The collective name for the group of technologies which are required for construction of buildings, ships and defenses is Research. New technologies are researched in a planet’s Research Lab. Each technology has certain prerequisites - a certain level of Research Lab and, possibly, one or more other technologies. Thereafter the only requirement is the cost (availability of resources). The resource cost to research each level of a given technology is twice that of the previous level [excluding Astrophysics, which is 1.75x with the result being rounded to the nearest multiple of 100, and Graviton Technology, for which the energy requirement triples with each level].
The time taken to research a new level of technology depends on the amount of metal and crystal that particular level costs (more expensive levels take longer to research). Research times can be reduced by the level of the planet’s Research Lab, and even more with each level of Intergalactic Research Network, which combines Research Lab levels on multiple planets.
Hint: Some research projects are expensive, so you can prevent a large amount of resources from being plundered by spending on a research project if you are attacked. Unlike buildings, however, research projects cannot be canceled. Any resources spent on research cannot be reclaimed. Additionally, the time required for some research can be lengthy, so be sure to consider this before beginning the research. You cannot enter Vacation Mode until the research has completed.
See The Game Interface > Main Menu > TechTree Screen for a list of requirements to research each technology.
Espionage Technology allows players to build and launch Espionage Probes to spy on an enemy planet, revealing the planet’s Buildings, Fleets, Defenses, and Research/Technology Levels. The amount of information revealed depends on the difference between the two players’ Espionage Technology levels. The higher your Espionage Technology level is compared to your target, the more information your spy report will contain. Conversely, if you are the target of a spy mission, having a higher Espionage Technology level than your opponent will limit the information his spy probes obtain. A more complete spy report can also be obtained by sending a larger number of espionage probes on the spy mission, which increases the likelihood of their being shot down (but does not stop them from transmitting their report before they die).
Your level of Espionage Technology also determines the amount of information you get about an incoming foreign fleet on your Overview screen’s Flying Fleet Overview display. Incoming fleets from another player are indicated by a red number.
Computer Technology research expands existing computer capacity and allows more powerful and efficient computer systems to be developed, allowing more fleets to be launched simultaneously. Each level of Computer Technology increases the maximum number of available fleets (or, “fleet slots”) by one. The more fleets you can send at one time, the more you can raid and the more resources you can capture. Of course, this technology is also useful for traders, who can also send out more trading fleets at the same time. For this reason, computer technology should be continuously developed throughout the game. Computer Technology Level 10 is required to build the Nanite Factory.
Weapons Technology involves further development of existing weapons systems. By providing more energy to the weapons and channeling that energy more efficiently, weapons systems become more powerful and do more damage.
Each level of Weapons Technology research increases the weapon strength of both ships and defenses by 10% of their base value. Weapons Technology should be upgraded as fleet size grows. Each upgrade also improves the strength of Interplanetary Missiles. During combat, the Weapons Technology level of the attacker compared to the defender can alter the outcome of the battle.
When comparing the cost of upgrading Weapons Technology vs building more ships, remember that research cannot be destroyed while ships can.
Shielding Technology research enables the generation and manipulation of artificial energy fields which absorb and dissipate energy discharges from enemy weapons fire, protecting spacecraft and ground-based weapons during an attack. Shields also protect the crew of spacecraft from solar radiation (see also Fleets > Combat).
Each level of research increases the efficiency of shields by 10% of their base value.
Armor Technology research furthers development of advanced materials used in the hull plating of spacecraft and planetary defenses. Each level researched increases the “structural integrity” of all ships and defensive structures by 10% of their base value. The strength of a unit’s armor is a critical factor in determining how much damage it can withstand before being destroyed (see also Fleets > Combat).
Armor Technology is the only type of research that requires only metal; because metal is the most abundant resource in the universe, this research can be used to reduce excessive metal buildup.
Energy Technology research improves the efficiency of energy production and distribution systems, a key requirement for many advanced technologies and spacecraft. Each new level of Energy Technology unlocks the ability for other technologies to be researched, and allows the development of more sophisticated ships and defenses.
Researching higher levels of Energy Technology also increases the efficiency of Fusion Reactors. While not used by new players, Fusion Reactors eventually surpass Solar Plants in efficiency for the number of fields used. A single increase in Energy Technology increases the power output of all a player’s fusion reactors, on every planet.
Researching this technology allows development of propulsion systems that power much larger ships and allows for much faster travel with better fuel efficiency. This technology also allows for instantaneous data transfer at higher levels, allowing several planets to collaborate on important projects
(see also Buildings > Jump Gate; Technologies > Intergalactic Research Network).
This technology allows the construction of spacecraft that rely on the Combustion Drive for propulsion: Small Cargo and Large Cargo ships, Light Fighters, Recyclers, and Espionage Probes.
With each level of the Combustion Drive technology developed, the speed and fuel efficiency of these ships are increased by 10% of their base value. (After researching Impulse Drive Technology Level 5, the drive engines in Small Cargo Ships are automatically upgraded from Combustion to Impulse, which doubles their base speed. From that point onward, Small Cargo Ships benefit from improvements in Impulse Drive technology).
This technology allows the construction of spacecraft that require the Impulse Drive for propulsion: Heavy Fighters, Cruisers, Colony Ships, and Bombers. Ships that use the Impulse Drive will have their base speed increased by 20% for every level of the Impulse Drive technology that is researched. The maximum range of Interplanetary Missiles is also increased with each level.
After researching Impulse Drive Level 5, the drive engines in Small Cargo Ships are automatically upgraded from Combustion to Impulse, which doubles their base speed. From that point onward, Small Cargo Ships benefit from improvements in Impulse Drive technology.
After researching the Hyperspace Drive to level 8, the propulsion systems for Bombers are automatically upgraded from Impulse to Hyperspace Drive, which raises their base speed from 4,000 to 5,000. From that point onward, Bombers benefit from improvements in Hyperspace Drive.
Hyperspace is an alternate region of space co-existing with our own universe. The Hyperspace Drive allows spacecraft to take a “shortcut” through this alternate region when traveling between points in our own universe, thus appearing to exceed the speed of light (otherwise known as FTL travel). Researching Hyperspace Drive technology allows the construction of Battleships, Battlecruisers, Destroyers, and Deathstars. All ships that use the Hyperspace Drive will have their base speed increased by 30% for each level of the Hyperspace Drive technology that is researched.
After researching the Hyperspace Drive to level 8, the propulsion systems for Bombers are automatically upgraded from Impulse to Hyperspace Drive, which raises their base speed from 4,000 to 5,000. From that point onward, Bombers benefit from improvements in Hyperspace Drive.
Laser Technology research allows the construction of laser-based weapon systems used by a number of defensive structures and spacecraft. This technology is also a necessity for expansion into ion- and plasma-based weapon systems.
It is important to remember that while Laser Technology is required for the construction of Light and Heavy Lasers, the power of those weapons is only increased by higher levels of Weapons Technology.
Ion Technology research deals with the study of concentrated ions and their behavior. While essential to the construction of Ion Cannons, this technology is also required for building Cruisers and researching Plasma Technology.
Plasma Technology expands on the concepts from Laser and Ion Technology to allow the construction of more advanced plasma-based weapon systems. These include defensive Plasma Turrets (cannons) and Plasma Bombs used by Bombers.
The Intergalactic Research Network (IRN) is a technology that allows Research Labs from different planets to work together, decreasing research times. Each level of IRN combines the Lab where the research is actually being conducted with the Lab on one additional planet, effectively adding their Lab Levels together to compute research time. Joining labs together is completely automatic and transparent: the game will join labs in order of their level (highest first). Labs below the minimum level required to research a given technology will be excluded, regardless of IRN.
In order to function, the colony where the research is being conducted must have a Research Lab Level capable of conducting the research independently.
You have 4 planets, with Research Lab levels of 10, 8, 6, and 4. You want to research Shielding Technology which requires a level 6 research lab.
Level 2 IRN allows 3 research labs to work together, and your top 3 labs all have at least the required level 6. Therefore, beginning research at any of those three labs will give the production time of a 10+8+6 = level 24 research lab.
You have 4 planets, with Research Lab levels of 10, 8, 6, and 4. You want to research Hyperspace Drive, which requires a level 7 research lab.
Level 2 IRN allows 3 research labs to be connected, but the level 6 and level 4 labs are excluded as they are not high enough to research Hyperspace Drive. Only two labs remain eligible.
Starting the research at either of the two possible labs, you will still get the benefits of a 10+8 = level 18 research lab.
You have 4 planets, with Research Lab levels of 10, 8, 6, and 4.
You want to research Shielding Technology which requires a level 6 research lab.
Level 1 IRN allows 2 research labs to be connected. If you start the research at the level 6 lab, you will only get the benefits of a 6+10 = level 16 lab. However, if you start the research at either of the two higher labs, you will still get the benefits of a 10+8 = level 18 research lab.
Remember that the lab where the research is started (the planet you have the resources on) is always part of the network. Therefore, as Example 3 shows, this sometimes means you should start the research on one of your higher level labs in order to gain the quickest possible research time.
The IRN is an extremely effective way to cut research time and is obviously a lot cheaper than upgrading one lab that high.
The maximum number of planets a player may colonize goes up with every second (or odd-numbered) level of this technology: at level 1 you can have two planets (your home planet plus one colony), then one more at levels 3, 5, 7, and so on.
Requirements:
Is Required For:
Graviton Technology is the pinnacle of technological research in the game. Due to its unusual cost (0 metal, 0 crystal, and 0 deuterium; 300,000 energy), its construction time is 1 second. It is a required technology for the construction of Deathstars.
The only realistic way to get the energy needed is from a very large number of Solar Satellites, which makes you an extremely desirable target (due to the potential debris field rich in crystal). Ideally, you want to research it at a (remote) location where you are unlikely to be attacked. Be wary of other players watching your fleet score increase, monitoring your solar satellite numbers on the scoreboard, or stumbling across your research location.
To calculate how many satellites you need:
Planets closer to the sun will require fewer satellites because they produce more power. Make sure you have enough resources available to build all the satellites at once. You can reduce the time needed to produce these satellites with Nanite Factories and having higher levels of Shipyards.
Once you have carried out the research, you will want to have an alliance member or friend attack you and destroy the satellites so that you can recycle the debris field. Before doing so, consider first utilizing the excess energy left from Graviton Research to build the Terraformer to its highest possible level, which will result in a number of additional fields for building.