New Tech Is Not Cheap: Difference between revisions

* Strategy games sometimes have "miniaturization" effects - an eventual reduction in cost of hardware that isn't new as the player climbs higher on [[Tech Tree]] in corresponding fields, which leaves it a viable choice for some time.

* ''Stars!'' makes each item cheaper by 4% per [[Tech Level]] prerequisite (if it has any) exceeded in all appliable fields, until its resource cost drops to 24%. "[http://wiki.starsautohost.org/wiki/Bleeding_Edge_Technology Bleeding Edge Technology]" trait, doubles the cost of new technologies until Tech Levels are exceeded, but improves by 5%/level with 20% bottom. This sucks on highest-level items, however, since there's no room left for improvement and you're just stuck with double cost until the end.

** Prototypes have a special advantage, as well: because prototypes are typically entrusted to experienced personnel, these units gain a boost to Morale (i.e. XP). Significantly, this still applies when the prototype is built at the Skunkworks...but ''not'' for the Spartans. Not that they need the boost (they start at +2 Morale, so giving them the extra boost would just be overkill).

* ''[[Sword of the Stars]] II'' also introduces prototyping. You can't start mass-producing new ship designs until you build the prototype. Prototypes are subject to the [[Random Number God]]. Certain qualities (firepower, armor, energy production, etc.) can be slightly better or worse than the mass-produced sister ships, which is why the designers saw fit to give prototypes nicknames reflecting their qualities.