id like something to give the real feel of the scale of the game.

i was thinking of this game M.A.X. where yu really have to think about logistics. for instance, buidling a power generator doesnt mean your base automatically gets power. you have to physically connect it to the other structures. anyway, one of the features of the game was when you research something, lets say larger ammo capacity, you would have to bring in all your units to a depot to refit them with the upgrade.

given, it could be a bit of a headache, M.A.X. was a TBS, and you rarely had the number of units you can have in Sins, but if tweaked right i think it would be nice

IMHO, it would be more realistic and more... enjoyable if a compromise between the two sides was used (static income reduction vs. purely reactive income reduction)

a base static reduction (the "union workers") would remain the same when at one research level (maybe the ability to lower the level at a cost) but there would also be a reactive variable (food/air/water/repairs/materialsf for repairs/ammo) that is added on top of the static cost.  i.e.:

lvl 1 research: 0+(x (fleet supply points used) *.25%)

lvl2 research: 4%+(x*.3%)

lvl3: 8%+(x*.5%)

and so on (obviously going to need some fine tuning)

this would help losing players make a come back and rebuild their fleet after it's been destroyed, giving them a chance to halt the now unopposed fleet annihilating their planets.  once the tide has turned one way, it doesn't really turn back, using the cost-reduction system currently in effect.

i miss the system in beta were fleet upkeep was on a per planet basis