Tech Trees - Which is your favourite and why?

Imo iconian is the strongest late game.

Living ships is just insanely good - reduces all ship maintainence to 0, meaning you can have literally unlimited ships. Also gives strong repair during battle.

They get a great early game buidling in the fabricator / replicator. It's not quite as good as Thalan building early game but imo it's better late game.

They get a 10% extra capacity and -20% logistics. Also a really powerful defense aura for midgame. This makes their fleets a force to be reckoned with.

Finally, they get the dream theatre which gives a global +25% morale bonus. 

Honestly living ships alone makes them a late game powerhouse

Oh that ship maintenance boost looks good! And sounds awesome!

I will try Iconians next  

Yes i always struggle with ship maintenance late game - 

trade always for those Techapod hives, then every 50 turns when treaty runs out have to retrade for them!

It's still pretty recent:

https://forums.galciv3.com/478191/page/1/#3640435

Thalan tech tree gives you a very fast economic and technological development at the start (I think I like the hyperion matrix branch even more than the hive branch).

Iconian is probably the next strongest.

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If you are looking for something different: Play Torian.

The Torian techtree is weaker then terran in tech development, a little stronger in population and has some amazing military techs:

+15% hp -> +20% jamming -> +20% damage reduction vs. all weapons.

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Drengin is also pretty good due to its slave hubs.

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If you want something entirely different: Try the Yor. See if you can figure them out. Though a little warning: turn down the difficulty a setting or two.

Started a new game as Iconians. There molecular fabricator is a bit different. Makes a change from full 6 hex squares filled with just Factories. Can now have fabricator in middle with 2 food, 2 research, 2 factory around it.

Started on godlike, AI tweaks, and tech trading off this time. Might be a bit much without the Thalan hive/hyperion matrix for a slow start. Think I'll restart with tech trading on....

Torian sounds good too... I do like the idea of 'Living ships' for 0 maintenance costs later in game.. makes the need for Financial/Economic worlds less important

I have not played not all Tech Trees, but currently I like the Arceans - mainly for the stellar navigation improvements which can give you really fast ships without any engine on them. Very neat on bigger maps.

I am addicted to Thalan Hives.  There, I've said it.  It is going to take something really tempting to make me give them up.

That said, I like the Iconian ships when I was working that tech tree.  I liked the Terrans as a general tech tree and faction.  I tried the Krynn and it didn't work as well as I thought it would.  I'm not really interested in trying the Yor.  I haven't tried the Arcean tech tree yet, but it does look interesting and the ships look even better.

The Arceans became the default choice of one person I know playing the game.  Their special buildings and abilities fit his style of play as well as the Hives fit mine.  He is recent to the game and I have been playing since Alpha, so he refuses to play me in MP.     So, I can't give you a comparison of the two approaches.  However, I notice that invading the Arceans and stealing their buildings is rather helpful and satisfying, so having them all along does interest me a lot.  I would recommend trying them for some variety.

The Altarian tech tree is underwhelming....  it is only their traits that allow them to be playable.

Most of the rest are good for specific things...  like  Iridium for money/influence etc..

@erischild

I agree with you on the thalan tech tree

I usually play on godlike and it's.taking along long time to get systems growing with iconian tech tree not using hives

I'm miles behind the ai haha

btw I need a multiplayer partener .....up for it? we can both play thalan tech

Iconian replicator has awesome early game potential with +3 adjacency for tech farms and factories

But not as good as thalan.

But then thalan lacks living ships

im doing an iconian game now... up to turn 72   just about to pop the '50 turns no peace'

going well... love those fabricators

I went on Incredible rather than Godlike though... felt since new tech tree and lack of thalans uber research & production thought I'd step down a skill level.

Incredible still a challenge late game with AI tweaks. I hope...

Thalian

- 1 more terraformable tile than others (2 more than silly Altarians)

- Unique %capacity techs for those 4-module support constructors (or 19-module huge constructors)

- Best unique hub building (Hive).  Maybe Drengin have better.

- Excellent unique wonder (Gaia Vortex)

- Still has access to Starbase Support Extension tech (unlike Snathi)

- Still has access to Power Plants and Singularity Power Plant wonder (unlike Drengin)

- Still has access to Food Distribution (unlike Altarian)

- Still has access to Virtual World wonder (unlike Drengin)

I think Thalan is pretty much the strongest tech tree. The early game you are setting up will usually be the biggest advantage you can get.

The hive branch is designed to compensate for the thalans -20% (right number?) growth, which makes it amazing on a custom civ without it.

The hyperion matrix branch with early access to research cloisters allows rapid research even if you only dedicate one world to it.

Something not mentioned before: 10% jamming, due to the way you can stack jamming, this is actually pretty good.

I wouldn't choose Iconian over it, just because of living ships, which you have to reach first.

I agree Thalan is OP when played as custom race. I usually play with a race with -20% maintenance costs, and +20% capaciity and +2 food.   

I wanted to diversify my games and offer a new challenge. The universe with Thalan tech tree is beatable on godlike even with AI tweaks.

I am finding using Iconion tech tree the universe is a much tougher and more challenging place on Godlike.

I am enjoying the Iconians special buildings and working towards Living Ships for that maintenance boost ( I dropped my custom races maintenance bonus before changing techs as well

Perhaps the DEVS should link some racial traits with the tech tree, only allowed to play Thalan when you're infertile etc....