Crash research and parallel research queues

[Pocus]

Unless I'm mistaken, crash research double research speed. Meaning that it is suboptimal as soon as you do any crash research to research 2 items at the same time?

Unless crash research grants a bonus point equals to the whole of your research allowance? But I doubt that, and I see it as a possible exploit once you are filthy rich.

[MatBailie]

In my experience the effect (though not necessarily the implementation) of crash can be described as...
- halve the tech's remaining time to complete
- halve the tech's amount of outstanding research required
- double the rate at which research points reduce the outstanding research required

(They're mathematically equivalent.)

In the case that you have one queue, that's the same as doubling your research output (2x normal output), while researching that tech.

In the case of two queues, 50% of your research is applied to each tech, and then the portion allocated to the crashed tech(s) gets doubled. If you only crash one of the two queues, this means that you're doubling half of your research output (0.5 * 2 + 0.5 * 1 = 1.5x normal output). When compared to having just one queue, it will take twice as long to research the tech and so this 50% bonus will last for twice as long.

No matter how I look at it, and in my experience, the number of queues does not change the amount of research output gained by crashing.
- I see no available exploit

[Pocus]

It seems I stand corrected!

[Bloodly]

Hmm. Research doesn't seem to spill over to the next topic once one is completed. Also, research ticks aren't truly applied on a daily basis. Thus, I imagine if you really wanted to squeeze out as much as possible, you'd if at all possible turn on multiple projects as one were about to complete so some would get into the new project as another completes. The question is would these extra scraps of time add up to anything...