Look, in Civ I can research 'archery' and then I can build 'Archers'.



I research 'Mining' and then I can build 'Mines'.



But the gobbledygook nonsense talk in the research tree means absolutely nothing to me. It doesn't seem to TELL ME WHAT BENEFIT I GET FROM RESEARCHING THAT ITEM.



It's just lots of words strung together meaninglessly. I guess eventually you'll figure out what things are, but this isn't a learning curve it's a learning wall.



Any suggestions on what's good to research????



PS: What would be really nice - a list of good things to build and what you have to research to build them. Anyone know of a FAQ or something similar like that?

In ES, many research options give you two benefits. The "gobbledygook" you complain about is just a label for the two items. It's there for reference and, to a lesser extent, flavor. So, for example, I can tell you N-Way Fusion Plants is one of the first things you should research.



To find out exactly what you are researching, go to maximum zoom. Then simply mouseover each item under the label to see the benefit. Using the N-Way Fusion Plants example again, you can see you will get Heavy Isotope Refineries. This is a Star System Improvement--something you can build on your systems--that will improve production. You also get the Strategic Resource Discovery Titanium-70, which gives you bonuses on planets that have this resource and allows you to build items on ships that require Titanium. Two key benefits...one label to identify the advance.



The tech tree can be a overwhelming to a new player, but it's one of the best parts of the game.

I agree with coyote. The oddball labels add flavor to the game and they help in immersion.



Think of it this way. You're a space caveman trying to figure out a specific tech. You study and experiment until you reach a breakthrough. Most likely by accident. You don't know what to call it because you just discovered it.



Once you get an idea of the language used, I bet you'll like it too.

Idaho wrote:
Look, in Civ I can research 'archery' and then I can build 'Archers'.

You need to zoom in

Hovering over a research name only shows you its cost and fluff text that has no meaning.

When you zoom in you will see several small images under each research, those are "what you get", hover over them to read what they say

A few guidelines:

1. star system improvement = you can build one of these on every star system. once built it gives its bonus to that system then.

2. Strategic or luxury resrouce explotation = you start getting the bonus's for the named resources if you have them in your colonized planets.

3. Exploitation = This upgrades the default planetary exploitation to be more efficient and give you more FIDS per unit.

4. Empire improvement = does not need building, instantly affects your entire empire

5. Diplomatic options = instantly become available on diplomatic screen

6. Something-something module = Ship components, upgrade your ship designs with these



Also,

Blue colored tech = standard tech

Orange colored tech = faction specific tech (this can be completely unique, or just slightly modified)



possibly more informative pic