Research Institutes

[Desertfox]

I've been thinking and how about having research facilities? Say they costing $100, they would each allow 2 more tech researches above your limit. They could also speed up research or make it free. Say someone builds NACA, then they would get free Airplane research.

Just an idea to throw around and discuss.

[Ithekro]

I'm not sure about this idea.  The basis seems to be more expensive that the resulting product, which is probably good for the sim.  Free is probably not responcible.  Quicker...I don't know for sure.  Cheaper, I can't say.

Be interesting to have instead an international research institute where your and others could either share reasearch costs, maybe half the time by spending double (half each), or instead keep the time the same, but change the rolling system so there is a small percent chance of success earlier (by 5% a half maybe not including the first half, having the first half be nothing or at best 1-3%)?

The international research institute would be able to handle maybe one or two projects per nation (one is alone, two if with partners maybe....or just one with partners and none alone).  Any sercret research done here would be public knowledge, if allowed at all).

I don't know if this is useful or not...it needs work.  I also don't know what happens if you have more than two nations working on a project.

[Carthaginian]

If this was brought in, I'd say that it would be an 'international research institute' like Ithekro suggested. You would have to pay, say, $50 each to participate, and it would ONLY work with the nation that you agree to partner with. After that, any time that both of you are researching the same tech, there is a bonus to the success roll. I'd say have a 5% cumulative chance, so the second half would be 25% instead of 20%, the third half would be 50% instead of 40%, etc.

Of course, this would only work with the partner nation, and it would only work if both of you are researching the same tech at the same time. To do this, though, you'd have to be really committed to both of your nations succeeding, and not mind spending the money to do it.

[Desertfox]

Well right now Im looking at a way to increase the number of techs you can research at a time. Right now they are tied into the BPs, but for example Im willing to pay $100 to be able to research more, but dont want or need more BPs.

The example of NACA, research would not be free, if NACA costs $100 then that is about the cost of researching about 10 techs.  Its really more expensive but could bring other incentives like not counting towards overall Tech #, or 1 year head starts etc.


EDIT: I brought this up because NS for example invested heavily into research to make up for its numerical infeority. However our new rules limit research to BPs, and at the same time make it so cheap that eveyrone is reasearching to their limits. I think research should cost a bit more and those who want to research more should be able to at a cost.

[Ithekro]

(Well why don't you go off of a wartime footing and build yourself some factories so you can research more stuff?  I mean you don't have to stay numerically inferior to everyone.)

I don't know on your NACA example.  This might or might not keep you ahead in the technology curve, but if others do this as well, then you'll still be behind, and with a greatly reduced sized fleet compared to any potential rival.  Being the technologically advanced does not always mean you win.  Numbers count too.

[P3D]

I saw two options here.
a/ we have no research institutes and base the # of techs that one can research on some metric that expresses the nation's warfighting and heavy industrial capabilities in particular - i.e. current system;
b/ something based on research institutes - they have some upkeep, they are also specialized, and require a given amount to maintain each turn.

To keep rules simple, I opted for a/.

You can build BPs if you want to research more. Another option having friends to trade technologies. Or allies willing to give you state-of-the-art technology - if that is reciprocated.

[Walter]

You can build BPs if you want to research more.

Easier said than done. You need to increase your IC as well as the BP can't be more than 1/6 of the IC (as stated by the rules).
In my case, I need to spend $375 to raise my IC to 48 and then $300 to raise my BP to 8. Then I need to spend another $900 to get my IC to 60 and then $600 to raise my BP to 10.
Paying something like $100 (as Desertfox suggests) for research facilities is much , much cheaper to increase the number of additional tech you can research.

[The Rock Doctor]

I don't think this is necessary.  The larger and more industrialized economies of the world should be the ones making the majority of the breakthroughs and the current system does that.  If we add research centres or whatever, it will distort this. 

[maddox]

How do we think things get researched already in the Nverse?

Universities and inventors on their own.  Those are supported by the industrial capacity and the money of a country.

This means the research points you have are already the result of the proposal.

[Desertfox]

Yes its true that larger countries usually drive research foward. But for example the Airplane was developed by a pair of brothers working in their garage.

And right now just to be able to research an additional tech per year I have to spend $600 and at least 3 years, all that for the ability to research an additional tech per report.  This and the really cheap cost of researching has resulted in eveyrone researching to their limits. The small countries with limited BPs are going to be left far behind in due course. If I wanted to increase my research at the expense of my navy or army I cant do that. There should at least be some flexibility. Thats what my proposal would do, plus if research cost (which is ridiculosly cheap) was increased at the same time, we could see once again some countries going for ships while other going for research. $100 is alot (equivalent to researching 15 techs)especialy for those not wishing to increase research capability, but the capability should be there for those who do.

[P3D]

I see no reason to give additional research capacity to any nation. You concentrate on a few technology and try to trade for the rest. You cannot be ahead in every single field.

[Desertfox]

Its not giving, you would have to pay for it, and you have to rememeber that trading technology also cuts into you limited research budget.

[Borys]

Yes its true that larger countries usually drive research foward. But for example the Airplane was developed by a pair of brothers working in their garage.

The garage in question happening to be in a large, advanced country. And had they failed, a year or two later the airplane would had flown in France or Britain.
Not South Africa, Japan, Saiam, or Argentina ...

Borys

[P3D]

Or Brazil ;).

[Ithekro]

I believe that means no.  Your nation seems to be in the position of a commonwealth country or maybe a second world nation in terms of size.  Perhaps early industrial country...say the United States during the 19th century, but without the vast lands..or at least continous lands.  Perhaps it will take time but you can get up to a more effective economy, if you don't get you nation destroyed in the interum.