I finally finished going through the tech file to sort out the confusion it was causing me. The conclusions I reached follow. I will split it into three Posts to avoid the "huge page of ink" effect and boost my post count!
1. Mine Tech beyond 3 is only used in the various Versions of the Anti-mine Missile. This seems counter-intuitive. AMM progress should be based on Ballistic Missile technology, with Mine tech 1 required to advance to AMM III, then Mine tech 2 to AMM VI, and Mine tech 3 for above VI.
2. Similarly, the minesweeper component should need progression in Mine tech as above.
3. I think jump gates should be bases, not ships. The explorer class ships, BTW, were construction ships for the EA jump gates, and the jump gates were immobile once constructed.
4. We need to implement pseudo-Newtonian movement for fighters. As it is, larger fighters are mostly just faster than small ones, which seems counter-intuitive. I have started this already, if anyone wants to see it.
5. The Anti-fighter Missiles, like the AMM, require fighter tech equal to AFM level (even though fighter tech only goes to level 6, and thus AFM above AFM VI will never be available). The fighter tech required for AFM should mirror that of the AMM above.
6. Infantry max level should be 3, not 4. There is no result for Inf tech 4.
7. Currently there is no way to raise planet conditions. This can be a crippling factor for the races that have low reproduction or low tolerance if they get a planet with “unpleasant” conditions. I recommend that the Homeworld Hub get the added ability of raising planetary conditions by 1%, 2% and 3% for levels I, II, and III respectively.
8. The Shipboard Space Yard should have a family different than the Base shipyard. I recommend 11005, which is free.
9. The Supply depot component doesn’t seem necessary. Recommend it be deleted.
10. It is peculiar that the cargo hold component size is so big (75 kt), given that a cargo hold is the most easily resized component there could be: it is just space, in essence. Recommend that all sizes, costs, and capacities be divided by five, to make the cargo versus speed payoff more interesting. Troop, fighter, satellite, and mine capacities would be unchanged.
11. The resupply tech seems a waste of space. Its only effect is to allow for larger depots, which would logically be a function of cargo tech, not resupply tech. Recommend that it be deleted and the resupply tech requirements in facilities.txt be changed to cargo.
12. Nothing uses any armor tech level above 2 except the Drazi external launch rails II component, which requires armor level 3! Since armor is one of the more expensive techs, recommend that the armor requirement for the Drazi be dropped, and that the max tech level for armor be set to 2.
13. Nothing uses the cloaking technology. Should be deleted.
14. Nothing uses sensor tech above level 8. Recommend making the max tech level 8.
15. The current treatment of scanners doesn’t make sense to me. Current, scanner tech can go to level 7, but only the Ancients can use Long Range Scanners level 6 and 7. There is no logical reason why Scanner 6 and Scanner 7 components should not be “Ancient Scanner 1” and “Ancient Scanner 2”, with added scanners 3-5. Then, limit scanner tech to level 5. The ancients should enjoy the advantage of their ancient tech. They shouldn’t have to research the “mundane” scanner techs to get to the “good stuff.”