Suggestion: Specific subsystem techs to make technologies more interesting

[NichG]

Right now, the relationship between the strength of the player's ship and the process of collecting technologies is very straightforward. However, there's a lot of different aspects of the player's ship in the combat mini-game that one could take advantage of to make meaningful decisions on the strategic level.

There's four 'tiers' to this suggestion, from the simplest to implement to the richest/most complicated to implement.

1. Some techs specifically boost your weapons, armor, shields, engines, etc. These have to be researched collaboratively with a race to gain their benefits, like the various unique-ship-powerup techs. Basically gives a bit more variety than 'defensive upgrade'/'offensive upgrade'.

2. The above, but these techs are restricted to particular races, giving incentive to be on people's good side/balance the races strategically.

For example, lets say the Burlusts had a unique racial tech that would upgrade your weapon system by one 'always on' virtual power bar, the Peltians had racial tech that specifically improved missile payloads, the Skylaxians had racial tech that improved your shields, the Acutians had racial tech that improved your engines (they can deorbit moons, so...), and so on.

3. The above, but also some of the techs give access to specific ship modules (rather than having everything be random black market or quest finds). For example, get the Burlusts to research Disruptors and then you get that weapon module.

4. Some techs might be prerequisites for performing certain kinds of missions - you need a bombing tech from the Peltians before you can assist a fleet in bombing planets; you need a hacking tech from the Acutians before you can take over outposts; etc.

Mantis link

[I-KP]

I like the idea of setting some player-useful technology/weapons/systems aside and having them be only accessible from one Race each, and needing to be on good terms with that Race before you can get hold of it.  My only concern would be making the eight techs equally useful otherwise it may end up forcing the player to always keep the Acutians on side, for example, because that 'engine' tech ends up being more useful than the other seven.  I don't think eight techs could be balanced like that.  Perhaps instead randomize which Race has which tech, and furthermore, to avoid still falling into the trap of always having to keep the 'engine' Race on side, have those Races only reveal which unique tech they have after a while, or after your relations with them have reached a fixed point, say +50.

[NichG]

Another way to avoid the lock-in would be to give each unique tech to at least two or three races. That way, there might be a particular tech you need such that you'd be in serious trouble if you piss off both the Acutians and the Peltians, but during any given playthrough you could be the enemy of one or the other without totally losing access.

I could also see putting in a few tricks to get access to techs from people you hate you, given the right combination of other factors. For example, pay a lot of credits to the Evucks to manipulate the Andorians into researching their unique tech so you can steal it.

In general, multiple ways to achieve the same goal help keep things fluid.

[nas1m]

2. The above, but these techs are restricted to particular races, giving incentive to be on people's good side/balance the races strategically.

For example, lets say the Burlusts had a unique racial tech that would upgrade your weapon system by one 'always on' virtual power bar, the Peltians had racial tech that specifically improved missile payloads, the Skylaxians had racial tech that improved your shields, the Acutians had racial tech that improved your engines (they can deorbit moons, so...), and so on.
Mantis link

I absolutely and utterly love this one . Seconded!
_{*nas1m scrambles off to Mantis to pledge his undying strong support*}

[Draco18s]

It also kind of bothers me that all the player-useful ship tech increases the player's shields regardless of what it actually does (for everyone else, it increases weapon power).

The hovertext is probably wrong, it was just odd to me that the only tech advancement that ever happened was "kill the player better" and "the player survives better."  In fact, the text is almost certainly wrong, as the non-interference game I played I ended up being attacked by assassins with over 5 million HP worth of shields and a single stray bullet would rip through my ship.