I've never gotten Extractor AI. I want to try it. I just got Multispiral Architecture for the first time! I've been trying and trying to get this breakthrough. I really like Forever Young, Rapid Sleep, Artificial Muscles & Hull Polarization. Core Metals is one I like to see pop up too. Safe Mode also. It helps a lot from having your pool of colonist reduced if you have a disaster or a chain reaction failure. Right now I'm excited I finally got the Oval Dome!
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Problem is that some of them are not game breaking enough. Every time you get soylent greens it feels like "that could have been extractor ai".
Every tech (both regular and breakthrough) can be roughly classified as either "enabler" or "efficency". Enablers (not surprisingly) enable you to make new things. Basic example would be farm, which makes it feasible to feed large amount of colonists.
Efficiency techs simply make your life better. Like polymer blades for wind turbines. It's cool to have them, but they don't really make any new things possible for you.
It' completely OK to have both of those types as a regular tech. You will research them all after all, but breakthroughs due to their random nature should all be either enablers or efficiency techs.
Honestly there are surprisingly few enablers in the regular tech tree. The food buildings and apartments come early, and the factories also come before the point where you need a second one, and you can import your factories, so it is by far not as big a step as getting a new building. I never really use smart homes.
That leaves the fusion reactor, the big science building, the university and the scrubbers, which are all useful... but that is about it all the way to the wonders.
This makes the tech tree look much smaller, the really noticeable part. The rest really is filler, nice to have, but all stuff I research pretty much on a lowest-cost basis without putting much thought into it.
First: you have forgotten all spire buildings, all domes, the shuttles, the atomic accumulator, the meteor defense system, the heaters (which admittedly also comes early) and the vaporators.
I would argue that stuff like deep scanning and being able to access those deposits is quite a significant step, as they can condition your expansion quite a lot.
Also, upgrades are something I didn't use to consider much, but given that they don't increase maintenance costs, and that in most cases they cost fuel, energy or polymers, all stuff that can be produce limitlessly, they are much more important in difficult runs that one might think at first. Anything that cuts down maintenance costs is great in my book. Low-G turbines is something that I tend to rush early
Finally, there is stuff like waste rock liquification or autonomous sensors, which while don't "add" new stuff significantly affect how these work (by the time I have autonomous sensors I generally take a rover and a transport and fill the map with sensors, and WRL is a tech I tend to rush when I'm starting to have trouble with all the waste rock).
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Yeah, I forgot some things. The hydro spire is also usually much earlier than I get around to build a farming dome, and I started off as india, getting the medium dome for free (the only one that really matters)
Not really using the MDS, seems too expensive, too short ranged, and meteors not enough a threat. Autonomous sensors usually shows up like first or second tech to me.
I also ignore the heaters and really cold biomes because it grossly violates common sense to me, and also not fond of the atomic accumulators as they look ugly, and with fusion you have a constant power source anyway.
I guess it is less about there not being enablers, but a lack of excitement about the enablers, which of course is very subjective.
Not really using the MDS, seems too expensive, too short ranged, and meteors not enough a threat. Autonomous sensors usually shows up like first or second tech to me.
I also ignore the heaters and really cold biomes because it grossly violates common sense to me, and also not fond of the atomic accumulators as they look ugly, and with fusion you have a constant power source anyway.
I guess it is less about there not being enablers, but a lack of excitement about the enablers, which of course is very subjective.
Service Bots. Without a doubt.
This play-through is rather generous. First breakthrough, was half-price domes. Next was the magnetic extraction (50% increase production), then Service Bots.
This play-through is rather generous. First breakthrough, was half-price domes. Next was the magnetic extraction (50% increase production), then Service Bots.
Have to admit, I never got any of the automation breakthroughs, except the Fusion reactor one once in the lategame, where I had more colonists then jobs, so not using it. So dunno how the game plays with so much automation.
Never got the Oval dome either. That's one breakthrough I'd love to get.
Breakthroughs I really love: the one that reduces water usage for crops. Combine it with a water spire in a dedicated farming dome & water issues are a minor thing.
Also, the Alien Imprint one is great.
Not much else I find necessery. I do get the extra resource nodes one often as breakthrough. In last game I had the three breakthroughs, extra metal, extra rare metal & extra water deposits. Always a nice surprise that, as those resource nodes are really big.
Never got the Oval dome either. That's one breakthrough I'd love to get.
Breakthroughs I really love: the one that reduces water usage for crops. Combine it with a water spire in a dedicated farming dome & water issues are a minor thing.
Also, the Alien Imprint one is great.
Not much else I find necessery. I do get the extra resource nodes one often as breakthrough. In last game I had the three breakthroughs, extra metal, extra rare metal & extra water deposits. Always a nice surprise that, as those resource nodes are really big.
Whenever I want to start a new map location I always check this site first. It gives me a list of the possible breakthroughs and a ton of information about the map. Then I spend time scanning it and checking the breakthroughs, then deep scan and check the breakthroughs before playing it. I've also found some of the listed breakthroughs in planetary missions. I look for Eternal Fusion, Forever young or service bots, extractor AI, Lake vapors, Core water, Rapid Sleep and maps with only one dust devil (those things make me crazy!)