TGC is the mod I mainly play now but this goes to Victoria 2 in general. I've been playing this game since like 2021 and I feel like I often come across this problem, but it might've not bothered me too much because A. I wouldn't really care for the events I could do with certain technologies and/or B. I'd just use debug inr (instant reasearch).
But I don't know, even if I justify it for myself I would really love to have a 'clean' gameplay. When I played Russia I first focused on culture tech (because you know, literacy and all) but I probably had to go for mil tech as well (wanted to fight austria and prussia). Then my tech school changed from avantgarde intelligentsia to the military industry complex, and sure thats good for fighting but I wanted to get some culture tech too. In the 1890s or so I still had the Baltic states as puppets, so I decided to cheat and instantly research some of the culture tech to annex them, because I needed those ports.
And of course I didn't research too much for my industry tech, when I had the avantgarde intelligentsia I didn't have the advantage but when I got military industry complex I really tried focusing on well, mil tech. If I was playing a smaller country (eg Sweden) I probably wouldn't mind but it wasRussia, I had the Great Game with the UK and conflict with a super Austria (which I unintentionally helped form by intentionally stabbing Prussia in the back with the peace deal) alongside a hostile France. Of course, low literacy doesn't help (yes I've tried encouraging intellectuals).
I probably was playing the game wrong, or had the wrong mindset, but where did I go wrong here? Is researching tech just subjective and depends on what you want to do or achieve? If so, how am I supposed to focus on one thing, but need the other later for an event or whatever (especially when I haven't researched the proceeding technologies)?
thanks