Research tricks?

[BSNB]

Is there a way to get certain research to pop up or is it totally random?

[Astasia]

It's based on the traits of the researcher you have assigned to researching. If you assign a scientist with the voidcraft trait you are more likely to see voidcraft related research for example. There is also some changes based on ethos, pacifists are less likely to get weapon related research while militarists are more likely, etc.

[Elitewrecker PT]

Several things you do will influence what comes up, but it won't make it guaranteed to get what you're looking for.

[BSNB]

Hmm. Makes me want to start a new game now ;)

[NalyKalZul]

yea if you want to fish for particulair techs to beeline something, its often better to take researchers with tech focus traits. even if there a bit on the older end and done have intelegent/mannicial.
you still dealing with rng, but you can lessen it considerble. just make sure you also grab nerds with focus on grabbing the prerequirements, and possible phising out some useless 1/2 shot techs.
https://turanar.github.io/stellaris-tech-tree/vanilla/#top

if you got for the technocracy build, you really want to fish up every specialty nerdd and have them assisst research. until you need to fish for one tech to continue your planned tech route.

i have seen mega techs pop up by year 65 quite often playing like this. but that is really rng based on your local sector seed, and early neighbors being kept at bay.

[TheGreyTurtle]

I always strip down my fleet to husks (remove armor, find, hyperdrive, etc. And upgrade to the stripped ship) then sell the alloys from my ships, then I immediately purchase 400 minerals and build a science building.

I also have more scientists than most, I shoot for maniacal or spark of genius, but I keep around those with traits that aid other things. If you have a scientist with a trait (biology, particle science, materials) that should heavily influence how much you want those techs. If I have a bio guy then I wish bio, if I have a laser guy I rush more lasers. Don't let this change your build order, but if you are leaning 50/50 on two techs, if you have a scientist that helps with one that is the only one you can go for.

Another research tip, keep your admin level low if you want to research fast.

Tank only accounts for 2% increase in research speed per level, so a flat bonus is always better.

Grab things that increase your tech as much as possible. Playing tall means lots of tech boosts, maybe rush biology (I always add + leader age or xp, and bonus to research, like intelligent), defensive tech and growth. Make sure you've got enough consumer goods and pay attention to your neighbors and play according to how they act toward you.

[BSNB]

Originally posted by Wololo_Warrior:

I always strip down my fleet to husks (remove armor, find, hyperdrive, etc. And upgrade to the stripped ship) then sell the alloys from my ships, then I immediately purchase 400 minerals and build a science building.

I also have more scientists than most, I shoot for maniacal or spark of genius, but I keep around those with traits that aid other things. If you have a scientist with a trait (biology, particle science, materials) that should heavily influence how much you want those techs. If I have a bio guy then I wish bio, if I have a laser guy I rush more lasers. Don't let this change your build order, but if you are leaning 50/50 on two techs, if you have a scientist that helps with one that is the only one you can go for.

Another research tip, keep your admin level low if you want to research fast.

Tank only accounts for 2% increase in research speed per level, so a flat bonus is always better.

Grab things that increase your tech as much as possible. Playing tall means lots of tech boosts, maybe rush biology (I always add + leader age or xp, and bonus to research, like intelligent), defensive tech and growth. Make sure you've got enough consumer goods and pay attention to your neighbors and play according to how they act toward you.

I did not know you could do that.

[climbingeastofwinter]

Another way to churn out the research and also hunt for specific research options is to only research the 20% output techs in the beginning for each field, if they're available. Otherwise, leave physics empty, and possibly engineering too, and send the scientists out in craft to help out surveying.

Once you're 10-20 years into the game, your neighbors should have started to unlock the second tier of ship technologies, i.e. fusion cores, improved deflectors, blue lasers and coil guns. Go to war with them and instead of aiming for conquering them or such (which I suppose you could do if you really wanted to), aim for humiliation wars or just grabbing a key system or two, and fight as many as possible separate engagements with enemy fleets possessing unresearched techs. If a single ship is destroyed, the battle should generate a debris field which you can research to permanently lock the discovered techs in your research menu -- meaning when you complete a research project, those techs that have been locked down through partial debris research will not count against your randomly generated research options for the next project. You'll also get 10% research completed towards whatever techs were in the debris field.

So, I forget the exact tech pricing, but if you managed to completely research blue lasers, fusion cores, and improved deflectors all through debris, you'd be saving yourself about 7500 physics research. if you did this by year 25, you'd be looking at saving yourself about 25 physics research a month each month since game start, which is pretty great. If you don't complete the projects, you can still use the debris unlocks to narrow down your tech options. As an added bonus, when you finally do decide to start researching on your own, you'll have some research stored up to burn through the projects that you do actually want to complete on your own.

[BSNB]

I'm actually doing it right now, but not on purpose. Some poor ai thought they could just roll over me. I ended up forcing them to admit defeat and I got the good systems I wanted from them. Tomorrow i'll decide how I want to kill them. King difficulty is kinda boring tho. Might start a new game with higher difficulty.