The tears in this thread are hilarious.

I for one really like the specializations, even if they need some tweaking & balancing.

There are other ways of forcing a player to take a single specialization route. It can take a looong research path before the specialization is really useful, which would keep a player on a single research - or have none of them of any use. 

Also, if they're supposed to be a choice made at the exclusion of the others, there shouldn't be a back door into obtaining the other choices by trading with the neighbors. Especially for the technologies where there's actually some degree of sense to the choices being mutually exclusive.

Alternatively, take them out of  the tech tree and make them an ideological choice that pops up when the techs that currently lead to the specializations have been triggered. At the minimum, an ideological choice is where the choice of political parties belongs; invasion tactics probably belong there as well, unless the techs are changed so as to make the tech boost a certain invasion tactic rather than unlock it.

(For that matter, I really don't understand why it is that it's just fine and dandy for every ideology to be accessible if enough effort is put into generating ideology points, but heaven forbid you do something like develop technologies that are not sensibly mutually exclusive.)

I don't mind specialization in concept, but I strongly dislike the implementation. {(trade for other bonuses) or (don't bother)} is not a superior or more meaningful choice to {(delay other research to get bonuses) or (trade for other bonuses) or (don't bother)}.

Limiting specializations is pretty dumb.

People are saying they they introduce decisions and tradeoffs to the game which are needed for a good strategy game.

Except they don't. In fact, the potential tradeoffs involved in picking techs were actually GREATER before this change. Previously you had the option of focusing really hard in a small number of tech lines at the expense of others. Now everyone is forced to be average across many tech lines.

For example, previously I could choose to get all hyperdrive specialisztions and have really fast ships without making all the engine components involved becoming too expensive or using too much hull space. The tradeoff was that I wouldn't have much research left over for weapons or other tech. Or I could choose to focus on weapons, or I could spread my efforts and be a jack of all trades.

Now we are basically forced into the jack of all trades approach. We have been given relatively unimportant choices to make WITHIN tech lines, but no longer get to make far more significant tradeoffs BETWEEN tech lines.

Also its just seems really dumb that you can't research multiple specializations, but the game still lets you trade for the locked out techs. This has even led to me to engage in silly behavior in which I wait to see what the AI researches so I can then research something different before trading with the AI. Either is possible to make things both smaller, better, and cheaper or it isn't. Make of your minds Stardock.

There are a LOT of technologies in this game. I've never been able to get through more than half of them in one game. Although, others like to play really long games, so I suppose it's possible to get them all. With so many techs, I have to make choices anyway.

+1 for having specializations. +1 for meaningful choices (they make for good games)

+1 for being able to trade specializations. Might not be 100% real-world, but it's a fun mechanic.

+1 for the developer being allowed to make the game the way they like it in the end, after getting feedback from everyone

+1 for a racial trait that allows researching multiple specializations. (choosing this trait is also a meaningful choice)

+1 for the chance later on in the tech tree to research a different specialization. Consider how you currently have the choice in real life between buying a good product or a cheap product, but not both (generally). However, in 10 years, you can get products that are cheaper and better than the ones you get now. It's a long-term thing.

+1 for being able to mod the game so you can play with no specializations or strict specializations, but I like the game the way it is now (meaningful choice and also being able to trade for multiple specializations)

Choosing one path in one game means I get to choose another path in the next game, which means my games turn out differently and I can play lots of different games for a long time.

The only way everyone can have exactly the game they want is to have infinite modding. Hopefully we'll see those most passionate about it making some mods to keep people happy.

+1 for being happy

The way you make it sound is that it will take years to research into 3 specializations and that you have to sacrifice alot of other research in order to get them. I have no idea what kind of minimalistic game you play but in a most games that are well-developed and have sufficient planet-count it will take you no more than 2 turns - because the empire wide researchoutput let you have any tech by just a single turn.

Besides, the possibility of trading for missing techs was actually more severe before the specialization - because all AI were able to research all of them (without locking themselves out once one tech was gathered or traded for), so the chance that this can happen has been reduced to 33%.

Although I agree that these techs should be made untradeable (should be easy to do, also for modders) in order to create a true specialization.

Your text is evidence of why it is a bad to be able to combine all 3 specializations. Superfast ships are overpowered and an unfair player-only advantage in that [a] the AI doesn't use this [b] in conjunction with Sensorships give you a large tactical advantage in a war: if your fleets/ships are weaker you can avoid any combat by zipping around the AI fleets or retreating into your space until the AI looses its range and has to unlock its target. We had this in GC2:DL before and it was good that it was taken out of the game. Also, you will also be able to dive deep into hostile territory and shoot down unarmed stuff, if you are never caught you can totally neglect all defensive play. And for sure all combat will always be initiated by you; another large player-only advantage.

The AI does trade technology and does go for multiple specializations, why if given the chance to research multiple specializations can't it?  Also I have seen the AI use a sensorship I designed in 6.1 so they are capable of using sensorships.  Finally sensorships are a strategic advantage not a tactical one. strategy is in this context where you fight and tactics are how you fight, the extent of tactical decisions in this game are which ships to bring to battle and fine control of the economy.

I love specialization. much better than just getting everything. Trading or stealing the missing techs is a nice addition. Can you steal techs when you invade planets?

I hate that you can do this.  It was discussed in another thread.  I think you should have to focus on one.

I suppose you could set it up so each planet researches one technology, or that multiple planets could pool tech the way they build ships. You could put your labs in space the same way as shipyards.

But that would be micromanagement hell. I like it the way it is.

Uh..The original 4X game, Master of Orion, researched everything at once - and everything down the tree of one tech discipline improved (miniaturized or made cheaper) the preceding technologies.  You could set weightings for each discipline, to advance one area faster at the cost of others, as well.

In any case, I'm also throwing my hat in the ring for hating the exclusive specializations.  I stopped playing because of this, since I prefer to play the tech game and come up from behind, later on.

One tech at a time is fine, but seriously - let us pick.  If one wants to spend their research time specializing everything, rather than advancing to the latest and greatest, its one's own strategic choice, and it can lead to VASTLY different outcomes.  For those of you who like the specilizations, how about a little self control?  Just because it's there doesn't mean you have to research it.

Or how about this alternative:
Do it the way Master of Orion 2 did it.  In general, you can only research one specialization.  However, for those who play the technology game, have a racial pick that costs a couple of points that allows you to be exempt from the one-specialization-per-tech rule.  In Master of Orion 2, this pick was called "Creative" and it cost 6 out of your 10 points, I believe, because it was pretty major.

Going to have to agree with the OP.

Hate. Hate. Hate specializations.

Particularly since they are so far from created equal, it is to laugh.

I didn't play Gal Civ II, I hate Steam.  Handle it.

I came from Gal Civ I, which I loved so much, I backed Gal Civ III, in spite of Steam, which I hate.

Gal Civ I feels like an endless field of techs to run through, each connected to the last.

Gal Civ III feels like a narrow corridor you're being herded down at top speed, because the cow ahead of you is going to get there "first".

The "fun" has gone poof, and the computer gets everything handed to them on a silver platter.

Instead, I'm gritting my teeth and waiting for certain techs, so I can "get on with it".

Not-fun.

They are specialization trees, not generalisation trees! You have to make choices! What's next, being able to be benevolent, pragmatic and malevolent at the same time with all the bonuses? 

 
I hate that you can do this. It was discussed in another thread. I think you should have to focus on one.[/quote]

Yeah, i hate it too - I think that the solution is once you start off on one 'path' such as pragmatic, then the points required to pick something from the other paths should increase significantly. There has to be a cost for making choices that goes against your civilisation's basic ideology. Same for the specialisations - you pick one, the cost of researching the other specialisations goes up sigificantly.

The orginal MOO - you had total research points, and you could allocate points to each research catagory, so you could dump everything in to something like engines at the start, then go 'balanced' for a while, then race up the weapons tree etc. Simple and elegant.