Every time you research a tech to Level 10, 25, 50, and 100, the size of its components shrinks. A Level 100 Reactor is 90% smaller than a Level 1 Reactor but produces the same power. This means your end-game ships can carry five times as many weapons as your early ships.
Use this template for each node to keep consistency and ease balancing.
Do not research past Level 5 in any branch during the first 20 turns. The cost to go from Level 5 to Level 6 could have unlocked three new applied techs. Focus on breadth first, then depth. space empires v tech tree
These are "specialist" branches that most AI empires ignore, but a human player can exploit ruthlessly.
Node: Gravitic Drives (Tier 3, Propulsion) Every time you research a tech to Level
Humanity has spread across the stars. Rival space empires—corporate syndicates, technocratic collectives, and remnants of old Earth nations—vie for control of resource-rich systems, ancient alien ruins, and the key to a technology that can reshape reality: Vacuum Engineering (V-tech).
Tightly couples tech tree with Espionage and Salvage mechanics. Use this template for each node to keep
The AI will adapt. If you build only missile ships, the AI will research Point-Defense to Level 30 and laugh at you. You must maintain a balanced fleet or spy on their research labs to see what they are defending against.