I just bought MoO2 off gog and the game seems a little different than I remember. I think I played 1.31 as the last patch. In this gog version 1.40b23, I'm getting 0 research if my scientists aren't on the home planet. I don't remember that being in the past -- has anybody else run into this? Will upgrading to the unofficial 1.50 patch fix this?

Edit: I think this is just me forgetting how the game works. When I click on the research bar, the math seems to even out.

See 2nd attached picture.

Resolved - PEBKAC. I forgot how bad the penalties are in the beginning for research on feudal states.

Sounds like you're scientists are doing unproductive work like gender studies or something.

Feudal research penalty + no marine barracks + no research lab = ouch.

A better expansion strategy as feudal is an early blitz taking advantage of your ship production bonus (and telepathy assuming you are playing as vanilla Elerians). Hopefully between captured tech and more planets in your empire (+5 research each w/ a lab, or +10 w/ supercomputer), you'll be able to keep up with the Jones long enough to get an edge.

It looks like the count may be bugged. As I understand the math, the morale penalty and the gravity penalty should be additive with each other and multiplicative with the government penalty. This means the government penalty subtracts 50%, then the combined morale and gravity penalty would subtract 70% of the remainder (35 percentage points), assuming the morale penalty is -20%. This should provide 15% research (0.45 per scientist) instead of what you're seeing: 5% research (0.15 per scientist). If you in fact somehow have a -40% morale penalty, then ignore this, the math checks out as I would expect. But as you would most likely have a -20% morale penalty, it looks like the morale penalty is being sized based on the first multiplier (the government), rather than along with the gravity penalty where it is supposed to be. This causes it to subtract twice as much as it is supposed to subtract.

But its not, even if it is somewhy looks like. Likely you was misleaded by a screenshots; first one is about High Gravity planet, but second is about another, Low Gravity planet. Math below is generally right, but the way production boni/penalties works are about game rules, not only math per se. They all (of such kind, ones that derived from a base prod value) are additive, not multiplicative in Moo2. Its trivial to actually test in-game prior answer, will take only a few mins. For the screenshot 2 it will be:
Base RP production of 3,0*1;
Gravity penalty of 25% due to LG, so 3*25%=0.75;
Moral penalty of 20% due to lack of MarineBarracks, so 3*20%=0.60;
Government penalty of Feudalism, so 3*50%=1.50;
Actual RP production of: 3.0 - 0.75 - 0.60 - 1.50 = 0.15 + 0.50 (rounding up) = 0.65 < 1, thus = 0
Adding more Scientists could help, though, as production is above 0. Say, 4 Scientists of that race will already produce a whooping 1 RP.

Note, that in case of HG planet it will be:
Base RP production of 3,0*1;
Gravity penalty of 50% due to HG, so 3*50%=1.50;
Moral penalty of 20% due to lack of MarineBarracks, so 3*20%=0.60;
Government penalty of Feudalism, so 3*50%=1.50;
Actual RP production of: 3.0 - 1.50 - 0.60 - 1.50 = -0.60 < 0, thus = 0
Adding more Scientists will not help here, though, as production is 0 (but it also will not hurt other scientiests work, in case they will be present, as negative will be set to 0 instead). Even 42 Scientists of that race will still produce 0 RP there. There is no reason to expect a -40% there. Its literally listed as -20% (0.6 penalty from base of 3.0) on screenshot. Its that fallacy of drawing a target around a place of hit. Actually if he in fact somehow have a -40% morale penalty there, it would be a good example of bug, and had to be fixed, not ignored. Though, likely he will indeed ignore it, not because of your permission to do so, and not only because its a wrong answer, but because question is 5 years old, and he wrote he already got an answer. They are not "supposed" to be that way. You just didnt bothered to check how it actually works in-game, and built a whole wrong theory by looking on a 5-years old screenshot, and noticing that -0.75 is actually suspiciously enough -1.50/2. So no, it subtract only once, as planned by authors.

Nevermind, I see my mistake. I had forgotten that gravity and morale bonuses are additive, not cumulative. No, I'm not sure where your math went wrong, but the correct result is 0.15 per scientist. Actually no, I have gotten my numbers by playing the game for several years.

Im not sure i got your point, as: is directly contradict following later: If you "forgotten" that gravity and morale bonuses are additive, not cumulative, then the whole point of your initial message about "buggy" is wrong, as its wasnt "buggy", its you "forgotten" how it work, but now "remember" finally. But then you suddenly "not sure where my math went wrong", when it calculated just the way you now "recalled" (you cant again mix LG & HG cases described there, right?). And you still didnt bothered to just launch the game and check production output of one colonist of stock Elerian race at HG & LG planet, respectively? As if you indeed wasnt misleaded by screenshot, but were so uncaring about numbers you have gotten while playing the game for several years its even worse, actually.

UPD: Oh shit, its even worse, i cant read. Of course "gravity and morale bonuses" above should be read as "government and ... bonuses". Ill leave it there, though, as it still show some reasonable way as it should be. Now into the dire actual case. No, thats not the mistake of your, as you didnt forgotten it: You "forgotten" that government bonus is plain additive for them too, though. That actually explain your following: Now all that left to do is also recall that i wrote that: It will also helps to actually test in-game prior answer, will take only a few mins. Just launch the game and check production output of one colonist of stock Elerian race at HG & LG planet, respectively; it will help with this case, and its a good way to check some trivial stuff about game overall (may not work for more complicated stuff, but this case is trivial).

UPD Ah yes, i see now, thanks thanks: Missed a needed change from LG to HG at one place, too much copy/paste; edited original message too to clarify.