Difference between revisions of "Tutorial:Research"

Latest revision as of 18:30, 5 January 2012

If you want to advance in OGame, you cannot limit yourself to buildings and battle units. You also have to spend time on research, because by acquiring new knowledge through research, you will be able to build more powerful ships and colonize more planets. So always remember, invest in research while upgrading your empire, in order not to fall behind in comparison to the other players.

The font of wisdom

The research system of OGame is actually straight-lined and easy to understand. First of all, you have to build a research lab, which you can find at the facilities. After that you already can see the list of researches. At the moment, most of the researches are coloured gray, that means that the requirements are not met. Lots of researches require a research lab on at least a certain level or another research on level x, before those are activated – one click on the belonging tech-tree provides some clarity. This principle ensures that researches can only be achieved little by little, so that you are not totally over strained at the beginning.

If you have decided in favour of a research, you will only have to make the resources, which you will need, available. Nearly every research needs a specified amount of metal, crystal and deuterium – if there are not enough resources on the planet, the research will appear gray-hatched and it will not be able to be started. In order to be able to build your first ship soon, you should look at the combustion drive more precisely and commission level 1. The event is nearly like improving buildings, researches also need a certain time, and they can be cancelled, by which you get your resources back. Completed researches cannot be cancelled.

With the combustion drive on level 1 and the shipyard, which has been built in the last chapter, you are able to build light fighters, now. However it is more reasonable to invest first resources in the second level of the combustion drive and also in the shipyard, which will activate the small cargo. With that practical ship you are able to transport significantly more resources than with the light fighters, which are rather intended for attacks.

Like that you can now activate all other buildings, ships, defensive structures and researches. You can find the requirements, which must be achieved, in the respective techtree. However, you should not research all over the place, but you should set yourself a target and activate one unit after the other.

You get on better together

Besides the costs, also the duration of the research is important, because you can always only do one research. All the other research plans have to be queued up. On the one hand, this duration depends on the costs of the technology, but on the other hand on the level of the research lab – the higher it's level, the faster you can research.

So, it is obvious, that you only will be able to activate new technologies fast enough if you have a well-improved research lab. Only like that you can advance in the game. But you have to bear in mind that, while researching, you are not able to improve the lab, and while improving the lab, you are not able to research. Furthermore, several labs on different planets are useless, for a start, because you can research in only one lab, and at the moment, several labs do not have a positive effect on the research duration.

Later on that will be changed, once you have researched the intergalactic research network. From now on, labs can be combined, to accelerate your researches. Per level, a further lab can be combined; on level 3 already 4 labs work together on different planets. The lab levels can just be added, 4 labs on level 8 are the same as one lab on level 32. By improving the research network, the research durations will be decreased; first of all, that is very important for the subsequent game progress, in which some technology levels can take weeks or months. Take notice however, that the level of the lab that you start the research from will always be the first one to be added into the calculation. The highest one on another planet will be added after that, then the second highest etc.

A collection of knowledge

A total of 16 researches, which are separated in 4 arrangements, are at your command, and each of those has its own characteristic. We have specified and explained all researches here, so that you do not invest into a wrong direction. Some technologies only make sense, until they are on a certain level, because after that, they do not have any effects. You recognize them by the bracketed number, which specifies the maximum sensible level.

Basic researches

Most of these researches are mainly designed for activating other researches or units.

Energy Technology

At the beginning it is only an important requirement for other researches, later it is important in combination with the fusion reactor, because its energy production significantly depends on this research.

Requirements:
Research Lab	1

Laser Technology (12)

The laser technology is a requirement for some researches and ships, after activating the battlecruiser, it is completed.

Requirements:
Research Lab	1
Energy Technology	2

Ion Technology (5)

The ion technology is only a requirement for the plasma technology and cruisers. All the other levels are only for the statistics.

Requirements:
Research Lab	4
Energy Technology	2
Laser Technology	5

Hyperspace Technology (8)

It is an important research, which is required for improving the intergalactic research network and for researching the hyperspace drive.

Requirements:
Research Lab	7
Laser Technology	5
Shielding Technology	5

Plasma Technology (7)

The plasma technology is an important requirement for bombers and for the strongest defensive structure, the plasma turret.

Requirements:
Research Lab	4
Energy Technology	8
Laser Technology	10
Ion Technology	5

Drive researches

Any ship needs a drive to move in the universe – the type depends on the ship. But, the drive researches are not only important to activate ships; each level also heightens their flying speed.

Combustion Drive

Light fighters, espionage probes, recyclers and small (until you research impulse drive level 5) and large cargoes fly with combustion drive. Every level of the research heightens the basic speed of those ships by 10 %.

Requirements:
Research Lab	1
Energy Technology	1

Impulse Drive

This research speeds up heavy fighters, colony ships, cruisers, bombers (until you research hyperspace drive level 8 ), as well as interplanetary missiles, about which we will talk in a different chapter. Each of these ships gains 20% more speed per level. As soon as level 5 is finished, the small cargo starts using the impulse drive.

Requirements:
Research Lab	2
Energy Technology	1

Hyperspace Drive

Battleships, battlecruisers, destroyers and deathstars use this drive. As soon as it is researched to level 8, the bomber is also fit with hyperspace drive. These ships will be sped up by 30 % for each level of hyperspace drive researched.

Requirements:
Research Lab	7
Energy Technology	5
Hyperspace Technology	3
Shielding Technology	6

Advanced researches

The advanced researches are not only requirements for important game elements; they also upgrade lots of central features of the account.

Espionage Technology

You need this research to build espionage probes and to be able to spy on other players. You can find more about that in the chapter Espionage.

Requirements:
Research Lab	3

Computer Technology

For each new level of the computer technology, you can dispatch one more fleet at the same time. Furthermore, not till level 10 you will be able to build a nanite factory.

Requirements:
Research Lab	1

Astrophysics

On the one hand that research impacts on the expeditions and on the other hand on the number of colonies. What exactly, you will find in the according chapter Expeditions and Colonisation.

Requirements:
Research Lab	3
Energy Technology	1
Impulse Drive	3
Espionage Technology	4

Intergalactic Research Network

As defined in detail in this chapter, the IRN allows you to connect several research labs (depending on it's level) and thus reduces the research time needed.

Requirements:
Research Lab	10
Energy Technology	5
Hyperspace Technology	8
Computer Technology	8
Shielding Technology	5

Graviton Technology (1)

The graviton technology enables to build the deathstar, the mightiest ship in OGame. There is an own chapter for it, because it has some specialities compared to other researches.

Requirements:
Research Lab	12

Combat researches

The number of ships and defences aren't the only thing that makes a difference in a battle. The combat researches also play a great role in the outcome of one, which is why they should not be disregarded.

Armour Technology

It heightens the structure of all ships and defense structures by 10 % of the basic value, so those can take more shots.

Requirements:
Research Lab	2

Weapons Technology

With every level of that research, the weapons of your ships and defensive structures will cause 10% more damage.

Requirements:
Research Lab	4

Shielding Technology

It tightens the shield of all units by 10% per level, so less damage can reach the armour.

Requirements:
Research Lab	6
Energy Technology	3