Less complex research/product/technology progress

[MKelm]

The first concept draw includes a concept to combine different research packages to new products and to combine different products to new products as well.

In combination with e.g. 50 companies on each planet and different technology levels of civilisations this concept is too complex and can reduce a positive game experience.

The new draw should include a concept with research levels in the available research fields and new research packages of companies produce research points for the own company to increase the whole research level. The research points of a company's research progress depends on the company's position in the whole (planet) market. To get research packages from a company with a high position the player has to invest more than in a company with a lower rank.

To reduce the complexity of products the old combinations of products are not intended any longer. But the combinations of products should be available in relation to a new research level of own products. This level depends on the amount of own products developed so far and the needed research levels of every products. The research in own products depends on external research, but the combination of research knowledge should create the research points for own products.

Research packages and products of other companies should be virtual only to reduce game complexity. The game should not contain information of other products or research packages any longer. The new research information depends on the own research level for own products and the player knows his own products only.

Technology levels of other civilisations: The levels should have an effect on the speed of the research progress in each company instead of introduce new research packages / products. Products depends on the own product research level. The own and other companies should have a mix of technology levels of the available civilisations. The companies of a certain civilisation should have more research knowledge with the own technology level at the start. The share of technology levels in research knowledge can change a little bit, but at the end the newest technology level should get the highest share. The share depends on the investements in other companies. If you have seven companies with 1st TL and three companies with 2st TL in research, you get a 70% 1st TL research speed and 30% 2nd TL research speed in the related research fields. Companies with certain research fields can have one TL only, but other companies on the mass control market can have a research speed depending on mixed TL.

Technology levels of products: These levels are not related to a civilisation directly, but to the research level for own products. This reduces the complexity to get new product technologies and the complexity of variations of different civilisations too. So the technology levels are not related to story or years directly, but extensions to other planets with higher TLs of civilisations can increase the own technology level faster.

The production costs of products should depend on the product technology level. The product technology level of other companies should be calculated by the mix of technology levels in research and the life time of each company. The market share of product technology levels on each planet should have an impact on the production costs.

[MKelm]

The changes will make some features of the initial draw obsolete:

• Information levels of research packages
• Onward sale of research packages
• Graduation of research prices in advertisement market, the new way of advertisment research uses funding companies and has another solution for research fields
• Graduation of research prices in drug market, the new way of drug research uses laboratories an has another solution for research fields
• Decisions for research packages, a new way for decisions has been added

[MKelm]

The main changes have been added while I translated the initial concept draw. I will leave this issue open, because some functions of the mixed market with different civilizations has not been added to the concept yet, because I need some additions in the story article first.

[MKelm]

I am going to close this issue, because further features are detail features for the second concept alpha.