That seems like a tremendous question-beg. Linearly or superlinearly? Not even considering it might be less than linear at all? Especially while you are including Bongo in your concerns, who we already know gradually accumulates power?
I think that's where we differ. I don't consider Denva our home base. They're an allied state, and we don't need to baby them or keep checking on them. We go exploring because we're a wayfarer, a wanderer. We have no fixed port, and we shouldn't have any fixed port. Our home base is the Spark, and she's coming with us wherever we go.
My list:
She'll get to immediately use the cool sword to feel better and get a leveling bonus.
But I like Vita being characterized as a sucker for her Crew?
I am in favor of getting Cia her new sword on the basis that I like her and want her to be happy.
You may be reading far more into "home base". I call it that because it's where most of the infrastructure we can use is, and it's one boon away from that infrastructure being permanently available to us whenever we're there.
Counterargument: we're not actually using the features our ship already has for the most part, and it's not obvious what features you'd be aiming to add. Make the Spark Better isn't a bad thing, certainly, but I don't see where it changes the game for us either.
But I like Vita being characterized as a sucker for her Crew?
Can't resist the puppy eyes
It's way harder to build more hulls than to spare an of RP...especially while we're exploring.
I mean, I'd also throw in the pyromancy, TBH. It's not that expensive.
It's only expensive compared to the cheapest techs we have. And I'm willing to entertain some cost to ensure the wellbeing of one of our crew members (who are, in a very real way, our base of power. Also: when she needs that sword, she'll need to have it and be trained in it. There may not be time to research and produce it then.
Can we spend their output without spending at least one research action? If not, then we effectively gain it, in a given turn, as a bonus to our first action.
This, too.But I like Vita being characterized as a sucker for her Crew?
Can't resist the puppy eyes
We could go around Denva without going back there yet. I am in favour of not ranging far afield yet (I'll go check the map and edit my plan if that's what it's doing) but I also don't think we should go back to Denva yet.
That's true... but we can make factory ships at Denva when we finally visit at the end of this turn. And then we can declare "my job here is done. Vita awaaaaaaaay" for a while.
I don't think you're going to get me on-side for the urgency you have to get back to Denva. The only thing that makes it even slightly appeal is handing over HSI.
IMO our trip to Ascalon proves that we don't need either of those to travel one system through the warp.
Right now, we have Improved Sensors, which take up 250 units of space. If we researched just the better weapons cramming, we'd get 735 units of space back. Accounting for removing the Improved Sensors, then with module cramming, or cutting down on Bongo's vault once we've bound them, we could fit this:
In 3-5 turns (depending on if we go back to Denva for a refit) at no loss to the ship's actual effectiveness. All our sensor worries will be gone, the extra techs just the cherry on top to the best anti-stealth module we could make on top of an incredible boost to our ability to investigate weird shit. Shutting down Drukhari boarding attempts? Done. Investigating the Webgate? Easier than ever.
I absolutely refuse to support doing Daemonology before Scrapcode Immunity. That research has the same risks that the scrapcode generator research itself did - it is Vita directly experimenting with Bongo. We can end that research risk for 100RP, it is insanity to choose otherwise.
