this isnt a bug its a sugegstion if the title is misleading. me and a friend are looking to start up a server using this mod sometime after 16 comes out of dev build (which wer eplaying stock on now) and kinda want to make the server opena dn use this mod. however. theres a question and a problem i want to ask about

Question: how does this handle research?
Problem: (potentially) in a pvp scenario, the best defence against player base creep and arty would be more arty right? well what if the player comes at you with a railway gun? its technically not a building so your arty wont target it? would it be possible to make static trains count in the artys targeting system?

About problem:

possible to make static trains count in the arty's targeting system, but now I can not imagine it without other problems: marks remain, big load in the late game. I use laser turrets as passive protection from players.

About research:

• After any faction has researched any technology, a balancing check is run, which checks all factions.
• If the faction has not researched the technology "logistics 2", then it is not taken into account.
• If the faction is an artificial intelligence (example: biters), then it is taken into account, evolution factor in the faction only changes.
• Checks the activity of factions, if the players have not played enough in comparison with the other faction that played the most, then this faction is not taken into account. (not necessarily).
• After these checks, the evolution factor is calculated.
• are counted from each factions of technology, and the technologies researched +
  count launched by rockets. After (all technologies researched + count launched rockets divide by all technology) = new evolution factor (not to be confused with evolution factor). (evolution factor will never be more than 100%)
• if "Can balancing be omitted?" set true then
  evolution factor = new evolution factor
• if "Can balancing be omitted?" set false then
  If evolution factor < new evolution factor then evolution factor = new evolution factor. (It is more difficult to progressing a faction that has just begun to play)

plus i guess arty targeting arty trains wouldn't be a hard counter since player controlled arty has longer ranges then ai arty anyway. so... will have to turn to maybe look at making my own CIWS mod or something to balance that just for this.

so basically research is per-faction. would there be any possible optional settings planned for a sort of 'cathup' system (partial research bleed out to new players) or in a dedicated server environment are you confident enough that the evolution factor and infinite worlds would effectively keep that relatively ok.

and im assuming from reading through this mod that i can likely set up a 'safe area' stopping people from just base 'camping' the starting area in a sandbox dedicated.

partial research bleed out to new players

Interesting idea, perhaps in scenario or in mod, I'll try to do it. For example: research of long past science pack with the ratio of the researched technologies.

evolution factor and infinite worlds

If factions with artificial intelligence will be several, then imbalance maybe. Example: several surface for each faction AI, there is no correlation of the evolution factor for surface with AI's, but it is possible.
If tree tech very different in factions or special strong difference, then imbalance, but in the several of cases can fix it.