With 0.17 around the corner, and the planned science changes, it got me thinking about science packs in bob mods, how the science changes in .17 might affect them, and since i had nothing better to do this morning i decided to write a post about it.
This is not a request or even a suggestion, but rather a collection of ideas I had when playing bob’s mods, and how i’d like the recipes for bob’s science packs to be if i ever got around to making a science overhaul mod, which will in all likelihood never happen.
The basic idea is for the science packs to reflect the progression of your base as much as possible, while introducing new resources and materials for each new science pack. In the end when all science packs are produced, most resources and materials should be used in decent quantities, making Xk SPM bases a bit more interesting.
So here we go
Science pack 1 :
Not much to change here, SP1 introduces the basic resources iron and copper.
Science pack 2 :
The main problem of SP2 is not with itself but compared to SP3, the gap between the two in vanilla is already significant but in bob it’s a huge step (going from t0 circuit in SP2 straight to t2 circuit in SP3). To make the transition a bit easier, we could slightly buff SP2 and slightly nerf SP3.
There are two ways we can buff SP2 : First we can turn that grey belt into a yellow one, it introduces tin (with belt overhaul) which the player is going to need pretty soon for electronics anyway. Secondly we could add a third ingredient. This was considered in the .17 science changes in vanilla, and i think this could be a great idea.
Proposed recipe : 1x SP2 =
1x yellow inserter
1x yellow belt
1x iron pipe
Military Science pack :
Not much to say on this one, MSP should remain easy-ish to craft for biters heavy maps, for this reason i’m 100% behind the changes planned in .17 vanilla. MSP still introduces 3 new resources, steel, coal and stone.
Proposed recipe : 2x MSP =
1x piercing round magazine
1x grenade
2x walls
Science pack 3 :
As it stands now, SP3 introduces tin, lead and silicon, not to mention a whole lot of chemical processing. Ouch… To reduce the huge complexity spike between SP2 and SP3 we introduced tin and a third ingredient to SP2, now let’s see what we can actually change on SP3. The t2 circuit is the biggest headache in this science pack but it pretty much has to stay. However the battery has no immediate use, plus it will be used in the next science pack, which makes it feel a bit redundant. We could swap it for a solid fuel block, which is consistent with the planned changes in .17 vanilla. Lastly, a lot of people complain about that single bronze plate that stands out like a sore thumb, we swap that with bronze pipes, which are more in line with the “chemical” theme of the pack, plus it makes the pack a bit more expensive.
Proposed recipe : 1x SP3=
1x t2 circuit
1x engine
5x bronze pipes
1x solid fuel
Logistics Science Pack :
As the name implies, LSP should be a wake up call to upgrade your base’s logistics. Since the belt overhaul, blue belts are much harder to craft, introducing cobalt and aluminum, so it can be tempting to stay with red for longer, especially since science packs up to now are relatively cheap in resource quantity.
Well no longer ! this recipe is already quite expensive, requiring tons of steel. I would however like to replace the steel chest (which is a bit of a boring recipe) with rails, mirroring the planned changes for the .17 vanilla production pack, plus, it fits the logistics theme of the pack perfectly.
Proposed recipe : 2x LSP =
20x rails
1x blue filter inserter
1x blue belt
1x robot frame
Production Science Pack :
Here’s the big one. As it stands now the recipe for PSP is pretty underwhelming, in vanilla this is gonna change in .17, but the changes are not quite applicable for bob, so here is my idea.
Since PSP is suppose to be on the same “tier” as LSP, it makes sense that it mirrors what LSP is all about : upgrading your base. If LSP was all about upgrading logistics, PSP should be about upgrading your machines. LSP introduced two of the mid-tier metals, aluminium and cobalt, PSP should introduce zinc and nickel (in the form of brass and invar).
Luckily a lot of mid-tier structures in bob require those two metals, so making a production science pack out of those makes sense. However the catch is that buildings are very expensive, plus they require the previous tier, so the number of packs created by the recipe would have to go waaay up to compensate.
I haven’t done an in depth analysis on cost per pack so this recipe is to be taken with a grain of salt, but here is the general idea :
Proposed recipe : 10-20 PSP =
1x Assembling Machine 4
1x Boiler 3
1x Refinery 2
1x Big Electrical Pole 2
High-Tech Science Pack :
There’s a lot of cool stuff in that science pack already. The module is complex to craft and introduces gold, plus is a nice incentive to start putting modules in things if you haven’t started already. The battery 2 recipe is also fitting, as well as the obligatory t3 circuits. Finally I like that there are 5 ingredients, upping the logistics challenge a bit.
There are two things I would change : Firstly for a science pack that’s supposed to be high tech, the silicon carbide stands out as a “raw” material, i would replace it with a ceramic bearing. Secondly, the electrical engine is already used in LSP, which is not ideal, replacing it with something more “high-tech” would be nice, and if it can introduce another resource while we’re at it, it would be ideal.
There are of course other possibilities, but a t2 solar panel would fit the bill rather well, as it uses silver which isn’t used in a whole lot of recipes.
Proposed recipe : 2 HTSP =
3x t3 circuits
1x speed module 1
1x silicon bearing
1x t2 battery
1x t2 solar panel
Space Science Pack :
Here we are, the last science pack. It introduces the last two metals, titanium and tungsten, plus we get a nice recipe for the rocket fuel and a buffed t4 circuit as the control unit. The satellite also uses a bit of everything, albeit in low quantities.
All in all the “recipe” for the SSP is pretty good as it is. However there is one thing i would add : a t3 battery into the control unit. It makes sense thematically and the recipe is just really nice. There already are t3 batteries in the satellite, but in negligible quantities. Also i would consider adding another speed module, but that’s nitpicking.
Proposed recipe : 1 Rocket Control Unit :
2x t4 circuits
1x speed module 1
1x t3 battery
Rest of the rocket is unchanged.
There we go
Thanks for reading