Research

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Research is the primary method through which players can enhance and expand the abilities of their colony. Certain buildings and gear require research in order to be built.

Mechanics

See also: Research Speed

Once a player constructs a research bench, and selects a project from the list of available research topics, a researcher will work at the bench to generate research points. The rate at which points are generated depends on the researcher's skill level. Multiple research benches worked by researchers will further increase the speed at which points are generated.

Only one research project can be actively researched at a given time, regardless of the number of research facilities available.^{[Multiple colonies?]} However, you can freely switch between research projects, even if another is already underway. The progress towards finishing each research project is retained, and the project will be resumed from that point when research on it is restarted

Research difficulty is related to your faction's tech level. New Tribes start with a tech level of "Neolithic" while New Arrivals begin with a tech level of "Industrial". Researching techs above your level is harder. So a neolithic tribe and an industrial colony will both find researching the Neolithic "Beer Brewing" project equally easy, but the new tribe will take 1.5x as long to research medieval "Plate Armor" and 2x as long to research any project in higher tech levels.^[Detail]

Research is presented in a tech tree form, with earlier research placed to the left and later research more dependent on the earlier ones placed on the right. Mods can add their own research projects; they can be manually placed, or automatically placed if not specified. Projects will be moved apart if they overlap.

Besides the main research tab, modders can add separate research tabs for their research projects, so any new research projects appear there instead.

Research Projects

Neolithic Research Projects

Research projects of the neolithic tech level. Both tribes and colonies research these at the same rate.

Name	Description	Base cost	Industrial start cost	Tribal start cost	Required Research	Required Research Bench & Addon
Psychoid brewing	Prepare psychoid leaves into a mildly euphoria-inducing and addictive tea at the campfire or cooking stove.	500	500	500	None	Simple
Tree sowing	Sow the local biome's natural trees in your fields.	1000	1000	1000	None	Simple
Beer brewing	Allows you to build a brewery and fermenting vats to transform hops into tasty, tasty beer.	400	400	400	None	Simple
Passive cooler	Make passive coolers, to cool indoor spaces without using electricity.	400	400	400	None	Simple
Cocoa	Sow cocoa trees to create your own delicious chocolate. Eating chocolate fulfills the need for recreation, and it's valuable on the market too.	1000	1000	1000	Tree sowing	Simple
Devilstrand	Plant devilstrand, a slow-growing mushroom that yields an exceptionally tough, tear resistant plant fiber.	800	800	800	None	Simple
Pemmican	Make pemmican, a preserved mixture of meat and plant matter that doesn't go bad for a long time. Great for traveling.	500	500	500	None	Simple
Recurve bow	Build the recurve bow, an effective and inexpensive ranged weapon.	400	400	400	None	Simple

^A Tribal starts begin with this research unlocked

^B The Classic Start begin with this research unlocked

^C This research requirement is not displayed in the branching tree diagram, and is only visible in the project description.

Medieval Research Projects

Research projects of the Medieval tech level. Tribes require 1.5x as much research time to research these. Colonies require only the base cost.

Name	Description	Base cost	Industrial start cost	Tribal start cost	Required Research	Required Research Bench & Addon
Complex clothing	Tailor complicated garments like pants, dusters, and cowboy hats.	600	600	900	None	Simple
Complex furniture	Build complex furniture like beds, end tables, dining chairs, armchairs, dressers, tool cabinets, billiard tables[sic], and poker tables, vents, sarcophagi, and more.	300	300	450	None	Simple
Carpet making	Weave beautiful carpets from cloth.	800	800	1200	None	Simple
Smithing	Build smithies for crafting metal weapons and tools. Allows you to craft simple weapons like knives, gladii, and maces. Work metal into clean, beautiful floor tiles.	700	700	1050	None	Simple
Stonecutting	Cut rock chunks into stone blocks for use in construction. Build beautiful stone tile floors or ugly concrete walkways.	300	300	450	None	Simple
Long blades	Craft longswords and spears.	400	400	600	Smithing	Simple
Plate armor	Smith suits of plate armor from metal or wood. This heavy armor noticeably slows movement, but protects very effectively.	600	600	900	Smithing Complex clothing	Simple
Greatbow	Craft greatbows for killing enemies at great range.	600	600	900	Recurve bow	Simple
Noble apparel	Tailor noble-specific apparel like formal shirts and royal robes.	400	400	600	Complex clothing	Simple
Royal apparel	Tailor royal apparel of the highest tier, like royal robes and crowns.	400	400	600	Noble apparel Smithing	Simple
Harp	Craft the harp, a simple stationary musical instrument popular among nobility in some cultures.	500	500	750	Complex furniture	Simple
Harpsichord	Craft the Harpsichord, a complex stationary musical instrument.	500	500	750	Harp Smithing	Simple

^A Tribal starts begin with this research unlocked

^B The Classic Start begin with this research unlocked

^C This research requirement is not displayed in the branching tree diagram, and is only visible in the project description.

Industrial Research Projects

Research projects of the Industrial tech level. Tribes require 2x as much research time to research these. Colonies require only the base cost.

Name	Description	Base cost	Industrial start cost	Tribal start cost	Required Research	Required Research Bench & Addon
Drug production	Build a drug lab for basic drug synthesis. Further research is required to make specific drugs.	500	500	1000	None	Simple
Psychite refining	Refine psychoid leaves into flake and yayo, different forms of the euphoric drug psychite.	400	400	800	Drug production	Simple
Wake-up production	Synthesize wake-up, a work performance-enhancing drug which replaces the need for sleep.	600	600	1200	Drug production	Simple
Go-juice production	Produce go-juice, a synthetic combat-performance-enhancing drug which improves shooting, melee, and movement ability, and dulls pain.	1000	1000	2000	Drug production	Simple
Penoxycyline production	Produce Penoxycyline a disease prevention drug which blocks plague, malaria, and more before they start.	500	500	1000	Drug production	Simple
Electricity	Harness the power of electricity for a hundred different tasks.	1600	1600	3200	None	Simple
Battery	Build batteries for storing electricity.	400	400	800	Electricity	Simple
Biofuel refining	Build Biofuel refineries to make chemfuel from biological matter like wood or foodstuffs.	700	700	1400	Electricity	Simple
Watermill generator	Build watermill generators on rivers to generate a steady supply of power.	700	700	1400	Electricity	Simple
Nutrient paste	Build nutrient paste dispensers which efficiently produce edible meals from raw nutritive feedstocks, while requiring no labor at all.	400	400	800	Electricity	Simple
Solar panel	Build solar panels for electrical generation.	600	600	1200	Electricity	Simple
Air conditioning	Build coolers to make people comfortable in hot weather or to construct freezers for storing perishable goods.	500	500	1000	Electricity	Simple
Autodoor	Build autodoors which automatically open when someone approaches without slowing anyone down.	600	600	1200	Electricity	Simple
Hydroponics	Build hydroponics basins to rapidly grow crops indoors regardless of the terrain or weather outside.	700	700	1400	Electricity	Simple
Tube television	Produce tube televisions for recreational watching.	1000	1000	2000	Electricity Complex furniture	Simple
Packaged survival meal	Produce packaged survival meals, which never go bad. Great for traveling.	500	500	1000	Nutrient paste	Simple
Firefoam	Construct firefoam poppers, automatic fire-safety devices which spread fire-retardant foam in response to encroaching flames.	600	600	1200	Electricity	Simple
IEDs	Build improvised traps from any kind of mortar shell.	500	500	1000	Electricity	Simple
Geothermal power	Build geothermal power plants on top of steam geysers, for uninterrupted power.	3200	3200	6400	Electricity	Simple
Sterile materials	Construct sterile tiles to make cleanrooms for safer and more effective medical treatment, research, and cooking.	600	600	1200	Electricity	Simple
Colored lights	Construct colored lights for decorative purposes. Cosmetic only.	300	300	600	Electricity	Simple
Machining	Build machining tables to craft guns, grenades, flak armor, and to shred dead mechanoids for resources.	1000	1000	2000	Electricity Smithing	Simple
Smokepop packs	Build smokepop packs which allow the wearer to deploy a defensive smokescreen.	300	300	600	Machining Complex clothing	Simple
Prosthetics	Build inexpensive prosthetic body parts to replace lost limbs. Requires a skilled doctor to attach.	600	600	1200	Machining	Simple
Gunsmithing	Craft simple manually operated guns like revolvers, pump shotguns, bolt-action rifles, and incendiary launchers.	500	500	1000	Machining	Simple
Flak armor	Craft clothing with metal armor sewn in to resist bullets and explosions. This weighty armor slows movement slightly.	1200	1200	2400	Machining Plate armor	Simple
Mortars	Build mortars which can lob mortar shells long distances - even over walls.	2000	2000	4000	Gunsmithing	Simple
Blowback operation	Craft low-power blowback-operated guns like autopistols and machine pistols.	500	500	1000	Gunsmithing	Simple
Gas operation	Craft high-power guns like chain shotguns, LMGs, and heavy SMGs.	1000	1000	2000	Blowback operation	Simple
Gun turrets	Produce simple automated gun turrets.	500	500	1000	Blowback operation	Simple
Microelectronics	Work with complex microelectronics. This unlocks the Hi-tech research bench and comms console.	3000	3000	6000	Electricity	Simple
Flatscreen television	Produce high-resolution flatscreen televisions for greater enjoyment.	2000	2000	4000	Microelectronics Tube television	Hi-tech
Moisture pump	Construct moisture pumps, which very slowly normalize the moisture in the ground around them. They can turn wet ground dry and convert soft sand into normal sand.	1200	1200	2400	Microelectronics Machining	Hi-tech
Hospital bed	Construct hospital beds which improve medical outcomes.	1200	1200	2400	Microelectronics Sterile materials Complex furniture	Hi-tech
Deep drilling	Build deep drills for extracting resources from deep underground. You'll need a ground-penetrating scanner to find the resources.	4000	4000	8000	Microelectronics	Hi-tech
Ground-penetrating scanner	Build ground-penetrating scanners that can detect drillable resources deep under the surface. Requires an advanced component to construct.	1000	1000	2000	Deep drilling	Hi-tech
Transport pod	Construct launchable transport pods that you can use to send people and supplies long distances across the planet's surface. Can be used for raiding, traveling, sending gifts, and more.	1000	1000	2000	Microelectronics Biofuel refining Machining	Hi-tech
Medicine production	Produce standard industrial-tech medicine by combining herbal medicine, neutroamine, and cloth.	1500	1500	3000	Drug production Microelectronics	Hi-tech
Long-range mineral scanner	Construct long-range mineral scanners your researchers can use to detect precious minerals across the planet. Can be turned to find a specific mineral. Requires advanced components to construct.	2000	2000	4000	Microelectronics Machining	Hi-tech
Shields	Build wearable shield gear. Shields use momentum-repulsion technology to prevent projectiles from traversing the field boundary.	1000	1000	2000	Microelectronics Complex clothing	Hi-tech
Precision rifling	Craft precisely-machined guns like assault rifles and sniper rifles.	1400	1400	2800	Microelectronics Gas operation	Hi-tech
Autocannon turret	Produce the heavy, long-ranged autocannon turret.	1600	1600	3200	Microelectronics Gun turrets Gas operation	Hi-tech
Multibarrel weapons	Assemble miniguns.	2600	2600	5200	Microelectronics Gas operation	Hi-tech
Multi-analyzer	Build multi-analyzers which increase research speed, and allow higher level research projects.	4000	4000	8000	Microelectronics Machining	Hi-tech
Vitals monitor	Builds vitals monitors which improve medical outcomes when placed next to hospital beds.	2500	2500	5000	Multi-analyzer Hospital bed	Hi-tech (Multi-analyzer)
Fabrication	Build fabrication benches, capable of high-tech projects ranging from component assembly to power armor construction.	4000	4000	8000	Multi-analyzer	Hi-tech (Multi-analyzer)
Advanced fabrication	Fabricate advanced components from standard components and other materials.	4000	4000	8000	Multi-analyzer	Hi-tech (Multi-analyzer)
Uranium slug turret	Produce the armor-penetrating uranium slug turret. It fires uranium slugs which tear though plasteel like paper, but it's less effective at close range.	3000	3000	6000	Multi-analyzer Autocannon turret Precision rifling	Hi-tech (Multi-analyzer)
Piano	Craft the piano, an advanced stationary musical instrument.	2000	2000	4000	Harpsichord	Simple
Jump packs	Build jump packs to perform aerial assaults during combat	2000	2000	4000	Microelectronics Machining	Hi-tech 1x Jump packs Techprint
Gunlink	Build wearable gunlinks to enhance your soldiers' shooting accuracy.	2000	2000	4000	Fabrication	Hi-tech
Biosculpting	Construct Biosculpter pods which can perform various biological alterations to colonists. These are especially important to believers in transhumanism.	1500	1500	3000	Microelectronics	Hi-tech
Bioregeneration	Unlock the biosculpter pod's bioregeneration cycle. This cycle heals old scars, regenerates small lost body parts like fingers and toes, and cures many of the physical maladies that come with old age.	4000	4000	8000	Multi-analyzer Biosculpting	Hi-tech
Neural supercharger	Construct Neural supercharger devices. Neural superchargers improve consciousness and learning rate, but they also increase hunger and the effect must be refreshed daily. Transhumanists often hold neural supercharging as an important practice.	1500	1500	3000	Microelectronics	Hi-tech

^A Tribal starts begin with this research unlocked

^B The Classic Start begin with this research unlocked

^C This research requirement is not displayed in the branching tree diagram, and is only visible in the project description.

Spacer Research Projects

Name	Description	Base cost	Industrial start cost	Tribal start cost	Required Research	Required Research Bench & Addon
Cryptosleep caskets	Construct cryptosleep caskets, which can put living beings in a state of indefinite suspended animation.	2000	2000	4000	Multi-analyzer	Hi-tech (Multi-analyzer)
Recon armor	Craft recon armor, a light powered armor suit used by scout troops who need protection on the move. Note that these also require advanced components.	6000	6000	12000	Fabrication Complex clothing	Hi-tech (Multi-analyzer)
Marine armor	Build marine armor. A general-use powered armor suit used by high-tech shock troops. Note that these also require advanced components.	6000	6000	12000	Recon armor Complex clothing	Hi-tech (Multi-analyzer)
Pulse charged munitions	Build weapons which fire pulse-charged munitions for extra damage. Note that these also require advanced components.	3000	3000	6000	Fabrication Precision rifling	Hi-tech (Multi-analyzer)
Bionic replacements	Build high-tech bionic body parts to replace lost limbs and eyes. Requires a skilled doctor to attach.	2000	2000	4000?	Fabrication Prosthetics	Hi-tech (Multi-analyzer)
Starflight basics	Construct the structural and supportive elements of a starship. This is the first step in building a ship to leave this star system.	4000	4000	8000	Advanced fabrication	Hi-tech (Multi-analyzer)
Starflight sensors	Construct long-range sensors for a starship. These sensors are essential for navigation, communication, and threat avoidance.	4000	4000	8000	Starflight basics Long-range mineral scanner	Hi-tech (Multi-analyzer)
Vacuum cryptosleep casket	Construct hardened ship cryptosleep caskets tough enough to be exposed to vacuum, for transporting people on the years-long journey between the stars.	2800	2800	5600	Starflight basics Cryptosleep casket	Hi-tech (Multi-analyzer)
Starship reactor	Build a long-duration nuclear reactor to power a starship. Note that reactors have a long startup process that will attract raiders.	6000	6000	12000	Starflight basics	Hi-tech (Multi-analyzer)
Johnson-Tanaka drive	Construct a Johnson-Tanaka drive for a ship. The JT drive can push you to other stars by leveraging quantum scale effects to beam momentum to distant stars. Of course, as with all starships, it still takes many years to get anywhere.	6000	6000	12000	Starflight basics	Hi-tech (Multi-analyzer)
Machine persuasion	Build a reward-signal system to persuade an existing AI persona into serving as a ship's machine captain. Since people sleep during interstellar travel, a persona core is necessary to handle the complex decisions of a years-long starflight.	3000	3000	6000	Starflight basics	Hi-tech (Multi-analyzer)
Cataphract armor	Craft cataphract armor, heavy powered armor that slows the user but which can absorb extreme punishment. Note that these also require advanced components.	6000	6000	12000	Marine armor	Hi-tech (Multi-analyzer) 2x Cataphract Armor Techprint
Brain wiring	Craft brain implants that induce or prevent blunt sensations like joy or pain.	2000	2000	4000	Microelectronics Prosthetics	Hi-tech 1x Brain Wiring Techprint
Specialized limbs	Craft specialized bionic limbs built for specific purposes - both combat and labor.	2000	2000	4000	Microelectronics Prosthetics	Hi-tech 1x Specialized Limbs Techprint
Compact weaponry	Craft compact, concealable bionic weapons which can be embedded in various body parts.	2000	2000	4000	Microelectronics Prosthetics	Hi-tech 1x Compact Weaponry Techprint
Poison synthesis	Craft bionics that synthesize venom from internal chemical reactors for use in toxifying attacks.	2000	2000	4000	Compact weaponry	Hi-tech 1x Poison Synthesis Techprint

^A Tribal starts begin with this research unlocked

^B The Classic Start begin with this research unlocked

^C This research requirement is not displayed in the branching tree diagram, and is only visible in the project description.

Ultra Research Projects

Name	Description	Base cost	Industrial start cost	Tribal start cost	Required Research	Required Research Bench & Addon
Artificial metabolism	Craft bionics that process food more safely or efficiently than a biological stomach.	2000	2000	4000	Fabrication Prosthetics	Hi-tech (Multi-analyzer) 1x Artificial Metabolism Techprint
Neural computation	Craft brain implants that assist thought and learning by use of a direct, shallow brain-computer interface.	2000	2000	4000	Fabrication Prosthetics	Hi-tech (Multi-analyzer) 1x Neural Computation Techprint
Skin hardening	Craft bionic implants which induce the toughening of natural skin, producing an armor-like effect.	2000	2000	4000	Fabrication Prosthetics	Hi-tech (Multi-analyzer) 1x Skin Hardening Techprint
Healing factors	Craft bionics that enhance natural healing processes.	2000	2000	4000	Fabrication Prosthetics]	Hi-tech (Multi-analyzer) 1x Healing Factors [[Techprint]
Flesh shaping	Craft bionics which induce the reshaping of natural flesh, usually for the purposes of aesthetic enhancement or personal pleasure.	2000	2000	4000	Fabrication Prosthetics	Hi-tech (Multi-analyzer) 1x Flesh Shaping Techprint
Molecular analysis	Craft bionics with molecular analyzers for assisting the immune system or analyzing food.	2000	2000	4000	Fabrication Prosthetics	Hi-tech (Multi-analyzer) 1x Molecular Analysis Techprint
Circadian influence	Craft brain implants that chemically manipulate the circadian rhythm, reducing or altering the need to sleep.	2000	2000	4000	Fabrication Prosthetics	Hi-tech (Multi-analyzer) 1x Circadian Influence Techprint

^A Tribal starts begin with this research unlocked

^B The Classic Start begin with this research unlocked

^C This research requirement is not displayed in the branching tree diagram, and is only visible in the project description.

Analysis

These are something of an "average" of what veteran players recommend. Variations exist, and should depending on your current map and personal playstyle and game goals.

Industrial start

The suggested research path for Industrials (i.e. a ""Crashlanded" start) is:

1. Battery¹
2. Solar panels¹
3. Microelectronics²
4. Multi-analyzer³
5. Fabrication³
6. Advanced Fabrication³.

After this, modern weapons⁴ (at some level) should be researched, and the rest is up to you.

Notes:

1. If a river is nearby, skip these (for now) and just grab a watermill generator, which is a reliable, steady source of power for far fewer Research Points than Solar+Batteries (700 vs. 1,000). In theory, you could beeline to geothermal generator if you had a nearby geyser, but that's very expensive (3,200 RP), so a long delay, and not recommended for new players. Again, lots of variations are possible, depending on the specifics of your game and playstyle.

2. MicroE is powerful, not only getting you access to both the comms console and Orbital Trade Beacon, and EMP grenades for fighting mechanoids, but also the hi-tech research bench for faster research in general, which makes researching everything else easier. However, at 3,000 Research Points, it's also a long march, easily a week and possibly three (depending). One or two of the cheap, earlier techs might be useful to get you through, like Smithing for better melee weapons (and the novelty wooden gladius for trading with Arms Dealers), or beer brewing for better morale and valuable trade. This delays the rest, but getting there is safer/easier. As always... ymmv.

3. You might not have the raw materials to build a multi-analyzer once you research that, and building one is a requisite to Advanced Fabrication, so you may have the opportunity to chase some other tribal/industrial research projects. But getting to Fabrication as soon as possible, so you can make your own components, and then to Advanced Fabrication for advanced components, is the goal here.

4. On a dangerous map, a quick detour to Gunsmithing (for basic rifles/shotguns/revolvers) may be desirable as soon as possible, immediately after your power needs are met.

Tribal start

For tribals (i.e. a "Lost Tribe" start), the research path should be something* like:

1. Recurve bow¹
2. Pemmican²
3. Complex Clothing³
4. Complex Furniture⁴

And, somewhere in there, possibly Stonecutting⁵ and/or the passive cooler⁶, and/or smithing⁷. Then the same as Industrial (above), but with Electricity prior to researching the rest.

Notes:

* The exact order will vary depending on your priorities. This is a cautious, conservative approach. Some players ignore quests and trade, scrape by on a minimal tribal morale and beeline straight to Electricity - a very long, very slow "beeline", but they swear by it. Many players fall in the middle, grabbing one or three key techs and then going straight to central air cooling. A very "ymmv" discussion.

1. A huge upgrade in firepower vs. your starter shortbows, and able to craft them with quality and in numbers. Before you win, you have to survive.

2. Pemmican does two important things: 1, it frees you from the "hand to mouth" cycle of food that quickly rots before freezers (Electricity), and 2, it allows you to send caravans (for both Trading and Quests) long distance across terrain that might not support Plant Gathering.

3. Unless you landed in a very forgiving climate, you'll need protective clothing against the Summer/Winter weather while you march toward Electricity.

4. Beds (to avoid "slept on the ground" moodlets), Tables and Chairs (to avoid "did not eat a table" moodlets), superior recreation (chess tables) - yes, please.

5. On some maps, it's quite possible to live underground (if you can mine that much) and/or make every building from wood (unless/until it burns down).

6. Reduces uncomfortable/dangerous temperatures inside buildings.

7. Superior melee weapons, which can also be traded. Visiting Weapons Traders are not interested in trading their toys for your fur clothing, quaint sculptures or Ur boards.

Extreme starts

• For hardcore 500% Randy runs, after finishing the battery and solar panel research, rush down machining to weapons before microelectronics. Firepower can be a life-/game-saver.

Gallery

All research projects in the base game

Version history

• 0.3.410 - Stonecutter's table now requires research
• Beta 19/1.0 - Split hospital beds into "Sterile materials" and "Hospital beds" research projects
• 1.3.3101 - Bioregeneration research project added.
• 1.3.3200 - Brain wiring, compact weaponry, neural supercharge, biosculpting, specialized limbs, poison synthesis projects now require hi-tech research bench.