Mine sizes |
Okay, so I was using the ALLTECH cheat to check out all the stuff, when I noticed something odd...
Small mine level 1 is 10kt and costs 100 minerals
Small mine level 2 is 11kt and costs 110 minerals (assuming)
Small mine level 3 is 12kt and costs 120 minerals
But the only compontnts you can put on mines are all 5kt, so all the extra levels do is make the cost go up. Shouldn't this be changed to say, level 2 and 3 costing less minerals instead of increasing the tonnage? I mean, you would think that with more research, the standard mine size should become easier to make/maintain than the other way around.

It sounds to me like the
It sounds to me like the research levels need to be reworked for these items. For example, make mine level 2 cost what it currently takes to get to level 6, and make it add 5kT so it's usefull. Something similar should be done with satellites: increase research cost, increase effect to what's actually useful.
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With all these people, you would expect one of them to carry an iguana around...

Double Post :(
Oops, sorry for the double post there.

Useless space doesn't help...
I agree. I do have a Balance Mod that will be available once the game is released that retains the spirit of stock but addresses these sorts of issues.
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Tech Levels (non-Useful)
I agree, It does not make much sense to have a tech level that does not give you something useful.
What is the researcher going to tell his Emperor?
"We improved the technology of this Mine or Satellite, no Sir you can not put anything more in it, no it won't help you."
Emperor "OFF WITH HIS HEAD!!"
You do not report an improvement until it actually does something useful! (no matter how many research points it takes).
I actually like the concept
I actually like the concept of tech levels which don't give you any significant improvements.
First - it is realistic. Not every research project does come up with something revolutionary or has some useful outcome at all.
Second - Considering the vast number of tech levels in the game, I like the slowly improving things. Eg. frigate hull types. Every tech level gives you a bit of extra tonnage, but not as much as necessary to upgrade/refit every design once it is researched.
Third - Actually I remember some old SF strategy game - don't remember the name though. You had a vast number of research projects but couldn't be sure what you get out of it. Eg. the prospects told you they were aiming for a new weapon system, but the result could be a theory which might be useful in the future (prerequesite for some tech) but with no immediate use.

Teeny Weenie Warheads
Another solution possibly would be to add a new component to the research tree somewhere (small weapons?) that is a sort of teeny weenie warhead, only 1kt in size and carrying a damage value that is a little
alien legacy perhaps
atleast they had something similar. you often didn't know what the end result would be of a research endeavor, and you sometimes researched something that turned out to be a completely worthless advance till you stumbled onto something else that generated a benefit
i always just assumed the 200,00k i was pumping into the reesearch for rock colonization covered all the research avenues that dead-ended in failure, plus the one that actually succeeded, and that any left overs were being pocketed by the scientists or my senate. that they were over shooting with nice round numbers




Something Similarly with Satellites
With satellites I increased the level and the space did go up from 60kt to 64 kt and there was nothing that I could install that would fit in 4kt.