Adding unique techs

I've never found the unique techs to be all that helpful...

SEV, more than a feeling.

You cannot research them without finding a ruins planet containing them (and being the first to colonize it).

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maybe you could try to trade the tech from the ai-player that has it?!

there IS a way you could research them. but it requires you to change the requirements for researching the technology.

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I beleive there's a treaty option that would allow you to get it anyway. catch is it'd give them ALL of your technology.

IIRC, that option just means you will share racial and unique techs that both empires qualify for. It shouldn't actually give out racial techs to empires without the trait.

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As another posted already mentioned, the unique techs are kinda lousy. I always feel disappointed when I colonize ruins but receive a unique tech; it's much more useful to get the random increases in "normal" tech areas. The unique techs are just too inefficient.

Actually, I think that the Massive Planatary Shield is a pretty good one. On this subject though, right now the news tells you that you have acquired a tech, but it doesn't tell you what it is. You have to go searching through your research tree to try to see if you can find what is new there. It would be really helpful it the news would tell you what it is when you get it.

It does tell you, but under the "research" news category.

Mod out the unique req and you can get them...

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I don't believe there is a cheat code to add specific individual techs.

There is a cheat code "alltech" that has the effect "Current Player gains all technologies." I have no idea if that includes the unique techs from ruins, because if I ever used that cheat code it was long ago and that wasn't what I had in mind (the guys are right - unlike, say Master of Orion, the unique techs from ruins just are not so hot, so even if I have them I hardly ever ever use them - the stuff you got for killing the Guardian in MOO was worthy).

Best I can tell, the only adverse effect of the cheat codes on the game is that they tend to become addictive - that's a "you" problem not a game problem per se. Every time the going gets even a little rough, there's that temptation... However, in single player it is a matter of personal choice - and there is a whole spectrum from those who are unhappy if they win more than 50% of the time on the hardest difficulty settings & don't care if the AI cheats to do it, to those who want to thrash the AI and parade to victory 100% of the time and don't care if they have to cheat to do it (most folks are someplace in between, I 'spect). Philosophy aside, I don't think the cheat codes are bugged or booby-trapped or anything...

You can't really screw up your game if you back up any file you touch.

If you use a mod directory, stock files don't even get changed. However, if you started the game under stock I don't think you can switch it to a mod. You can. however, edit the stock files and relaunch the game - it will use your changes (however, I think if you add any new racial traits that will break old save-games, too - at least it did in SEIV).

Or better... put the edited file into the Game Types\Standard SE5 folder. Yes, that's right, stock is really a "mod." Granted it is an empty mod, but it still functions the same, with any file present in the mod folder overriding the "stock" file.

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