Breakthroughs you absolutely need to have...

[DominusNovus]

So, I just quit a playthrough on the grounds that I got absolutely zero automation breakthroughs. None for extractors, factories, service buildings, fusion reactors, nada. Those are my absolute favorites. I didn't even get the pipe or cable breakthroughs.

But let me tell you, I could have the best solar panels and stilring generators on Mars! Woo...

Anyone else have a list like that? Where the game's gotta roll you at least something on that list?

If I could figure out where the hell the save games are located on a Mac, I'd start pouring over mine to see what breakthroughs I rolled (and I certainly wouldn't dream of trying to adjust them...).

 

[Chaon]

https://survivingmars.paradoxwikis.com/Breakthrough for breakthrough list.

I'm a casual on my first play and I have Neo-Concrete which only affects dome construction. It should really affect all concrete usage.
I also picked up Nocturnal Adaption and Factory Automation which help but I need to really improve my colony to take maximum advantage.

 

[Shadeseraph]

Automation breakthroughts certainly make your life much, much easier. Factories are VERY HR hungry, so anything that helps with that is a godsend.
Autonomous hubs is really, really helpful because one of your drone hubs crashing can lead to a very ugly situation very quickly. Also - early on not having to pay maintenance for them is big. It is why Inventor is my favorite profile.
But I don't feel that there are any that are strictly required.

I'm a casual on my first play and I have Neo-Concrete which only affects dome construction. It should really affect all concrete usage.

There are much worse stuff. The breakthrough that lets you sent spires pre-built from earth is pure filler.

 

[Duzzit]

https://survivingmars.paradoxwikis.com/Breakthrough

Its kind of horrifying as to how much better some are to others.

 

[Shadeseraph]

Its kind of horrifying as to how much better some are to others.

Yah, Safe Mode, Superior Pipes, Superior cables and Hull Polarization are awesome, while stuff like Nocturnal adaptation or Vocation Oriented Society is... less than ideal.

 

[CJMoore]

Multispiral Architecture, must have tech if it's early. I lucked out and was able to get medium Dome before my first colonists arrived. Built that, then almost immediately got the breakthrough (which kind of sucked as I'd have Oval Domed from the start instead).

After all, two spires are bettter than one and I believe it has two extra hex triangles than medium Dome (12) to the Oval Dome (14).

I've only got this once in five playthroughs though.

 

[mogazor]

I feel like the "Service Bots" tech is a game changer. With it, none of the food or entertainment buildings require people - so they are free to man the factories, extractors and fusion reactors! Without it, I'm struggling to get enough living space in each dome to run all the buildings! I'm having to use apartment buildings everywhere i can't give them nicer, smarter, more comfortable homes because they don't house enough people It doesn't make the challenge of balancing jobs / housing go away though, which is cool, it just gives more options.

 

[CJMoore]

...and then when you've got these Martian babies popping out left, right and centre; the housing you have made for those geologists to get some profit and prizzeee have just been taking up by a creche . I've stopped making Nursey's as it gives the Population a false modifer for how many homes a Dome has, fair enough having 8 children in a Nursey but when they grow up it's 8 homeless people.

So on that note, a new tech or modfier to tell those bunny rabbits, "sorry, no having babies in this Dome. Mining operation only. Try the next one," I suppose you can kick all the kids out but... having "residential Domes" and "Mining/Research Domes" would make sense especially after the Founders have died due to old age and the Martianborns are the majority of the colony.

One breakthrough Tech that's pretty epic. External Fusion. Fusion power without the workforce!

 

[mogazor]

Hehe, I was just coming back to write a follow up post and you read my mind!
I totally agree, I hate that I don't have the Eternal Fusion breakthrough With that upgrade, power production is no longer a concern, leaving me to worry about managing the colonists / jobs better.

 

[Tyrberg]

I like the diversity and how they change your playthrough.
Wouldn´t like to have a single one every game. I like how some change how I think about my game and how other just pass by.
Good varity in my opinion and I wouldn´t like them to be balanced to be equally good.

But AI imprints may be the most OP in the entire breakthrough tree.
Was my first or second breakthrough in a play - and after scanning all the anomalies I got 40-50% cheaper reaserch in all categories. Having only discovered 5-10 tech before all I can say is that it changed my game.

 

[Falc]

Let's hope that in the future, the developpers will measure the popularity of each breackthrough and change their selection algorithm so you get about a third meh ones, a third okay ones and a third cool ones every game...

 

[mogazor]

Tyberg, agreed! I like how it makes each game slightly different... That said, when you get none of the automation breakthroughs at all, that feels unbalanced and difficult to me. As I'm playing on easy difficulty, it seems without that extra tech help it's rather tricky :|

 

[spannbeton]

My absolute favorite is Superconducting Computing. Build a massive wind farm, then rush to triboscrubbing to cut maintainance and then go for the artificial sun wonder (dont forget you need 1k water storage at least.

YOu also just have to love "forever young"

I also like the ones increasing work performance a lot. Others I find kind of useless (concrete savings or soylent green)

 

[spannbeton]

Tyberg, agreed! I like how it makes each game slightly different... That said, when you get none of the automation breakthroughs at all, that feels unbalanced and difficult to me. As I'm playing on easy difficulty, it seems without that extra tech help it's rather tricky :|

I found the exact opposite. Unless playing paradox sponsor with at least 400% I find the game rather easy.

Even Russia is easy. Just go for huge exports with fueled rare metals extractors...

 

[Tyrberg]

Tyberg, agreed! I like how it makes each game slightly different... That said, when you get none of the automation breakthroughs at all, that feels unbalanced and difficult to me. As I'm playing on easy difficulty, it seems without that extra tech help it's rather tricky :|

I found the exact opposite. Unless playing paradox sponsor with at least 400% I find the game rather easy.

Even Russia is easy. Just go for huge exports with fueled rare metals extractors...

I´m with spannbeton on the thought that the game is easy. But having played a lot of games with survival elements as Dwarf fortress or Banished you get used to the priorities.
I actually play around 2-300% as I think it´s more fun than the harder levels.

When you learn the system harder level mostly just make the game slower in the start to em, and not more fun. So having the automatic mines / factories is rather unfun for me. But as they ar ea part of the game I would use them in the begging, and later you just swim in people so I try to get them working then.

 

[joelzhl]

Game-changing breakthroughs:
Alien Imprints - 50% off all research is a godsend in the early game, it's also broken in late game since you can essentially convert more research into money. This alone is worth more than 2x the Mohole wonder.
Service Bot - free casino, dinner, grocers, etc. They also work at night too.
Extractor AI - this one is so good that the game's completely different without it. With this, there is no need to place domes next to dusty extractors, which completely changes the dome placements.
Nano Refinement - you can run the colony forever without running out of resources.
Superconducting Computing - Power to RP, RP to money via patent, money to goods, goods = forever colony.

Very nice to have breakthroughs:
Autonomous Hubs - very convenient to have.
Core Water - no need to build moisture vaporators, not too op but very convenient.
Factory Automation - consider 1/2 of my jobs end up being engineers, this seems very good.
Multispiral Architecture
Superior Cables
Superior Pipes

Best RP breakthrough:
Soylent Green - The best breakthrough IMO.

 

[Jeffry]

I for one really dislike the total randomness of the breakthroughs. The game isn't particularly hard if you don't roll the great ones, it's just kinda meh, especially if you are familiar with all the breakthroughs and know how certain ones could have made your current playthrough more interesting or at least made things more convenient. On the other hand if you're really lucky, the game can get significantly easier really fast even on higher difficulties (and trivial on lower).

Some tiered system like @Falc proposed would be great. It would still be random, but not totally, a solid middle ground. But I'd say the only chance to see something like this is if somebody mods it in.

 

[Dreamshifter]

Multispiral Architecture, must have tech if it's early. I lucked out and was able to get medium Dome before my first colonists arrived. Built that, then almost immediately got the breakthrough (which kind of sucked as I'd have Oval Domed from the start instead).

After all, two spires are bettter than one and I believe it has two extra hex triangles than medium Dome (12) to the Oval Dome (14).

I've only got this once in five playthroughs though.

I love the multi-spire domes. It pains me to build anything else at this point. I've pulled it twice so far, both times early. The first time, I got it built as my first dome, which was a grave error, as it immediately got hit by 4 meteors, and I had to bankrupt myself to fix it. The second one didn't end well either, though less disastrously.

None of the others pull at me quite as much, even if I like them and they are very good.

 

[Ri0Rdian]

Dunno how much trouble other people have with food. I planned to switch my first Dome to eventually focus on Farms and Education. Though I ended up only having 2 farms since I got the Giant Crops breakthrough. Running Cover Crops and 2x Giant Corn is simply madness. Giant Corn default production is 100/5d but with my great workers they pull out 200+ food per 5 days. That's 40 per day of growth! Per single farm. Nuts. I am also finding Service Bots incredibly useful, though quite costly early-mid game. But considering you need about 2 of each Grocery, Dinner and Bar for a Mega Dome and you can run them at night too with this no problem you save up 30 workers!

Artificial Muscles is also great to have, especially outside of late game. Doubles what your Drones carry!

Edit:
Does Forever Young make your colonists immortal? If yes then if they stack with Cloning.... lol

 

[joelzhl]

Does Forever Young make your colonists immortal? If yes then if they stack with Cloning.... lol

Nah, your colonists still die of old age, they just work and bang until they drop.