is the tech tree irrelevent?

[doolally]

-does the tech tree seem irrelevent to anyone? not that it's not necessary, but every game i've played has been me 'mostly' clicking blindly on the tech tree until all the streams are researched.

-i remember in AOK having to be selective about what i researched.

-thoughts?

[yin26]

In the early game, I tend to go for everything because it's cheap. But as these things become more costly, I find that I've got to make some hard decisions (I tend to focus more on the economic techs that improve my overall cash flow). And once battles really start in earnest, I've found myself having to choose between some tech upgrades or producing more units.

I'm also not experienced enough with the game yet to appreciate what all the upgrades do, so that's part of my problem at least in not having a plan with upgrades most of the time.

[DarthVeda]

Each category does help certain parts of your economy, but no one tech is really a "must-have" and stands out from the others, but commerce is pretty nice. I think I'd neglect some categories if I didn't have to have an average of 2 in the next age to advance.

It's only once you get to the end that the choice really matters (choose ABM defense!)

[Rohag]

Though a player of lesser talents, I’m aware of the importance of research sequencing at the Library, sequencing that varies with game type, nation, map type, etc.

Leading with Science early in the game is generally a good idea because it reduces the cost and time of other research, increases the value of ruins and increases units’ line of sight – very profitable in the case of the scout who may thereby discover more ruins, which award you the resource you most lack at the time. Later on, a nation with population bonuses may want to lead with Military research to make the most of its advantage. If you find yourself on a map with few resources, you may want again to lead with Science to create and maximize resource collection augmentation buildings (Granary, Mill, Smelter). Players needing a good defense should not neglect Civics – not only does it increase the number of cities you may build but also unlocks the attrition upgrades researched at the Tower.

Those are just a few examples, but it’s true enough that RoN's lines of research are all intertwined; falling too far behind in any one hurts all the rest.

[doolally]

-i guess what i'm worried about is the only tech i actually think 'I need that asap' is the commerce one that grants a Market so i can get merchants out quickly. then i try and keep military fresh. but really it doesn't seem to matter which techs are researched. i build a few Unis to get science up but really only seem to be chasing unit upgrades rather than actual technology.

[albiedamned]

I think the tech selection will become much more important on the harder difficulty levels and in MP. Against the AI on the easier levels, you can pretty easily just click on everything without having to think too much about it.