(Adressing banking efficiency, part 1: )

It's more effective than you think. If we were three, I'd share your view that we wouldn't have the research capacities to include too much technology beyond weapons, manufacturing and terraforming. But with four of us and experimentation still effective at this stage, we can really cover everything. (Of course we have to take care that we don't neglect research of all top technologies, just because experimentation doesn't hit them, but we do exactly that. :) )

Not including research time, banking can easily be compared to normal economy points. 1 point of economy provides 10$ revenue each cycle; one level of banking 75$ per cycle. So solely for return of investment, you get that line-up:

Banking level - single economy point cost

(Adressing banking efficiency, part 2: )

2 - price: 30$ for 75$ extra income => 4$ per single economy point
3 - price: 45$ for 75$ extra income - 6$
4 - 8$
5 - 10$

10 - 20$

15 - 30$

20 - 40$

Not sure where you're drawing the line for adding no more economy points. Advancing terraforming will usually keep it at approximately one level, and that level isn't equal for all players, but I usually aim for all points at the range of 30-35 to be bought each cycle. (Usually not meeting my aspiration too often. :>) So up to banking level 15-18 would be quite alright for me.


(Unless my calculation is off.)

(Rest: )

Curious about your terraforming/manufacturing/weapon calculation. I know that for w/m the ranking is switched at some point, but ranking terraforming correctly is quite the mystery for me. (I have an experienced player in a parallel game who is convinced terraforming isn't really worth focussing on in the end game. He rather donated his funding to the player in charge of weapons production so that player would buy more science at a cost of 180$+ each instead of investing for points at a cost of 100$ within his own realm while he was/is in charge of terra research.)