Best Tech in game

[Commy]

My friend and I are making this scenario. One rule is is that you can't advance in technology, but everyone starts with one tech. Then I wondered, if you could only choose one tech for the game, what would it be?

I'd appreciate your opinions.

[Commy]

Personally, I'd go with Centauri Ecology, for the formers, or Planetary Networks, for the probe teams.

[Frankychan]

Advanced SpaceFlight......but if I have to choose with an early game tech, I'd go with Centauri Ecology.

[Barinthus]

Only one tech in the entire game? Centauri Ecology no doubt.

That'd be a nifty PBEM - everybody can have only one tech. Would a faction with centauri ecology be able to survive against a faction that has impact lasers but no formers?

[Sikander]

Industrial Automation.

[Jamski]

Umm... Doc Initative. If I was the only one, I could rule the waves. Or Doc Airpower for the same reasons. Fear my 1-1-12 noodles!

-Jam

[Frankychan]

[The Mad Monk]

The problem with Centauri Ecology is, sure you have formers, but the resource restrictions are still in place, so their utility is limited.

Orbital Spaceflight, with the sky hydroponics labs, might make an interesting alternate.

[GeoModder]

Doctrine: Mobility

[Skanky Burns]

Maybe whatever lets you build mindworms.
Nah, I'll have to go with industrial automation.

Whoever can spawn the most 1-1-1's wins.

[Chaunk]

Planetary networks. All your tech belong to us.

[Commy]

Don't forget Threshold of Transcedence. If you can manage somehow to get the industry to build this project, you won't have to worry about military units attacking you. But still, its a long shot.

[Barinthus]

Originally posted by The Mad Monk
The problem with Centauri Ecology is, sure you have formers, but the resource restrictions are still in place, so their utility is limited.

Perhaps but wouldn't a completely terraformed base tiles with farms, roads, mines, the works be better than bare terrain?

[Adalbertus]

It depends. Namely on the answer to:

What exactly do you mean by "cannot advance in technology"?

Is the objective to end the game with exactly one tech? (Implications: Reload after popping a tech from pod, no tech probing, no build of biology lab, no use for alien artifacts except of rushing one SP)?
In this case I'd go for firepower, perhaps for Advanced Space Flight which also gives you also a satellite. Then I have to hope for either popping a transport and never losing it.
Or for a naval tech (probably the one with cruiser and MCC): You can bombard and definitely cross the seas.

If probing is allowed and the AI can do research, Probe Teams are the way to go (bad luck if stuck on a continent on your own).

If probing is allowed, and no other research can be done, I'm not sure: On the one hand, you'll need probes, on the other hand, Planetary Networks will be the only tech in the game because everybody thinks so.

If obtaining techs through pods is allowed: Centauri Empathy. This gives a SP, the Green SE choice, and the ability to build mindworms. Which means you'll get good Pod Poppers, and an army which forces others to play to your rules, plus you've got an attack bonus of +20% and a defensive bonus when in fungus.

If the rule simply means to set research to 0%, Secrets of AC, because Transcends are the best researchers you'll get, and you don't need a base size of >=5 to have them.

[Barinthus]

I imagined that in this game, all factions human and AI would have only one tech and we wouldn't be allowed to trade or probe-steal techs. So basically we all would start with one tech and end with the same tech we started out with.