Research
Research is the core progression mechanic of Frackin' Universe. It allows you to learn the recipes of any craftable item, from FU and vanilla. Research is accessed via the Research Tree in your Tricorder.
Existing research trees
There are several trees:
- Agriculture tree (Seeds, Bees, Farm Animals, Lights, Hunting, Fishing, Survival. This is an excellent tree to start with.)
- Armor and Weapons tree
- Chemistry tree (synthesize medicine, fuel, liquids, plastics, high-tech substances, etc.)
- Craftsmanship tree (cook, brew, make fabrics and clothes, furniture and blocks, summon crew/tenants, etc.)
- Electronics tree (automation: pumps/quarries, solar panels, reactors, sifters, centrifuges, Item Transference Devices, etc.)
- Engineering tree (extractors, tools like Mining Laser, EPP augments, your mech/ship/vehicles, teleporters/terraformers, high-tech crafting materials)
- Geology tree (Ores / Metal Bars, Furnace)
- Metaphysics tree (see below)
You can see them all in-game in your Tricorder.
How it looks
Unlocking nodes
To unlock Research Nodes (e.g. "Copper (Geology tree)"), you spend a special currency called "Research". Research is passively gained through exploration, starting at a rate of 1 research per second, and increasing depending on the world tier. Passive research gain slows and eventually stops if you are inactive, and cannot be easily fooled.
Most nodes will also require that you possess some relevant materials (e.g. you need Iron Ore to research Iron (Geology tree)). These materials are NOT consumed.
How to get more research?
There are two ways to gain research. The primary method is the passive research gained through exploration, increased by various factors.
- Explore higher tier worlds. The basic rate of research is equal to the tier of the world (Fauna threat, if using More Planet Info) divided by 1.5.
- This rate cannot be less than 1, or greater than 6. Therefore, Tier 9 worlds offer the greatest research benefit.
- This increase starts 5 minutes after arriving on a world.
- In relation to the above, build (or occupy) a base on a planet, do not ship-nomad. The latter may be more convenient, but ships are ALWAYS tier 1. Also, don't be afraid to move your base when better, higher-tier locations become available (such a higher-level Eden world, Tabula Rasa world, etc. Or a cold/hot/radioactive world depending on what race you are).
- Playtime bonuses. Every 60 minutes of playtime increases passive research gain by +1, up to a maximum of +3.
- This bonus is reset if you return to the main menu or exit the game. It pauses, but does not reset, if you are inactive.
- Hire a Researcher crewmate. Bringing them with you will grant a buff, giving a +1 bonus to your passive research gain. They'll reapply this buff in combat if you are close to them.
- Wear armour such as the Researcher and Geologist sets. These sacrifice defence and power for a bonus to research gain. It is especially recommended to wear these if you are on your ship, in your base, in outposts, or doing space encounter farming, since the loss of Attack and Defense is not an issue in these situations.
- Accrue Protheon. This knowledge of an ancient race increases your passive research gain by +1 per 10 Protheon you currently possess, to a cap of +10. It will impact your ability to hold Madness, however.
- Consume Neuropods to gain increased passive research at the cost of lowered defences.
- Store Madness. Every 4777 madness you currently hold will increase your passive research by +1, up to a cap of +3 (14331 Madness), albeit with dangerous side-effects.
Various methods reward research as a on-off or repeatable bonus, often in item form (Research Data).
- Studying artifacts, geodes, etc. in Microscopes.
- Some missions and tutorial quests, including those accessed in the Tricorder and found at the Science Outpost, will offer research as a reward.
- Successfully excavating Fossils will always reward a Research Data, with further rewards possible if the bonus chest is also unearthed. A Fossil Brush of any tier is required to excavate fossils, and can be crafted at the Fossil Station.
- Challenge rooms will always reward a Research Data in the final chest, and may have further research rewards.
- Protheon can be cashed in at Munchies' Dirt shop, for 500 research each. Note that this sacrifices the passive bonus this Protheon would have offered.
- Items can be consumed by computers to reward research based on their price and rarity. See the Computer page for more information.
Madness research
Nodes of Metaphysics (Madness) tree require Madness currency (which is consumed when unlocking them) in addition to Research currency. You can speak to Kevin in the Science Outpost if you don't have any Madness - he will gladly share his Madness with you (if you assist him with his crazy quests).
Technologies in this tree are somewhat crazy (like extracting brains and using their Brain Power for electricity), but studying them can lead to some scientific breakthoughs (if you are mad enough to go there).
This tree is hidden at first. It appears after you complete Esther Bright's quest "Scan the Outpost". Furthermore, the Metaphysics research nodes are partially hidden: more of them will be revealed after you research the nodes you can see.
Disks
In multiplayer, you can give some of your Research to your friends by crafting Research Microdisc (500 research), Research Holodisc (1000) or Research Megadisc (5000). Disk is a usable item (when you use Research Holodisk, it disappears and gives you 1000 research).
In singleplayer you normally don't need them, except for situations when these disks are an ingredient of techs like Physics Field.
Differences from unmodded Starbound
In Starbound without Frackin' Universe, players could unlock the crafting recipes by picking up some item. For example, picking up Titanium Bar taught you how to craft Titanium Broadsword. This caused three serious problems:
- Progression skipping: players would immediately go to max-tier world, get the best possible ore, and then will be bored at "game over" state in a couple of hours. While doing so, they would also miss amazing low-tier weapons (with unique projectile mechanics, special abilities, etc.), powerful low-tier mech components like Lunari Mech Arm, and also some useful low-tier buildings (e.g. Liquid Collector is much less advanced than Atmospheric Condenser, but generates significantly more liquid - but a player who skipped tiers would just build the Condenser and wouldn't even try the Collector, assuming it to be inferior). Because all armor/weapons in Frackin' Universe is upgradeable (up to tier 10), many low-tier armors gain extremely good stats at tiers 6-8. When skipping tiers, most players would just walk in tier 6 armor without noticing how cool low-tier armors can be.
- Extreme lag / performance issues: each time you picked up a Titanium Bar, the game would check "do we need to unlock anything from these 100 items that are unlocked by Titanium Bar"? That was sometimes really slow even on high-end machines.
- Not knowing about future items: without the Research Tree, a player wouldn't even know that crafting a Mining Cannon (which is relatively weak and seems unworthy to craft, looking at the numbers alone) would unlock Mining Cannon II, and then Mining Cannon III (which is absolutely amazing). The only players who found those high-tier items are those who (for some reason) crafted a low-tier one. With the Research Tree, you can always see which technologies can be unlocked in the future, and what are the requirements.