Research

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

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.

As of version 0.14.1234 (15 July 2016) research difficulty is now related to your faction’s tech level. Researching techs above your level is harder. So if you’re a tribe, researching spaceflight will be difficult.

As of version 0.16.1393 (21 December 2016) research is now presented in a tech tree as opposed to a list, 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.

As of Alpha 17, modders can add separate research tabs for their research projects, so any new research projects appear there instead of in the main research tab along with base game research.

Research Projects

As of Alpha 17, the following research projects are available. Prerequisite research listed in (parentheses) is not officially a prerequisite, but is required for the necessary research bench.

Name Description Tech level Cost (Research Points) Required Research Required Research Bench Required Facilities
Batteries Build batteries for storing electricity. (Needed for tribal starts only) Industrial 400 Electricity Simple None
Autodoors Build autodoors which open to permit movement without slowing anyone down. Industrial 400 Electricity Simple None
Passive cooler Make passive coolers, a way to cool indoor spaces without using electricity. Neolithic 400 None Simple None
Psychite refining Learn to refine psychoid leaves into flake and yayo, different forms of the euphoric drug psychite. Industrial 400 Drug production Simple None
Devilstrand Allows colonists to plant devilstrand, a slow-growing mushroom which yields a valuable plant fiber (also called devilstrand) that can be used to make clothes. Neolithic 500 None Simple None
Pemmican Make pemmican, a preserved mixture of meat and plant matter that doesn't go bad for a long time. Great for traveling. (Research needed only for non-tribal starts) Neolithic 500 None Simple None
Complex clothing Sew complicated garments like pants, dusters, and cowboy hats. (Research needed only for tribal starts) Medieval 500 None Simple None
Electric cremation Build crematoriums that can vaporize unwanted corpses. Industrial 500 Electric Smelting Simple None
Colored lights Allows colonists to construct colored lights for decorative purposes. Industrial 500 Electricity Simple None
Microelectronics basics The basics of working with delicate, complex electronics. This unlocks the Hi-tech research bench, comms console, orbital trade beacon and other research projects like tube televisions, and cryptosleep caskets. Industrial 700 Electricity Simple None
Shipbuilding basics Allows you to start researching more advanced shipbuilding technologies and eventually build a ship to escape the planet. Spacer 250 (Microelectronics basics)

(Multi-analyzer)

Hi-tech Multi-analyzer
Drug production The basics of drug preparation and synthesis. Allows creation of the drug lab. Further research is required to make specific drugs. Industrial 500 None Simple None
Penoxycyline production Learn to produce Penoxycyline which blocks against 3 diseases: malaria, sleeping sickness, and the plague. Taken every 5 days for full protection. Industrial 500 Drug production Simple None
Solar panels Build solar panels for electrical generation. (Needed for tribal starts only) Industrial 600 Electricity Simple None
Air conditioning Build air conditions to cool rooms in the heat, or to keep freezers. Industrial 600 Electricity Simple None
Wake-up production Your chemists learn the formulas and techniques for synthesizing wake-up, a work performance-enhancing drug. Industrial 600 Drug production Simple None
Nutrient paste Build nutrient paste dispensers which efficiently produce edible meals from raw nutritive feedstocks. Industrial 600 Electricity Simple None
Nutrient paste Learn to produce packaged survival meals, a preserved and sealed food that never goes bad. Great for travelling. Industrial 2000 Nutrient paste Simple None
Hydroponics Allows you to build hydroponics basins to rapidly grow crops indoors regardless of the terrain or weather outside. Industrial 700 Electricity Simple None
Brewing Allows you to build a brewery to transform hops into tasty, tasty beer. Neolithic 700 None Simple None
Smithing Build smithies for crafting metal weapons and tools. Medieval 700 None Simple None
Tube television Allows the production of tube televisions Industrial 800 Microelectronics basics Simple None
Gun turrets Allows the production of automated gun turrets. Industrial 800 Microelectronics basics Simple None
Firefoam Allows the construction of firefoam poppers; fire-safety buildings which spread fire-resistant foam in response to encroaching flames. Industrial 800 (Microelectronics basics) Hi-tech None
Multi-analyzer Allows colonists to build multi-analyzers which increase research speed, and allow higher level research projects, if placed near a research bench. Industrial 800 Microelectronics basics Hi-tech None
Go-juice production Learn to produce the synthetic combat-performance-enhancing drug go-juice. Industrial 1000 Drug production Simple None
Carpet making Allows colonists to build carpets to increase the quality of their environments. Medieval 1,200 None Simple None
Electricity Generate and use electricity for cooking and other simple tasks. (Research only needed for tribal starts) Industrial 1,200 None Simple None
Moisture pump Allows the construction of moisture pumps, which turn wet ground dry. Industrial 1200 (Microelectronics basics) Hi-tech None
Machining Build machining tables to craft guns and machinery or disassemble dead mechanoids. Industrial 1,500 Smithing
Electricity
Simple None
Medicine production Produce medicine from herbal medicine, neutroamine, and cloth. Industrial 1500 Drug production
Microelectronics basics
Hi-tech None
Deep drilling Allows you to build deep drills for extracting resources from deep underground. You'll need a ground-penetrating scanner to find the resources. Industrial 1500 Microelectronics basics
(Multi-analyzer)
Hi-tech Multi-analyzer
Ship cryptosleep caskets Allows you to construct ship cryptosleep caskets for transporting cryptosleeping colonists between the stars. Spacer 750 Shipbuilding basics

Cryptosleep casket Microelectronics basics (Multi-analyzer)

Hi-tech Multi-analyzer
Explosive IEDs Allows colonists to build improvised explosive device-based traps from mortar shells. Industrial 1,600 Electricity Simple None
Incendiary IEDs Allows colonists to build incendiary explosive traps from mortar shells. Industrial 1,600 Electricity Simple None
Vitals monitor Allows colonists to build vitals monitors which increase treatment quality if placed next to medical beds. Industrial 1,600 Microelectronics basics

Hospital bed (Multi-analyzer)

Hi-tech Multi-analyzer
Electric smelting Build electric smithy and smelters.

The electric smithy allows smithing items without fuel. The electric smelters uses heat and powerful electromagnets to extract useful metal from slag chunks and other items.

Industrial 1,700 Electricity Simple None
Geothermal power Allows you to build geothermal power plants on top of steam geysers, for uninterrupted power. Industrial 1,800 (Microelectronics basics) Hi-tech None
Refining Build refineries to make chemfuel from wood. Industrial 1200 Electricity Simple None
Refining Learn to build smokepop belts which can provide an automatic defensive smokescreen. Industrial 1000 Refining
Machining
Simple None
Mortars Learn to build mortars which can lob mortar shells long distances over walls. Industrial 2,000 Machining
Electricity
Simple None
Hospital bed Allows colonists to construct hospital beds which increase the chance of successful medical work. Industrial 2,000 (Microelectronics basics) Hi-tech None
Hydroponics Allows you to build hydroponics basins to rapidly grow crops indoors regardless of the terrain or weather outside. Industrial 700 Electricity Simple None
Cryptosleep caskets Allows colonists to construct cryptosleep caskets, which can put living beings in a state of suspended animation. Spacer 1100 Microelecronics basics

(Multi-analyzer)

Hi-tech Multi-analyzer
Ship antimatter reactor Allows you to use an antimatter containment core to build a working antimatter reactor to power a ship. Spacer 1400 Shipbuilding basics

Microelectronics basics (Multi-analyzer)

Hi-tech Multi-analyzer
Component assembly Allows you to build the Component assembly bench, where colonists can make components from simple materials. Industrial 3,000 Microelectronics basics

(Multi-analyzer)

Hi-tech Multi-analyzer
Transport pods Construct launchable transport pods that you can use to launch people and supplies long distances across the planet's surface. Industrial 1100 Microelectronics Basics Hi-tech None
Powered armor Neuro-mimetic robotics and advanced plasteel weaving technologies allow you to build the power armor and power armor helmets. Spacer 1600 Microelectronics basics

(Multi-analyzer)

Hi-tech Multi-analyzer
Shield belt Momentum-repulsion field technology allows you to build shield belts, which block ranged attacks coming in or going out. Spacer 1500 Microelectronics basics

(Multi-analyzer)

Hi-tech Multi-analyzer
Charged shot Understand the secrets of pulse-charged energy/projectile munitions. Allows you to build the charge rifle. Spacer 1500 Microelectronics basics

(Multi-analyzer)

Hi-tech Multi-analyzer
Multibarrel weapons Allows you to build miniguns. Industrial 3,000 Microelectronics basics

(Multi-analyzer)

Hi-tech Multi-analyzer
Ship computer core Allows coercing an existing AI persona into a usable AI computer core for ship guidance. Spacer 1500 Shipbuilding basics

Microelectronics basics (Multi-analyzer)

Hi-tech Multi-analyzer
Ship antimatter propulsion Allows you to use an antimatter containment core to construct an antimatter drive for a ship. Spacer 2500 Shipbuilding basics

(Microelectronics basics) (Multi-analyzer)

Hi-tech Multi-analyzer
Long-range mineral scanner Allows the construction of long-ranged mineral scanners which automatically detect precious minerals like gold or jade in the nearby areas (but not in which the scanners were built). Industrial 7000 Microelectronics basics Hi-tech Multi-analyzer
Ground-penetrating scanner Allows you to build ground-penetrating scanners that can detect drillable resources deep under the surface. Industrial 7000 Microelectronics basics
(Multi-analyzer)
Hi-tech Multi-analyzer


Prior to Alpha 13, the following research projects were available. As of Alpha 13, some of these enteries are no longer in the game, or have different requirements.

Name Description Cost (Research Points) Research Required Research Enabled
Cryptosleep casket Allows colonist to construct cryptosleep caskets, which can put living beings in a state of suspended animation. 2000 - -
Geothermal power Allows you to build geothermal power plants on top of steam geysers, for uninterrupted power. 900 - -
Hydroponics Allows you to build hydroponics tables to rapidly grow crops indoors. 700 - -
Brewing Allows you to build a brewery to transform hops into tasty, tasty beer. 700 - -
Pneumatic Picks Miner's picks are 20% more effective. 1000 - -
Stonecutting Build stonecutting tables, which allow you to refine rock chunks into stone blocks that can be used for construction. 500 - -
Electric Smelting Build electic smelters which use heat and strong electromagnets to extract useful metal from slag chunks and other items. 1000 - -
Machining Build machining tables to disassemble dead mechanoids into usable metal. 1000 - -
Nutrient Resynthesis Nutrient paste dispensers consume 10% less food per meal produced. 350 - -
Gun Turret Cooling Gun turrets fire four shots in a burst instead of three. 1000 - -
Mortars Learn to build mortars which can lob shells long distances over walls. 1000 - -
Crematorium Build crematoriums which can vaporize unwanted corpses. 700 - -
Carpet Making Allows colonists to build carpets to increase the quality of their environments. 1000 - -
Colored Lights Allows colonists to construct colored lights for decorative purposes. 500 - -
Hospital Bed Allows colonists to construct hospital beds which increase chance of successful medical work. 1000 - -
Fertilizer Pump Allows you to build fertilizer pumps, which can create farmable soil anywhere. (Removed as of Alpha 9) 350 - -
Explosive IEDs Allows colonists to build improvised explosive device-based traps from mortar shells. 900 - -
Incendiary IEDs Allows colonists to build incendiary explosive traps from mortar shells. 900 - -
Shipbuilding basics Allows you to start researching more advanced shipbuilding technologies and eventually build a ship to escape the planet. 500 - Ship Cryptosleep Pods

Ship Antimatter Reactor

Ship Antimatter Propulsion

Ship Computer Core

Ship Cryptosleep Pods Allows you to construct ship cryptosleep pods for transporting cryptosleeping colonists between the stars. 1200 Shipbuilding basics -
Ship Antimatter Reactor Allows you to use an antimatter containment core to build a working antimatter reactor to power a ship. 2000 Shipbuilding basics -
Ship Antimatter Propulsion Allows you to use an antimatter containment core to construct an antimatter drive for a ship. 2000 Shipbuilding basics -
Ship Computer Core Allows coercing an existing AI persona into a usable AI computer core for ship guidance. 1200 Shipbuilding basics -