Tutorial:Research

Revision as of 12:58, 12 February 2011

If you want to advance in OGame, you cannot limit yourself to buildings and basic 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 compared to the other players.

The font of wisdom

The research system of OGame is actually straight-forward and easy to understand. First off, 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 colored gray, which means that the requirements are not met. Lots of researches require a research lab on at least a certain level or another research on a certain level. Before those are activated – one click on the tech-tree provides some clarity (Found by clicking the desired research and clicking the "techtree" button). This principle ensures that researches can only be achieved little by little, so you are not totally over strained at the beginning.

If you have decided in favor 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 start level 1. The event is nearly like improving buildings, researches also need a certain time, and they can be cancelled too, and you get your resources back. Completed researches cannot be canceled or removed.

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 unlock the small cargo. With the small cargo you are able to transport significantly more resources than with the light fighters, which are rather intended for attacks.

All other buildings, ships, defenses and resources can be unlocked this way. You can find the requirements that must be achieved in the respective techtree. However, you should not research all over the place, but you should set yourself a target and research each technology one at a time.

You get on better together

Besides the costs, the duration of the research is important, because you can always only do one research at a time. All the other research plans have to be queued up. On 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 research new technologies fast enough if you have a well-improved research lab. This is the best way 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 (IRN). Research durations from labs can be combined to accelerate your researches. At each level, a further lab can be combined. On level 3 IRN, 4 labs work together on different planets. The lab levels can just be added, 4 labs on level 10 are the same as one lab on level 40. 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. Keep in mind that IRN will only take into account research labs that can research it, or level 10 and up

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 are only useful 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

The ion technology is only a requirement for the plasma technology and cruisers. All the other levels are only for raising total research points.

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

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% per level.

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, which we will talk about 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. Level 10 is required for building a nanite factory.

Requirements:
Research Lab	1

Astrophysics

On one hand this research impacts expeditions and on the other hand on the number of colonies available. What exactly it affects is found in the corresponding chapters: Expeditions and Colonization.

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 its level, minimum level 10) 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 you to build the Deathstar, the mightiest ship in OGame. There is a chapter dedicated to Graviton technology, because it has some specialties when compared to other researches.

Requirements:
Research Lab	12

Combat researches

The number of ships and defenses 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 they can take more shots from other ships/defenses.

Requirements:
Research Lab	2

Weapons Technology

With every level of this research, the weapons of your ships and defensive structures will cause 10% more damage to other ships/defenses.

Requirements:
Research Lab	4

Shielding Technology

It heightens the shield strength of all units by 10% per level, so less damage can reach the armor.

Requirements:
Research Lab	6
Energy Technology	3