structural Analyzer	Autolab Cybertronic Computer
3500	9250	Cybertechnics	Android Farmers Android Workers Android Scientists	(production races:) Android Scientists (research races:) Android Workers
4500	13750	Galactic Networking	Virtual Reality Network Galactic Cybernet	Galactic Cybernet
6000	19750	Moleculartronics	Pleasure Dome Moleculartronic Computer Achilles Targeting Unit	not sure

[edit] Biology

RPs	Cumul RPs	Level name	Technologies	Usual non-Creative choices
80	80	Astro Biology	Hydroponic Farm Biospheres	Biospheres
400	480	Advanced Biology	Cloning Center Soil Enrichment Death Spores	(Lithovores:) Cloning Center (poor farming:) Soil Enrichment (otherwise:)Cloning Center
900	1380	Genetic Engineering	Telepathic Training Microbiotics	(have pop growth bonus:) Telepathic Training (Democracies:) Telepathic Training (have counter-intelligence bonus:) Microbiotics (have pop capacity bonus:) Microbiotics
1150	2530	Genetic Mutations	Terraforming	Terraforming
1500	4030	Macro Genetics	Subterranean Farms Weather Controller	Weather Controller
2750	6780	Evolutionary Genetics	Psionics Heightened Intelligence	(Democracies, Dictatorships:) Psionics (Unification:) Heightened Intelligence (Feudal:) depends on mix of population
4500	11280	Artificial Life	Bio Terminator Universal Antidote	Universal Antidote
7500	18780	Trans Genetics	Biomorphic Fungi Gaia Transformation Evolutionary Mutation	not sure

[edit] Physics

RPs	Cumul RPs	Level name	Technologies	Usual non-Creative choices
50	50	Physics	Laser Cannon Laser Rifle Space Scanner	This is a "general" tech level - even Uncreatives get all the techs.
150	200	Fusion Physics	Fusion Beam Fusion Rifle	Fusion Beam
250	450	Tachyon Physics	Tachyon Communications Tachyon Scanner Battle Scanner	(use beam weapons:) Battle Scanner Tachyon Communications
900	1350	Neutrino Physics	Neutron Blaster Neutron Scanner	Neutron Scanner
1150	2500	Artificial Gravity	Tractor Beam Graviton Beam Gravity Generator	(High-G race:) probably Gravity Generator, otherwise Graviton Beam (others:) Gravity Generator
1500	4000	Subspace Physics	Subspace Communications Jump Gate	Subspace Communications
2000	6000	Multi-Phased Physics	Phasors Phasor Rifle Multi-Phased Shields	Phasors
3500	9500	Plasma Physics	Plasma Cannon Plasma Rifle Plasma Web	Plasma Rifle
4500	14000	Multi-Dimensional Physics	Disruptor Cannon Dimensional Portal	(attack Antarans:)Dimensional Portal (otherwise:)Disruptor Cannon
6000	20000	Hyper-Dimensional Physics	Hyperspace Communications Mauler Device	not sure
15000	35000	Temporal Physics	Time Warp Facilitator Stellar Converter Star Gate	not sure

[edit] Force Fields

RPs	Cumul RPs	Level name	Technologies	Usual non-Creative choices
250	250	Advanced Magnetism	Class I Shield Mass Driver ECM Jammer	ECM Jammer
650	900	Gravitic Fields	Anti-Grav Harness Inertial Stabilizer Gyro Destabilizer	Inertial Stabilizer
900	1800	Magneto Gravitics	Class III Shield Radiation Shield Warp Dissipater	probably Radiation Shield
1500	3300	Electromagnetic Refraction	Stealth Field Personal Shield Stealth Suit	(Democracy:) Stealth Suit (others:) Personal Shield
2000	5300	Warp Fields	Pulsar Warp Interdictor Lightning Field	(if allowed:) Warp Interdictor (otherwise:) Lightning Field
2750	8050	Subspace Fields	Class V Shields Multi-Wave ECM Jammer Gauss Cannon	Class V Shields
3500	11550	Distortion Fields	Cloaking Device Stasis Field Hard Shields	probably Hard Shields
4500	16050	Quantum Fields	Class VII Shield Planetary Flux Shield Wide Area Jammer	probably Class VII Shield, otherwise Wide Area Jammer
7500	23550	Transwarp Fields	Displacement Device Subspace Teleporter Inertial Nullifier	Subspace Teleporter
15000	38550	Temporal Fields	Class X Shield Planetary Barrier Shield Phasing Cloak	Class X Shield