There are games which do something similar. Alpha Centauri for example gives you four category options to choose from (corresponding to the 4 x's, if my memory

There are games which do something similar. Alpha Centauri for example gives you four category options to choose from (corresponding to the 4 x's, if my memory is correct), and then you get one of the next techs in the pool from your category choice. More recently Stellaris gives you three topics to research at once, but you're limited to about 3-5 choices (there are ways to increase the number of choices) in each category. Those choices are weighted to appear based on how rare / expensive the tech is and the area of interest of the scientist researching that area. There are also gameplay elements which impact the choices you're presented with, like for example if you have a gateway in a solar system you own (think stargate), then you're more likely to get an option for the tech for building stargates. It works pretty well.