Quote Originally Posted by doc_bean
Research may be pretty fast, but laser II isn't exactly an improvement over laser I, I wouldn't upgrade ships until I had laser IV or V and at least one decent shield (lvl III I guess, the small ones).
Size! It matters, despite what kind people may say I tend to find that researching a few levels of a weapon tech allows me to cram something else onto the hull, be it another weapon or a dohicky I want. So laser III is enough of an advantage over laser I that I wish to upgrade; I also research weapons/defence/engine techs in spurts, getting several in a row before going back to something peaceful. At the research rates I'm seeing at present that usually takes about 10 turns total, to make the jump from base tech to needing to upgrade.