Newbie question: Is TA a slowed down version of DA?

There was some effort a while back by the devs to try to have the cost of techs to increase as the game progresses. However, there was a few bugs with it and many players complained that techs took too long to research (even with research set to fastest). The code in question was commented out at one point, but I haven't been following its progress. It could have been restored after they fixed it, which might be likely since I have noticed a tendency for tech costs to increase over time (I sometimes choose which techs to reseach based upon time needed to research them).

As for planet invasion, 10 or so turns of research seems pretty normal for me. Same goes for weapon techs in general. A modest increase in firepower can be very expensive.

I think what you describe is called tech inflation and is indeed there. It can get pretty strong on some techs.

Say for example that at the begining you could research "planetary invasion" in e.g. 20 turns.

If you now first research a couple of other techs (especially weapons I think, but not sure here) the costs start to increase after a while. So it can happen that even if you have more research points now, you take longer to research "planetary invasion", say 40 turns.

IMO it's a somewhat strange feature.

My theory is that this explains some strange AI behaviour I've seen, too:

In some games I have AI's that colonize half the galaxy, but never ever research weapon techs.

In the end they either surrender because of a total lack of military, or they finaly manage to research weapons and within a couple of turns crank out enough ships to totaly dwarf everyone else with their military rating.

Sounds like a downer.  I think there is an accelerated beginning and I suppose mods could diminish the effect.

Still, it sounds like the devs wanted to make a very different game.  I wonder how many like these changes (they may like others).  The devs are concentrating on doing Elemental and are unlikely to help much, if they in fact want to.

I am playing on a gigantic galaxy and haven't been able to research nearly as much.  Waiting, waiting, waiting.  It looks like the AI has not done much.

I guess with accelerated start, you have no choice as to which race you play and no choice as to opponents--you get all 8.  Not happy with that either.  Maybe I need to go back to DA.

I noticed this thread earlier.  Some indicated the problem was largely fixed.  Some said that tech inflation was involved in earlier games.

https://forums.galciv2.com/313609

It would be nice if the devs would address the situation directly.  But they don't seem to be around much anymore.

Oh ok so it's a bug or strange game play issue.  I haven't played Dark Avatar in a year so I wanted to try twilight of the Arnor.  I was stunned by how slow researching is.  It was so slow I remade an alteran character with max research for +65 research and even that was incredibly slow.  Towards the end game when I was about to ascend it would take me 20 turns for one level of harpoons(I didn't try to go military earlier since pirates were around so I thought I might as well tech up everything else.  Anyways 20 turns on one level of harpoons is ridiculous.  Especiall when I had 2 planets with research bonuses and neutrality centers and a tech capital and the research coordiante buildings.  I was generating roughly 10 times more research then I was in the beginning in the game and I was researching even slower than it would had taken me in the beginning.  No wonder the AI didn't try to do jack.  I was wondering why I was rulling the galaxy with medium lvl 1 harpoons and since I was alterans i have a -20% weapons so my 2 missles usually end up being 1 missles. 

I think some more experienced players complained about research being too fast.

Furthermore, with weapon techs that expensive you actually have a reason to keep your ships for some time withoutconstantly upgrading them.

Still it can be annoying sometimes.

As some kind of workaround I usually try to research some expensive techs early on (like thechs that lead to weapons and planetary invasion).

I think we could use a mod if the devs don't care.  I am sure that some like the glacier pace of the game.

Maybe we could ramp up the research output of research facilities.