Advanced Research Artifacts

[mbi2003]

I really like this game. It is perfect for my interest. What I want to know is how do you use the advance research artifacts? They never seem to be lit up and I have tried unsuccessfully to make them work. I read the manual,(it took 5 hrs to print) but it doesn't really tell you the steps to make them work. Also, the screen blanks some. I understand there is a patch in the works. Any idea when that will be available?

[drmant]

Advanced research artifacts are used when you research "advanced" technologies. For example, once you research "laser beams", and you have an advanced research artifact, you will have the option to research "adv laser beams". These are an enhanced version of laser beams, and if you research it, one of your advanced research artifacts will disappear but you have a better version of a laser beam. Most, if not all, weapons and armor have an "advanced version". However, since these AR artifacts are good for only one use, and because most of the time the the next age weapon of the same class is better than the "adv" version of the previous age, I don't use them until I am in the singularity age. Then again, I usually have three or four left over, so maybe I should use them earlier