RE: [FT] Tech Trees

One thought to tech trees.  YOu can use tech levels say 1 to 15.  Each
increase in tech level allows you to improve one area of the device. 
For instance in weapons there would be factors of range, damage, weight
and power consumption.	Each tech level gives a 10% reduction from the
previous amount fractions rounded - i.e. a Mass 10 weapon becomes Mass
9, range 24 becomes range 26, or production costs drop from 100 Mcr per
unit to 90 Mcr, etc.

Then you describe the stats of ship as being equipped with Tech 5
shields, tech 6 beams, tech 3 engines tech 4 hull etc.	but you won't
know the specifics until they are used. i.e. if they have tech 6 beams
is that a beam with 21% more range, 21% more damage and 21% less mass
than a standard beam or is it 33% more damage and 33% less mass?

The interesting thing is that your tech 7 beam will probably be
different than someone elses tech 7 beam depending on which areas you
concentrate your benefit to.  Someone could develop a killer beam with
only standard range - A tech 7 damage beam that does 114% over standard
while someone else could develop a long range beam - 114% greater range
but standard damage.  Alternatively they could invest in mass savings
and have a beam weapon 53% smaller, able to mount twice as many. Or
something in-between with slightly increased range, damage, and slightly
less mass per unit.

This limits the possibility of a single uber-weapon or technology but
allows a technologically advanced race to have an edge over less adept
races.

To simulate more advanced races, you can allow some to purchase tech
levels at a cheaper rate in certain categories - i.e. war-like ones
would be more progressed in beam or missile technology, colonizing ones
would tend to want more efficient engines etc.

The down side to this is that it makes the tech trees linear - you will
not get an instant uber-weapon, you have to develop it for a long time
and your opponents will be able to peg your technology rather easily
(i.e. well last engagement he only shot at range 24, so the best he
could have improved would be range 26) unless you intentionally mislead
them to the actual abilities of your systems (for instance only firing
at 24 inches when you could fire at 30).

The other problem is tracking all the tech.  For a given race you would
lock in each equipment tech level - i.e. if they've spent 5 tech levels
on Damage, the level 6 weapon will have 5 levels of damage and one new
one, not 6 tech levels of new attributes. So you would have to keep
track of each races tech tree separately.