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I've got a BP with 42 labs, each with 20% prod and 12 beacons with speed modules for a total of 23.45 (+2245%) research speed. According to the Rate Calculator and Actual Craft Time mods, these labs are using 23.45 of each science per minute, for a total of 984.9 science per minute in my normal game. The exact same BP in the sandbox racks up 1970 SPM according to the mods despite reading the exact same +20% prod and +2245 research speed. These higher numbers are matched by the production graph in the sandbox. Note that I'm only using normal game items, none of the superpowered editor mode modules.

Conversely, my rocket silo BP (+40% prod, +940% speed) is shown by the mod to be using using 2080 of each component to produce 291.2 rocket parts per minute in both the normal game and the sandbox.

When I use the rocket silo to make the space science, the sandbox's production graph shows the rate of consumption averaging out to about 980/m, which is close enough to what the calculators tells me to expect in the normal game. This makes sense, as I'd originally designed the lab BP to match the production rate of the silo (and, naturally, I did this by building the BP in the sandbox). If I spawn the science instead, the consumption rate increases to match the calculator's predicted rate in the sandbox, being exactly double the predicted rate in the normal game.

This faster rate of work shown by the labs appears to be genuine, not just some calculation error in one of the mods or the UI reporting an invalid number. I'm certain that the rates in the sandbox, both those predicted by the mods and seen in the graphs, used to match those seen in my normal game. I tried restarting the sandbox map and even starting a completely new sandbox, but the predicted and observed rates are still the same, doubled, rates.

I checked a Mk3 assembler making gears without any modules/beacons: the calculator predicted 150/m in both the sandbox and the normal game, so it's probably just the labs that are affected.

What have I done to cause this? It's annoying that the numbers I'm seeing are the ones I need/want to design around. All my mods are up to date and I don't think I've installed anything that would have affected the labs' work rate like this. I have found the console command /c game.player.force.laboratory_speed_modifier, but I don't recall ever changing that myself, and setting it to 1 does not even revert the observed performance to the values seen in my normal game: the same BP is now calculated at 1126 SPM instead of the expected 984.9.

A save would probably be helpful for discovering what the problem is.

Any chance the levels you've researched are different? In the sandbox, did you click the YES to research all tech? There are the research speed researches.

You are researching Follower robot count, which is twice as fast as the other infinite techs.

Usually for me,the sandbox version is often faster than the real condition one, often because of inserter stack size bonus missing some level in my game compared to the sandbox.

This or something related such as there are 45 item per second of input on a belt, but inserters can only fully consume it with a precise timing which is reached in sandbox where consumption in constant but not in normal condition where there is some occasionnal mini-stop in the belt due to consumption being not perfectly constant.

Speed being exactly twice as fast may indicate (imo) what DaveMcW suggest, another research.

Speed being 1126 instead of the expected 984.9 may indicate more efficient inserter. ( which doesn't mean inserters are "faster" it could just be that with stacksize 8 it aligns well, but with stack size 12, it doesn't and cause some inserters to be less efficient.)

A save game or 2 to compare could help investigate

NJMorf wrote: ↑Mon Jan 03, 2022 1:10 am I have found the console command /c game.player.force.laboratory_speed_modifier, but I don't recall ever changing that myself, and setting it to 1 does not even revert the observed performance to the values seen in my normal game: the same BP is now calculated at 1126 SPM instead of the expected 984.9.

The initial setting for laboratory_speed_modifier is 0, not 1 so you might try this value just for reference.

The value is modified by researching "Lab research sped 1-6". After that the value should be 2.5 in the vanilla game. Please show us these number before you modified them for both your normal game and your sandbox:
My guess is: Some of your mods provide additional levels for "Lab research speed" which are automatically enabled in the sandbox but not yet researched in your normal game.

DaveMcW wrote: ↑Mon Jan 03, 2022 1:57 am You are researching Follower robot count, which is twice as fast as the other infinite techs.

That's it, and I'm an idiot. Thanks.