Dividing some techs into tiers

[Peter34]

The format is (SP1/SP2/SP3-time-per-cycle:total time), with unneeded science packs omitted, a dash between the science packs and a colon between the time-per-cycle and the total time (assuming 1 Lab).

The two techs usually researched first, and in this order:
Automation (10-10s:100)
Logistics (20-15s:300)

After that comes some cheap techs:
Optics (10-15s:150)
Turrets (10-10s:100)
Stone Walls (10-10s:100)
Steel Processing (20-5s:100)
Military (10-15s:150)
Armor Crafting (10/5s:50)

These techs are fairly expensive but very desirable to get early in the game anyway, one is simply necessary while the other is super nice to have.
Automation 2 (40-15s:600)
Toolbelt (50/50-30s:1500)

Then the (other) tier 2 techs:
Electronics (30-15s:450)
Engines (50/50-15s:750)
Advanced Material Processing (50/50-30s:1500)
Electric Energy Distribution 1 (50/50-30s:1500)
Military 2 (20/20-15s:300)
Automobilism (100/100-20s:2000)

Here are some of the tier 3 techs,
but not all:
Advanced Electronics (40/40-15s:600)
Logistics 2 (40/40-30s:1200)
Laser (50/50-30s:1500)
Solar Enegy (100/100-30s:3000)
Laser Turret (50/50-30s:1500)
Gates (100/100-30s:3000)
Electric Engines (50/50-25s:1250)
Batteries (50/50-25s/1250)
Electric Energy Accumulators 1 (60/60-30s:1800)

And a few of the tier 4 techs:
Automation 3 (100/100/100-60s:6000)
Logistics 3 (100/100/100-15s:1500)
Advanced Material Processing 2 (100/100-30s:3000)
Electric Energy Distribution 2 (100/100/100-45s:4500)

Note that the above list is not complete, it includes all tier 1 and 2 techs, but after that starts to omit more and more (and lots of techs that should be tier 5 and perhaps 6), since it's mostly a guide for the very early game, for players new to the tech tree, and frankly it's mostly meant as a temporary solution until the devs get around to adding a more visually structured Tech Tree to the game.

Also, of course, the dividing up of the techs into tiers is somewhat arbitrary. Tier 1 ones take from 50 to 150 seconds to research and never require green potions (Science Pack 2).

Tier 2 ones usually do require SP2, and takes from 300s to 2000s to research (with one Laboratory). Tier 3 costs from 1200s to 3000s, and the few tier 4 ones listed takes from 1500s to 6000s, and this is where you start needing blue potions (SP3).

[ssilk]

Wow, very useful. I think a first implementation of the research tree should include that grouping.
Related: https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... =6&t=10041

[Peter34]

Wow, very useful. I think a first implementation of the research tree should include that grouping.
Related: https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... =6&t=10041

Thanks, but I didn't put that much effort into it. While it probably is a fairly good division, I'm sure that added scrutiny will suggest that a few items should be moved to other tiers. Scrutiny by myself, or by more experienced players.

Notably, I completely ignored anything to do with Trains, and most anything that's late game. But others are welcome to build on my "effort", propose changes, or implement it in out-of-game tools, or the devs can implement it in-game.