What is 'reasonable' return on research?

[Baron Munchausen]

I've been modding weapons and thinking about what the structure of a weapon tech tree 'ought' to look like. Which makes more sense: A fixed increment of improvement for each level, the same amount of improvement at each tech level even thought the cost is higher (diminishing returns)... or gradually increasing improvements as the tech cost increases ('proportional' returns)? I can think of a lot of arguments for each side. Sure, it's 'realistic' to have diminishing returns for effort. But it's also realistic to make sudden breakthroughs giving huge unexpected benefits. Too bad we can't have those in SE, but everyone has the tech tree memorized after a few games.

[ July 12, 2002, 17:31: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]