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SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY RESEARCH GUIDE
Version 0.97
Created by PapasNewBag
[Updated 03.08.01]
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Introduction |
Description of Research Options |
Developing Research Options |
Example Research Strategies
This guide will give you all the information you could ever need to have a successful career as a member of your research corporation. Included is a list of every available research option with description and vital statistics. Every productive employee will be sure to memorize this information in order to maximize his usefulness to his company. Enjoy!
Effective Research Strategy:
Scientist Care: In order for your company to be successful and competitive in the innovational industry they must maintain an effective research team. Your scientists must be well cared for, but not too closely. The security guards employed by the company are to be unseen and unheard protectors. Too much noise in the labs can hamper their valuable research and hurt the effectiveness of your company.
Coordinate a Research Plan: Nothing can slow down the research of a company more than having it be unable to decide on its next course of action. The employees will have a chance to vote on the next technology to devote their research to when the current project is 70% completed. Be sure to consult your coworkers prior to this time so that everyone may work together toward the same goal.
Effects of Completing Research:
Weapons/Devices: When a weapon or device is fully researched it will become available in the company Prototype Storage. Additional copies will be manufactured according to the demand by the employees to the limits of your company's production methods.
Armor: You may upgrade to your personal armor to the company's researched level by visiting an HEV charger station and filling up. The indicator on your HUD will let you know how far you are from the company maximum.
Implants: Unfortunately implant technology can not be distributed to employees on duty. They are installed in the critical period while cloning an employee and at no other time.
Method Upgrades: Researching upgrades to the machinery or methods used by your company will be seen immediately upon completing the research.
Description of Research Options |
Classification: The sort of category this research option fits into. Offensive weapons are more oriented for assault purposes, while defensive weapons will work well in defending one’s company from intruders.
Time to Research: A typical research team with three happy scientists will take this amount of time to research. This can be shorter or longer depending on the size and efficiency of your research team.
Prerequisites: Most research options cannot be researched right away. They depend on the technological advancements gained from other research. If an option lists more than one prerequisite, either will do. Some research options require technology from more than one source to work, and that information will be identified.
Leads to: The completion of this research option will open up the possibility to research these options. Sometimes those options may not be immediately activate due to other requirements.
Gameplay: A summary of the effects this research option will have on the company.
Note: italicized items are not implemented yet in the current version of Science & Industry, but are planned for the future (see list of Developing Research Options for information on those).
In order to help visualize the research system of Science & Industry it may be helpful to look at a technology tree diagram. Note: this diagram available is not entirely current
Start Research
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Classification: | Miscellaneous Research |
Time to Research: | 1:30 |
Prerequisites: | None |
Leads to: | Assault Shotgun, Fragmentation Grenade, Armor MkI, and Regenerative Biotech |
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In order for your company to begin researching more and more complex things, they must first set up their research equipment, organize the lab, and prepare the research team. The first couple minutes of research time are devoted solely to this in order to ensure the quality of the facilities, and then other options will be available. Your company's initial focus in research will greatly shape it's future developments.
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Colt Defender
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Classification: | Weapon - Offensive |
Time to Research: | 0:00 |
Prerequisites: | None |
Leads to: | None |
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This high powered handgun is invaluable for its perfect accuracy, ease of use, and inexpensive production. The perfect sidearm for a security officer defending his corporation's headquarters. The pistol provides a lot of power, but reload time and firing rate are slow and it only holds seven shells.
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Assault Shotgun
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Classification: | Weapon - Offensive |
Time to Research: | 3:00 |
Prerequisites: | Start Research |
Leads to: | Tommygun, Rocket Pistol, Akimbo snUZIs, and Crossbow | |
This Franchi-Spas 12 semi-automatic assault shotgun holds eight shells and loads from the bottom. It can either fire one shell at a time, or with a much slower rate, fire a double barrel load. Each is very powerful, but only someone heavily armored can withstand a clean double barrel shot. Researching this basic shotgun will open up the options of a variety of offensive weaponry.
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Thompson Submachine Gun
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Classification: | Weapon - Offensive |
Time to Research: | 2:45 |
Prerequisites: | Assault Shotgun |
Leads to: | Nothing |
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Of the automatic weapons available to your scientists to research, the tommygun packs the largest punch. This power doesn't come without its drawbacks, as that the tommygun is exceedinginly innaccurate. It's best used in close ranges unless it is fired in bursts, or used by employees that have been enhanced with bionic muscle implants (and thus can control the weapon better). Your scientists have added a secondary firing option to the tommygun that has a faster firing rate, but an even poorer level of accuracy.
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Akimbo snUZIs
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Classification: | Weapon - Offensive |
Time to Research: | 2:45 |
Prerequisites: | Assault Shotgun |
Leads to: | Nothing |
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These lightweight submachine guns are devestating when used in an akimbo pair. The snUZIs make up for their lacking power with the sheer quantity of bullets fired. This makes the snUZIs effective at longer ranges, as well as close-up encounters. However, reload time can be longer since only one gun can be reloaded at a time.
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Crossbow
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Classification: | Weapon - Defensive |
Time to Research: | 1:45 |
Prerequisites: | Assault Shotgun and Fragmentation Grenades |
Leads to: | Production Speed Upgrade and Grappling Hook | |
Explosive darts from the crossbow can do a fair amount of damage, but its true strength lies in its high power zoom lens for distance sniping. A skilled sniper in a good position can defend his base extremely well using the capabilities of this weapon. It takes very heavy armor to protect against a well-placed crossbow dart, and even then chances are slim.
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Fragmentation Grenade
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Classification: | Weapon - Defensive |
Time to Research: | 1:15 |
Prerequisites: | Start Research |
Leads to: | Radio Transistor and Crossbow |
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This is your standard hand grenade. It has a three-second delay on the detonation, so be sure to throw it pretty quickly or it will blow up in your face. The technology involved in this basic explosive is vital to expanding to larger more elaborate explosives.
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Radio Transistor
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Classification: | Weapon - Defensive |
Time to Research: | 1:15 |
Prerequisites: | Fragmentation Grenade |
Leads to: | Satchel Charges |
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This is simply a standard AM radio with a one-use adhesive on the back. The device is produced by your team to be used as a distraction to your competitors. When placed (the best place for this being in your opponents research lab), the radio will blast preset disruptive music in the immediate area until destroyed (the stations were voted upon by your research team for maximum annoyance). If hidden well, the radio transistor can disrupt the work of your competitors for a very long time. The technology in this radio transistor is vital for the development of remotely detonating explosives, making it a very smart research choice to expand your company’s defensive equipment.
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Satchel Charges
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Classification: | Weapon - Defensive |
Time to Research: | 2:00 |
Prerequisites: | Radio Transistor |
Leads to: | Trip Mines, Mindray, and C4 Briefcase Bomb | |
Place satchel charges at strategic places in order to defend your company (but keep clear of the lab, lest the explosion disturb your research team). They are detonated by a radio device that can link many placed satchels at a time. Be careful with satchel charges-their blast radius is large and powerful. You wouldn’t want to upset the administrator by wasting precious time and money on cloning your body after improper usage of these explosives.
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C4 Briefcase Bomb
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Classification: | Weapon (Defensive) |
Time to Research: | 1:30 |
Prerequisites: | Satchel Charges |
Leads to: | Nothing |
Gameplay: | 120% briefcase melee damage |
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When things are looking bleak for your company, this addition to your arsenal may be helpful. If you can’t beat them, with the C4 briefcase bomb you can at least take them with you. Activate the explosives (you’ll see a red C4 icon in your HUD) and press the trigger for a quick ticket to your cloning chamber. It is recommended that the Cloning Upgrade be researched to accompany this tactic.
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Trip Mines
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Classification: | Weapon - Defensive |
Time to Research: | 1:45 |
Prerequisites: | Satchel Charges |
Leads to: | Manufacturing Upgrade and Rocket Pistol |
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Once placed upon a surface, these mines will power up and emit a motion-sensing beam parallel to the normal of the surface. When that beam is disrupted, the mine detonates-pretty much guaranteeing the destruction of whoever crossed it. Your scientists have worked extra hard to install a personnel recognition addition to this trip mine-making your facility a safe place for its security guards, but deadly for any intruders. Be certain to register your DNA sequence with the administrator, as is standard company procedure.
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Rocket Pistol
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Classification: | Weapon - Offensive |
Time to Research: | 3:00 |
Prerequisites: | Assault Shotgun and Tripmines |
Leads to: | RPG |
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Extensive knowledge of explosives and micro-engineering has allowed your scientists to develop this weapon prototype. The chamber holds four small rockets - each packing a fierce punch, despite their size. The chamber can be emptied all at once, unleashing devastating destruction upon anything in the path of the rockets fired.
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Laser-Guided RPG
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Classification: | Weapon - Offensive |
Time to Research: | 3:15 |
Prerequisites: | Rocket Pistol and Manufacturing Process |
Leads to: | Nothing |
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The red dot from these laser-guided rockets puts fear into the heart of even the bravest security guard. The laser sight can be disabled in order to keep one’s position concealed, resulting in a straight dumb-fire missile. When enabled, rockets that you fire can be guided remotely simply by aiming the laser towards your desired target. The power load in these rockets is enough to stop even heavily armored opponents.
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Mindray
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Classification: | Miscellaneous Research |
Time to Research: | 1:30 |
Prerequisites: | Coffee Strength Upgrade or Satchel Charges |
Leads to: | GI Destabilizer and Tau Cannon (Gauss Gun) |
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Another energy weapon developed by your scientists, this device works with highly experimental meta-neurotechnology. Depending on the desired effect, the beams emitted from the mindray can either disrupt or encourage the electrical impulses along neural pathways. The testing on this weapon has not been very thorough, as that it only seems to have effects on creatures with extremely high neural activity. Because of this your scientists have only been able to test the secondary fire a couple times, but have yet to achieve results that didn’t result in permanent damage of the subject. When wielding this device be sure to have a steady hand and aim for the brain of your target so as to maximize the neurological effect.
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GI-Destabilizer
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Classification: | Weapon - Defensive |
Time to Research: | 2:00 |
Prerequisites: | Cloning Upgrade or Mindray |
Leads to: | Nothing |
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This weapon emits a sonic pulse that disrupts the digestive system of anyone pierced by these waves. It is tuned to the precise resonance frequency of certain human organs in the digestive track in order to create uncontrollable vomiting and convulsing. The effect is quite crippling, so take caution not to affect your fellow employees while on duty.
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Tau Cannon (Gauss Gun)
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Classification: | Weapon - Offensive |
Time to Research: | 3:30 |
Prerequisites: | Manufacturing Process Upgrade and Mindray |
Leads to: | Nothing |
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Your scientists might be reluctant to release this highly experimental weapon. Although unstable, the gauss gun used by an experienced professional can quickly become a very powerful weapon. Its primary fire is designed to render an opponents armor useless with short bursts. Its secondary fire, when held, charges up the firing power greatly so that when released the gauss gun’s fire can even puncture through thin walls, making it an excellent weapon to flush out snipers. When wielding the tau cannon, ensure that your feet are firmly placed because this weapon’s kickback can easily knock down a two hundred pound security guard.
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Armor Upgrade (MkI)
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Classification: | Armor Upgrade |
Time to Research: | 1:30 |
Prerequisites: | Starting Research |
Leads to: | Armor Upgrade (MkII), Coffee Strength, and Armor Regeneration |
Gameplay: | +25 to max armor, -2 to max speed, +1 to armor charger rate |
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Armor is vital to the survival of your security guards, and will save you money on cloning expenses. This armor is the weakest grade, but it still enough to give your employees a better chance when on duty. The knowledge of personal physiology and such gained from this upgrade is vital to developing the mindray.
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Armor Upgrade (MkII)
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Classification: | Armor Upgrade |
Time to Research: | 2:00 |
Prerequisites: | Armor Upgrade (MkI) |
Leads to: | Armor Upgrade (MkIII) |
Gameplay: | +25 to max armor, -2 to max speed, +1 to armor charger rate |
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This is an upgrade to the Armor Upgrade Mk I. Your security guards will be able to survive much more powerful assaults when supplied with the MkII armor enhancement.
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Armor Upgrade (MkIII)
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Classification: | Armor Upgrade |
Time to Research: | 2:45 |
Prerequisites: | Armor Upgrade (MkII) |
Leads to: | Armor Upgrade (MkIV) and Manufacturing Process Upgrade |
Gameplay: | +25 to max armor, -4 to max speed, +1 to armor charger rate |
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Technology developed in upgrading to the MkIII armor level is widely usable in other branches of research due to the micro technology used in its production.
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Armor Upgrade (MkIV)
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Classification: | Armor Upgrade |
Time to Research: | 3:30 |
Prerequisites: | Armor Upgrade (MkIII) |
Leads to: | Armor Regeneration |
Gameplay: | +25 to max armor, -4 to max speed, +1 to armor charger rate |
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The MkIV armor enhancement is revolutionary in the development of personal defense. When equipped with MkIV armor technology, security guards from your company will be nearly unstoppable by anything short of a tank.
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Upgrade Coffee Strength
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Classification: | Miscellaneous Research |
Time to Research: | 1:00 |
Prerequisites: | Production Speed Upgrade or Armor Upgrade (MkI) |
Leads to: | Mindray and Manufacturing Process Upgrade |
Gameplay: | -5 seconds unconscious time for scis, 120% max scientist efficiency (150% mindrayed), slightly slower efficiency recovery |
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Coffee is the lifeblood of your scientists, and is vital to their research. By giving them better coffee you can keep them working late into the night on your research. Expect an increase in your company’s production, and a decrease in the recovery time of unconscious scientists.
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Manufacturing Process Upgrade
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Classification: | Miscellaneous Research |
Time to Research: | 2:30 |
Prerequisites: | Tripmines, Coffee Upgrade, or Armor Upgrade (MkIII) |
Leads to: | Tau Cannon, RPG, Production Speed, and Cloak Generators |
Gameplay: | +$25000 Cash, -5 seconds to replace tech, -$1000 cost to hire scientists, 75% cost to replace tech, +$2 cash/sec per scientist |
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The methods that your company has been using since its founding are not always the best. In fact, some of them are downright inefficient. It may be a wise move to take time away from standard research and upgrade your facilities. This will open up new technologies and will also be a great incentive for potentially new members of your research team. Replacing your scientists will require less capital, and it will most likely take less time to find the right replacement. Expect this upgrade to increase your rate of capital gain.
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Production Speed Upgrade
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Classification: | Miscellaneous Research |
Time to Research: | 2:00 |
Prerequisites: | Leg Implants MkI, Manufacturing Process Upgrade, or Crossbow |
Leads to: | Cloning Methods, Armor Regeneration, Coffee Strength, and Leg Implants MkII |
Gameplay: | 50% time to respawn weapons/ammo, 70% time to replace tech, +$3 cash/sec per scientist, +1 health charger rate |
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No matter how much research your company has completed, and how many gadgets are available for your use, your production line can only produce them so fast. That is, unless you opt to take time to upgrade the processes with which your equipment is produced. Expect a huge increase in which your equipment is available. For obvious reasons, this technology upgrade is vital to many branches of research.
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Cloning Method Upgrade
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Classification: | Implants and Personnel Upgrades |
Time to Research: | 1:15 |
Prerequisites: | Production Speed Upgrade |
Leads to: | GI Destabilizer, Personal Ammunition Replicators, and the Flesh Eating Virus |
Gameplay: | 50% cloning cost, 50% time to clone, 50% hiring sci cost, +1 health charger rate |
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Loss of employed security officers is a considerable drain on the capital of your company. Each death results in the time-consuming, costly procedure of cloning them to put them back in action. Upgrading the methods used to clone your employees is an option, and will reduce the time and cost of this operation. Also, upgraded cloning technology can at last handle the highly complex DNA structure of your skilled scientists, dropping the cost of replacing them considerably (although it is still more costly than replacing a security guard due to the complexity of the scientist’s neural structure).
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Personal Ammunition Replicators
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Classification: | Implants and Personnel Upgrades |
Time to Research: | 2:00 |
Prerequisites: | Cloning Method Upgrade |
Leads to: | Personal Ammunition Replicators MkII |
Gameplay: | Ammo regen (based on weapon) |
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Your company’s progress in cloning technology has expanded to the ability to develop small replicators that can be carried with each of their security guards for the purpose of replacing used ammunition. A smart employee with this equipment can remain on duty for an extended time without wasting time to return to his cloning facilities to restock. The device must take a new reading on the structure of each type of ammunition when switching in-between them, so expect delays when changing weapons.
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Personal Ammunition Replicators MkII
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Classification: | Implants and Personnel Upgrades |
Time to Research: | 1:00 |
Prerequisites: | Personal Ammunition Replicators |
Leads to: | Nothing |
Gameplay: | 50% ammo regen time |
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Further research time spent on this will increase the rate at which your replicators operate.
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Regenerative Biotechnology
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Classification: | Implants and Personnel Upgrades |
Time to Research: | 1:00 |
Prerequisites: | Start Research |
Leads to: | Bionic Replacements, Advanced Regeneration, Ocular Implants, and Cybernetic Legs |
Gameplay: | 2 health/sec player regenerate, +25 sci max health, scis regenerate, scis can heal players (50 health/heal), + 1 health charger rate, +$25 player clone cost |
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Advances in your scientist’s knowledge of physiology will eventually lead to this valuable technology. Synthesized human tissue, created by your dedicated research team, is grafted with your tissue to create a highly regenerative hybrid. The end result is a powerful genetically altered security team.
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Advanced Regenerative Biotechnology
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Classification: | Implants and Personnel Upgrades |
Time to Research: | 1:00 |
Prerequisites: | Regenerative Biotechnology |
Leads to: | Nothing |
Gameplay: | +2 health/sec regen, +1 health charger rate |
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Further bioresearch improves the rate at which your empoloyees will regenerate.
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Regenerative Armor Tech
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Classification: | Implants and Personnel Upgrades |
Time to Research: | 2:00 |
Prerequisites: | Armor MkIV or either Armor MkI or Production Upgrade |
Leads to: | Advanced Regenerative Armor Tech |
Gameplay: | 1 unit/sec armor regeneration, +$25 player clone cost |
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Special materials can be developed by your research team that have the ability to replicate themselves. When combined with your armor technology, this produces a powerful self-healing armor, making your employees able to stay on duty for longer without having to return to the cloning facilities for repair.
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Advanced Regenerative Armor Tech
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Classification: | Implants and Personnel Upgrades |
Time to Research: | 1:00 |
Prerequisites: | Regenerative Armor Tech |
Leads to: | Nothing |
Gameplay: | +2 units/sec armor regen |
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Further replication research improves the rate of armor regeneration.
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Cybernetic Leg Implants (MkI)
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Classification: | Implants and Personnel Upgrades |
Time to Research: | 1:30 |
Prerequisites: | Regenerative Biotech |
Leads to: | Cybernetic Leg Implants (MkII) and Production Speed |
Gameplay: | +35 player speed, +$50 player clone cost |
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Mixing human muscles with advanced machinery can give your security force superhuman capabilities that will make your competitors soil themselves. With these leg implants your employees will be able to move at an enhanced speed.
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Cybernetic Leg Implants (MkII)
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Classification: | Implants and Personnel Upgrades |
Time to Research: | 2:00 |
Prerequisites: | Cybernetic Leg Implants (MkI) and Production Speed Upgrades |
Leads to: | Nothing |
Gameplay: | +20 player speed, 80% falling damage, +$25 player clone cost |
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Further enhancements can be made upon the base cybernetics in your employees to further increase their movement speed and enable them to make superhuman leaps. The robust security guards will also be able to better survive falls from large heights.
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Bionic Muscle Fiber Replacements
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Classification: | Implants and Personnel Upgrades |
Time to Research: | 1:45 |
Prerequisites: | Regenerative Biotechnology |
Leads to: | Exoskeleton Implants |
Gameplay: | +25 player max health, +25 scientist max health, 200% melee damage, +$25 player clone cost |
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Superhuman strength in your company’s employees can be achieved by replacing their inferior muscle tissue with a refined titanium alloy. Computer chips in the bionic replacement connect to the brain and work together to make much stronger contractions than are available through standard myosin/actin interactions. Employees of the corporation will be more robust and will be able to inflict an incredible amount of damage with melee weapons. Bionically enhanced employees will find it easier to recruit the competitor's scientists with their superhuman strength.
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Exoskeleton Implants
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Classification: | Implants and Personnel Upgrades |
Time to Research: | 2:00 |
Prerequisites: | Bionic Muscle Fiber Replacements |
Leads to: | Nothing |
Gameplay: | +25 player max health, +25 scientist max health, +$25 player clone cost |
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Your research team has developed a strong tissue hybrid replacement for their employee's skin providing them with a much better natural armor.
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Ocular Implants
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Classification: | Implants and Personnel Upgrades |
Time to Research: | 1:30 |
Prerequisites: | Regenerative Biotech or Cloak Generators |
Leads to: | Cloak Generators |
Gameplay: | 120% precision ranged damage, enhanced ID and notification system, total zoom control, +$25 player clone cost |
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Microscopic electronic sensory implants can greatly increase the effectiveness of your average security guard. Not only do the implants allow for enhanced resolution even at extreme distances (given the subject the ability to zoom in on distant objects and aim more accurately), but a receptor in the implant allows images to be sent to the subject from the corporations main computer and projected onto the eye. This is tied in with the medical database of your company to provide each employee of your team extensive information on the status of your competitor's employees.
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Personal Cloak Generators
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Classification: | Miscellaneous Research |
Time to Research: | 2:50 |
Prerequisites: | Manufacturing Process Upgrade |
Leads to: | Ocular Implants |
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This device coats its operator in a light magnetic field that works to shift the phase of light waves striking it. The result is interference that renders the operator partially invisible. With these devices your employees can walk around the opponents facilities unseen - allowing them to disrupt research without being noticed. However, extended use of it will cause the device to overheat and become quite harmful to the health of the operator. Also, the device cannot align the field very well, and moving too much can cause it to be less effective. It works best when moving slowly, and only for short periods.
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Flesh Eating Virus
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Classification: | Miscellaneous Research |
Time to Research: | 2:00 |
Prerequisites: | Cloning Method Upgrade |
Leads to: | Nothing |
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When competition gets fierce, research companies are known to bend the rules of fair play. Your scientists have brewed together this harmful virus to be used against those that would stand in the way of their further research. Contained in a small glass vial, this volatile mixture contains viruses that will spread through the air to nearby organisms. Simply lob the vial into a crowd of your enemies and let the virus do the damage.
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Developing Research Options |
Your research team works around the clock to bring better technologies and better your corporation. What follows is a list of items that are currently out of the reach of your scientists, but may become available soon.
Grappling Hook
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Classification: | Miscellaneous Research |
Time to Research: | 2:00 |
Prerequisites: | Crossbow |
Leads to: | Nothing |
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Being able to manuever better can easily save your hide in combat situations where you are grossly outnumbered or outgunned. This high-strain grappling hook that your scientists have developed can support your weight and pull you away to places your opponent cannot follow. However, the hook can only support the weight of one individual, so stealing scientists away like Tarzan is not a very effective option.
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Example Research Strategies |
Rockets of Fury
Extensive weapons research can force your competitor to fear every possible encounter with your well armed security guards. Concentrate your research on all the weapons that come available, and you'll find your employees so well equipped with weaponry that they will be ready for any combat situation. Use RPGs and snipers with Crossbows to cover your teammates as they raid the enemy base. Those going in the front lines can use the MP5 with Contact Grenades to devastate any large group of opponents, and then pick them off one by one with the shotgun. Concentrating your research on these items early on can earn you quick control over the pool of scientists.
The disadvantage of this strategy is that weapons research can be time consuming, and stollen quite easy if your employees are careless and leave one of your prototypes for your competitor to salvage. Make sure that you never allow your research to be stollen, or your edge is lost. Also, if the fight ever leaks into your labs, you'll find that your extreme firepower will create more problems as it brings research to a halt from all the noise.
Men of Steel
Your average security guard is nothing more than fresh meat when thrown out before the devastating weaponry other research teams may cook up. The human body cannot endure that level of strain, and you'll end up seeing more of the inside of your cloning chamber than anywhere else. Researching armor technology can increase the life expectancy of each of your employees and get them further and further into the stronghold of your opponent. Security Guards with MkIV armor are almost impossible to hold back.
Researching the highest levels of protection is extremely time consuming. You may find yourself able to withstand any blast your opponent can throw at you, but unable to do anything else. Armor is also useless against many of the bio-chemical weapons your competitor may develop.
The Impenetrable Fortress
Your scientists can cook up some extremely effective defenses to protect your lab with. If your team works together to use Tripmines and Satchels to guard every entrance to your corporate headquarters, you'll find keeping the lab safe and quiet an easy task. Spend the rest of your time keeping your scientists extra happy with Mindrays and by researching better production techniques to increase their rate of output. The extra time you earn yourself by placing well thought out defenses can win dominance over your competitor even without holding all of the scientists.
However, this strategy is prone to creating over-confident defenders. A patient intruder can sneak past your defenses and get right into your research lab without being noticed. Don't let your defenses lay too far outside your laboratories, but don't let them be so close that the line of scrimage is always disrupting your scientist's work. Find the best choke points in the area and use them wisely.
The Six Million Dollar Security Guard
Spending time to convert your employees' humanity into machinery can give them the edge of speed and strength that they need to obliterate all competition. Cybernetic Leg Implants allow them to sprint right past enemy defenses and run right back out with a scientist over their shoulder without loosing much speed at all. Bionic Strength turns your briefcase into a symbol of fear as you get medieval on anyone who dares to get near you. Ocular Implants allow you to spot an opponent from far away and get in shots before they know what's happening. Powerful cybernetically-enhanced security guards can overcome those with better weaponry if they learn how to use their implants effectively. Soon your employees will be bringing back your opponents prototypes and stealing the technology instead of researching it themselves.
Good implant technology takes a good deal of time before it is available. Waiting for that technology puts you at a disadvantage while your competitor has an offensive and defensive edge. Implants work best in combination with other implants, and you may never fully reach your dream of the physically superior security guard before your opponent walks all over you.
We Don't Need No Stinkin' Armor
Having some sort of protection that keeps your team alive is vital, but researching Armor to its highest levels can be quite time consuming, and keeps you from the rest of your research. An alternative can be found in researching Bionic Muscle Fiber Replacements and Exoskeleton Implants to increase your teams max health to 150% (and that of your scientists), and then research the advanced level of Regenerative Biotechnology. The overall result is a security guard that can take almost as much damage as a fully armored opponent, and regenerating that all the time.
The body can only be pushed so far, and no level of biological enhancements can match the extremes of armor technology. This level of protechion will be sufficient for your team in all but the last quarter of the match, where high tech weapons will rip through your natural armor. At that point you'll either need to have implants to keep your team nimble and dodging, or invest in some armor tech.
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