I've been thinking of playing on very slow (second game on normal, medium galaxy) but right now almost the entire galaxy is explored and it will take quite some time before I've researched planetary invasions (will take 16 weeks) not to mention shock troops....
So with even slower tech rates the game would be even more dead & dull then it already is :/ It may be me who takes 3mins/turn though and has to micromanage everything perfectly though

So how are your games on very slow techrate? You focus more on research? Does it pay off?

Tech definitely comes around faster in 1.1, but I kind of like it. The telling point is that I have played a game where I hit the top end of the weapon tech tree without simply sitting on my arse and dicking around. Part of that is also the use of Neutrality learning centers.

The Dregin are alot more scary with half decent tech on their hands. In my current game, they have either topped out, or are about to top out, the Mass driver line of weapons,and they control about half to 2/3rds of teh galaxy. This has me screaming along the classed 'race of the red queen' scenario (running as fast as I can just to stay where I am relative to the Dregin), having to research armour techs, which I am handing out freely to the other civs just to try to slow the Dregin down. When the Dregin went on the offensive, several key planets traded hands between myself and the Dregin.

The only thing that kept me in the game whas giving every tech I had to the other 3 civs, and the fact that I had went for missiles instead of mass weapons, and had slightly better armour.

With the current tech rate, I think that tech victory becames alot more viable choice. Most of the time, when you can get a tech victory, you can probably win any way you want.

END COMMUNICATION

I made a custom scenario where weapons and defenses are extremely limited. Lasers and railguns are the highest possible weapons. It was hellaciously fun, especially when you see a battleship with like 20 laser cannons open fire LOL

I want to upload it to Galactic Core, but I can't get it quite right yet. I tried Laser vs Deflectors, Railguns vs Titanium. ie, all the weapons and defenses were exactly equal. The AI virtually ignored defenses to pack on as many laser cannons as possible and that's not what I intended. So I'm experimenting with tougher defenses and trying to find the right balance.

If anyone wants to try it out, let me know.

Thanks for sharing, Edna

Slow research. Interesting how it levels the playing field. I've only started toying with the settings, using the defaults to get a feel for the game. I like the high habitable planet setting; I had an Influence Victory almost just from my colonial fleets (followed by the IKEA & Wal*Mart Constructors...)