[Aub]

Originally posted by oleg:
Aub, taking into account the _very_ long time needed to build even a city, you can research almost all cultural facilities, up to arcology. Thus, if you don't like to upgrade, start to build whatever facility you like on every planet and never bother to upgrade them ! True, you want be able to use global "upgrade" option and go through each planet...

Oleg, is this a practical advice? I don't think so. Try playing like this in multiplayer...

The problem is that the current system forces you to use upgrades - if you don't, and the other guy does, you lose valuable time and resources.

Plus, the facility parameters imply upgrading - building an Arcology from ground up does not make sense, it will take too long. It is designed to be reached through a series of upgrades. Unfortunately, if you were careless enough to research Arcology right away, you are screwed for good - you upgrade options are severely limited for the rest of the game. Is it a good thing that more research puts you at a disadvantage?

Aub