Research paths

[aubergine18]

After reading frequent suggestions for techs I didn't see any existing topics on this subject...

For more strategic approach to research, it would be nice to have multiple paths to enable a technology to be researched. For example, Tech B **and/or** Tech E are required before Tech H can be researched.

We can already do the **and**, but not the **or**.

The ability to have multiple ways to unlock a tech for researching would enable much more interesting research choices. Do I go down route B to enable H quickly but as a result delay other techs I will soon need, or do I go down route E which unlocks H a bit later but overall reduces time to my other tech goals?

[ssilk]

You're right, would be interesting.
I think this is really difficult to balance, so that this is a real choice you need to make and I miss specific ideas like how could that be combined with a green (clean) production.

[bobingabout]

And from the opposite perspective. when it comes to unlocked recipes, you currently simply list the recipe on a technology, and when it is researched, the recipe is unlocked. This leads to an **or** method if listed on more than one technology, but currently there is no **and** method, saying you want technology A and Technology B.

The current work around for this issue is to create Technology C that unlocks the item that requires technologies A and B.

It's an issue I've learned to live with, but I'd still like the ability to have an **and** for recipe unlocks, along with an **or** for technology unlocks.

[Adil]

I'm not sure alternative technologies for the same recipes would bring much variance on their own. Research still consumes at most 4 science packs, which are also hierarchically ordered.

I believe alternative recipes for the same items would be better. Sometimes with different technologies opening different recipes.
And the "balance" is not the most important concept in factorio (even now there's not much of it). These alternative routes need not to just even out in neutral conditions. They simply should be there to be taken in a specific local situation or in response to a particular generation skew or based on the player's taste.

[aubergine18]

I'm not sure alternative technologies for the same recipes would bring much variance on their own.

Once you start getting *or* paths for tech tree, it's possible that some branches of tech will rarely be utilised because player focusses on preferred path. That's where the *and* feature of enabling recipes comes in to play: certain recipies will remain elusive on the commonly followed tech paths, meaning that players who choose more alternative paths are going to be rewarded with the more elusive recipes. This can add an extra level of replayability in SP, but really comes in to its own in MP (albeit after several years of game balancing).

Future of factorio will hold a more evolved tech tree than we see today, and mods will be more evolved too.

I believe alternative recipes for the same items would be better. Sometimes with different technologies opening different recipes.

Yes, this is very much needed! And, if I'm not mistaken, it would also solve this bug. Here too, an *and* on recipes would offer some interesting possibilities (recipe could change based on the tech available at time the recipe is researched).