What are your first ten techs?

Altarian, DA, Large, Crippling
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(Xeno Engineering)
(Stellar Cartography)
(Hyperdrive)
(Xeno Communications)
New Propulsion Techniques
Ion Drive
Planetary Improvements
Xeno Economics (1/5 of bar already completed)
***encountered Yor and Drengin***
Universal Translator
Interstellar Governments (2/5 of bar already completed)
***encountered Krynn***
Traded Planetary Improvements + 298BC for Diplomatic Relations
Traded Xeno Economics + 75BC for Galactic Warfare
***encountered Paulos***
Traded Stellar Cartography + Planetary Improvements + 219BC for Space Militarization
Traded Xeno Economics + 457BC for Beam Weapon Theory
Trade
Laser
Xeno Entertainment
Soil Enhancement (two planets will really benefit)
Planetary Invasion

Its tough to remeber exactly and i don't have a set method.

I play all different races and currently I'm playing my fourth masocistic game.

First tech is that blue default one.
Then i get a couple of the "1-turn" techs.

I get Planetary Improvemnets as soon as it will take around 5 weeks.

I'll then get Space militarization for the +military bonus.

Economic techs are first on the list after that and factory techs come next. AT least the first one of each.

Trade come early so i can build my economic capital, always on my home world.

In general i don't go for a tech that will take more than 5 weeks or so early on unless i'm pressed to do so. If an AI has an Invasion tech and looks like trouble I'll research that at that time. When i do i will go all the way to Space Marines so i can build the Training Center.

I tend to wait a bit for engine tech since the first are cheap but it takes a hwile to get the first one that gives and automatic + to speed and at this stage of the game i dont have enough miniturization to include engines anyway.

Also, if all of my colonies are building something from a tech i just researched, I'll move onto a tech that doesnt require building anything, like a weapon or diplomacy.

The research builing techs are pretty time expensive and so they get pushed aside.

Ok thats way more than ten, but i hope you get the feel for my "sysytem"

Since i'm very deep into testing my mod (most of the time & since at least two months back!) for a number of add-ons (new technos & buildings) and verification of variable settings to determine if the values selected for AI personalities (huge gaps in some cases) and abilities (mostly boosted to the rim) fare well enough against X-Com_Magnetic_Apocalypsion races and also their Major counterparts Shado_Interceptors_Thunderbirds... i can only share this much if it should really matter;

Yesterday evening test,
X-Com / DA / Medium / Challenging (but this relates more to a general common need, while presuming higher and lower values do react accordingly)

Starters:
(HyperDrive)
(Galactic Warfare)
(Xeno Engineering)
(Stellar Cartography)
(Xeno Research)
(Xeno Biology)

Abilities:
ECO(10);MOR(15);SOP(30);RES(20;MIP(20)... Financial=130%.

1--Xeno Communications
2--Universal Translator *contact any Races asap, done.
3--Planetary Improvements *for percentages.
4--Advanced Computing *Tech-Capital
5--Diplomatic Relations *Negotiation edge.
6--Trade *Economic-Capital
7--Xeno Economics *Percentage, upgrading bldg.
8--Xeno Industrial Theory *Manufacturing-Capital +%.
9--Logistics (range & speed initial step)
10--Miniaturization (will have to build the faster trade ships later on)

... Normally, i try getting to Republic very fast and/or Ion Drive.
But, by trading a LOT with Minors/Majors i usually get stuff like; Space Militarization, New Propulsion +++ MUCHO cash.

One thing you should know though is that ALL my custom planetary systems are stacked with high PQs. Let's just say that local development(s) are always quick and dirty **for everyone**.

Capitalist? Me? Well, what else can buy you a ride in the galaxy? Productivity?

I use a different system than most as I have a "buy the galaxy" strategy. I always research whatever I can research the fastest, in order of what gives me the best bonus. The only exception is if ther is only a one turn difference, and I am looking for a specific bonus.

I then start tech trading as aggressively as I can. In a tech trading game, all tech are good as they used as leverage to get better techs. When I have gotten all the usable techs I can, then I start trading for treaties, planets, cash, or ships.

Using this method, the number of techs are more important than the specific tech, and as your empire grows, you can soon pick up the odd missed tech in a turn or two (and occasionally two or more in one turn.)

This works for me so well that I started playing with very slow research so that the tech didn't just whiz by.

Scincerely,

Scintor@aol.com

I love a good question, so this post instantly caught my eye in on the home page.

Like most good questions, it is quite open to answers that might not exactly be what the questioner expected, as replies 2-4 indicate. Hopefully the answers will still serve ghostwes' goal.

I'm afraid I have to lump in with the "no strict list" set, but I have some strong habits. I play as Thalans in DA (TA might well break me out of that rut) and don't even recall what the default techs for them are.

For me, one of the more important variables behind this question is "what kind of map do you like?" I like Gigantic, tight clusters, and a moderately high number of habitable worlds. I've been doing without tech trading for several games now. So I shift emphasis by "phase" of the game.

1st rush: research, propulsion, range, economy, sensors
1st bloom (rest between rushes, not always possible): manufacturing, economy, morale, research, diplomacy, extreme environments
2nd rush: weapons, defenses, economy, manufacturing, research, diplomacy, influence

After that is what I think of as Consolidation, and the tech choices there are too dependent (for me, anyway) on the map. If I have buffers from the aggresive folks, I work harder on my infrastructure, but if I'm feeling a little scared, I start working hard to build the scariest ships around.