Research System
The gap between a first-week colony and a Transcendence-era empire is your research tree. Every tech you complete permanently shifts the math in your favor - faster fleets, stronger ships, richer planets, deeper intelligence. Four branches. Six eras. The tree you build now determines what you can do in week ten.
The Four Branches
| Branch | Focus |
|---|---|
| Astrophysics | Fleet speed, energy, fuel efficiency, sensors |
| Engineering | Construction speed, storage, ship costs, salvage |
| Warfare | Combat stats - attack, shields, armor, defense HP |
| Xenoscience | Espionage, colony expansion, exotic technologies |
Eras
| Era | Name | Lab Required | Unlock Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Foundations | Lv 1 | Always available |
| 1 | Expansion | Lv 1 | 3 Era-0 techs completed |
| 2 | Specialization | Lv 1 | 4 Era-1 techs completed |
| 3 | Advanced | Lv 5 | 4 Era-2 techs completed |
| 4 | Mastery | Lv 8 | 5 Era-3 techs completed |
| 5 | Transcendence | Lv 12 | 5 Era-4 techs completed |
Unlocking a new era awards a resource chest milestone reward.
Research Queues
Each branch has one active research slot and a queue of up to 5 pending jobs (RESEARCH_QUEUE_MAX = 5). Queued jobs start automatically when the active slot clears. Multiple branches run in parallel.
Lab Specialization
A Research Lab can be assigned to specialize in one branch. This requires at least 2 planets with a Research Lab:
- Specialized branch: +50% research speed
- Other branches: –25% research speed
Respeccing a branch costs 50% of spent resources and has a 30-day cooldown.
Interplanetary Research Network
The Interplanetary Research Network building links labs on other planets to your primary lab. Each linked lab contributes 50% of its output (base 100 points/level) to the active research speed. Remote labs do not need to be on your home planet.
Catalyst System
Many technologies have a catalyst trigger - a specific in-game action that, when completed, unlocks a 30% research time reduction for that tech. Catalyst conditions vary by tech (e.g. a fleet traveling a minimum distance, a successful colonization, reaching a resource threshold). Each catalyst fires once per tech.
Mentorship Bonuses
- Mentor (player with an active mentee): +5% production empire-wide
- Mentee (player with an active mentor): −10% research time on all techs
Specialization Trees
Players earn 3 specialization points per week and spend them on permanent nodes in one of four archetypes (Commander, Economist, Scientist, Diplomat). Scientist tree nodes directly reduce research time (research_speed bonus type).
Repeatable Technologies
Era 5 contains three repeatable technologies per branch. There is no ceiling on them - each completion delivers the same incremental bonus at exponentially increasing cost. In the late game, the player who can keep funding these gains a compounding advantage that no early-game tech can close. They are the endgame power curve.