Exotic tech would be unique technologies that have been found, but they are at the fringe edges of existing Endless-based tech and only poorly understood (perhaps because some of these techs are from other advanced civilizations). This means that it requires a constant amount of Research points each turn as scientists are needed to keep the technology in working order, and these techs can exist as either branches off existing tech trees or surrounding the trees in independent orbits. Failure to pay the research costs means that the tech can't be built anymore and any existing improvements or ship components still work, but no new ones can be built (like capturing improvements that you can't build).



These tech would be acquired from Endless events and artifacts found on planets/systems, each tech associated with a different artifact. Maybe unlocking them has a construction cost in the same way as exploring a moon, or might require a resource or luxury before they can be unlocked like an artifact.



These tech would offer things like:



-abilities that affect your entire fleet or all systems like a Food bonus (Endless Cloning Tech), a Defense/Invasion bonus (Xenomorphic Bioweapons), or extra Production (Semi-sentient Servitors).



-unique hulls, weapons, defenses, modules, and improvements. Things like a hulls that repair themselves (Bio-organic Construction), weapons that violate normal rules like crit-heavy beams (Exotic Particle Construction), support modules with unique abilities like increasing Hero or ship XP (Virtual Universe Design), or improvements that do unique things like allow large populations on Gas Giants (Extremophile Bio-editing.).



-event generation like suddenly slowing down all ships (Dark Matter Manipulation), generating Pirates everywhere (Sentient AI Singularity), or killing off population (Smatter-Plague Spawning).

I like where you are going with this, but I feel that this might be a bit OP in a way.

Would make things more interesting but it should be properly balanced otherwise it might make the factions that get these technologies OP... But I like the idea.

I figure that it's no more OP than getting a resource monopoly. I mean, anything less powerful than +40% to all weapons (Jadonyx) or +60% Ship Movement (Ionic Crystals) is unimpressive in comparison.



I also think that it would add an important randomizing gameplay element. Games tend to follow the same script right now.

Perhaps finding the tech unlocks it for you, and unlocks it as an option to research on the other player's tech trees (albeit expensive?).

Its science fiction.....its all exotic tech...lol