[MOD 0.12.x] Science Overhaul Mod A.K.A Science Cost Tweaker

[UberWaffe]

Science Cost Tweaker Mod

Info:

• Name: ScienceCostTweaker
• Latest Release: v0.15.1, 2017-May-02
• Factorio Version: 0.15.x
• Download: Via ingame mod installation / mod portal
• License: GPL.
• Dependencies: Base game only. Other dependencies are optional and purely to ensure load order.
• Tags: Technology, Difficulty, Game Length
• Author: UberWaffe
• Contact: Github Project

Long Description:
This mod can be used as a simple alternative to marathon mod. It increases science costs significantly (4x to 9x depending on tier) - you need bigger factory to feed your science labs. Science also now has its own dedicated production lines and intermediate products. No more making science packs from conveyor belts and inserters! Comes with flavor text (at least in English, no other localization done yet), giving a bit more feasible explanations as to how these are used in adapting technology to the alien world.
New tiers or labs are also enabled by default, mainly making them more energy hungry, forcing you to expand your energy infrastructure as well.

The config file has multiple options that can be easily enabled or disabled as well, making it as customizable as possible.

Want the new production chains and science labs but no increase to science costs?

Code: Select all

sciencecosttweaker.options.sciencePackConfig = "vanilla"
sciencecosttweaker.options.difficultyCost = "noadjustment"

Want research ten times cheaper?

Code: Select all

sciencecosttweaker.options.difficultyCost = "lolwhat"

Images

Production Chain

SCT_ProductionTree02.png (232.71 KiB) Viewed 47606 times

Available config settings

Code: Select all

-- Science pack options used. Controls recipes, outputs, etc.
-- Points at the folders inside tweaks.
-- Options: vanilla, cheaperAlienV, bobsmods
-- vanilla: Uses new science intermediate products. Uses new tiered labs.
-- cheaperAlienV: Same as vanilla, but gives x30 alien science packs per alien artifact, up from the usual 10.
-- bobsmods: Uses new science intermediate products, with the recipes updated to use products from Bob's mods. Uses new tiered labs. Special case: Will default to 'vanilla' if Bob's mods is not installed.
sciencecosttweaker.options.sciencePackConfig = "bobsmods"

-- Difficulty factor of research cost adjustments.
-- lolwhat, noadjustment, normal, extended
sciencecosttweaker.options.difficultyCost = "normal"

-- Difficulty factor of alien evolution rate adjustments.
-- biterinabarrel, allthetimeyouneed, normal, noadjustment, swarm
sciencecosttweaker.options.difficultyEvo = "normal"

Bugs
New intermediate products do not work with productivity modules.

Future Plans
Get some proper graphics for the new intermediate products and new science labs.
(Unsure) Add new research for specific 'chokepoints' which require special science packs / products, non-craftable but found through exploration.
(Unsure) Integration with Homeworld mod. Tier 3 and Tier 4 science packs require components only obtainable from the homeworld.

Changelog 0.12.12

https://github.com/UberWaffe/ScienceCos ... ag/0.12.12

• Fixed bug with Bob's Mods.
• Minor fixes on incorrect text.
• Fixed derp in info file.

Changelog 0.12.11

https://github.com/UberWaffe/ScienceCos ... ag/0.12.11

• Fixed bug when used along with Natural Evolution. Red science pack recipe wasn't being set correctly..

Changelog 0.12.10

https://github.com/UberWaffe/ScienceCos ... ag/0.12.10

• Cost config files no longer have to specify multipliers for all possible research. Research tiers without specific multipliers are simply ignored.
• Changed science pack costs to use a more modular config approach. Should make more config options easier to implement.
• Added noadjustment science pack config option as well. "Tweak all the nothings!".
• Added cheaper alien (vanilla) science pack config. Which modifies the normal vanilla config. (This is an example of configs that use and then modify other configs).
• Added science cost multiplier config - darkmatteronly.

Changelog 0.12.9

• Support for Dark Matter Replication Mod research.
• Make tier 3 science packs (light blue) use circuits and advanced circuits. (Mainly to ensure that with Bob's Mods installed the tier 3 packs aren't much cheaper than they should be.)
• No longer overwrites Dytech stone gear use in tier 1 lab recipe.
• Removed faulty and redundant "sciencecosttweaker.options.bobsmods.moreComplexBasicCircuits" config option.
• Ensure that "noadjustment" options for cost and evolution do not change anything, not event attempt to.
• Simplified cost adjustment code. Making future support for other mods easier.

[orzelek]

Slight bug - you can't hide making resin craftable by hand - no ability to craft red science pack then since they need resin.

[UberWaffe]

Slight bug - you can't hide making resin craftable by hand - no ability to craft red science pack then since they need resin.

Drat! Missed that entirely.

EDIT: Hotfix added.

[orzelek]

Few additional comments about bobs mods part:
1. Science packs cost are higher - especially in wood. They might be tad to high. It's good that greenhouse mod exists.
2. There is also science pack 4 in bob's mods. Would be cool to get it upgraded also.

Separate materials for science packs make base much more complex. Fits into bobs mods style really well
That science pack 4 could use mats tied to other three - might be quite a bit of work tho.

Can easily compare costs of science packs with this command:

Code: Select all

/c game.player.force.research_all_technologies()

Could you also add an option to leave only cost tweaks and skip the new items?
I played with them and bob'smods a bit but it seems really costly atm.

And making time factor for evolution 1/10th is probably to much - 1/4th would work I think.

[UberWaffe]

Few additional comments about bobs mods part:
1. Science packs cost are higher - especially in wood. They might be tad to high. It's good that greenhouse mod exists.

Yeah, I play extensively with tree-farm, so I can see how the wood cost is a bit insane.
I'll play around with it a bit.

Could you also add an option to leave only cost tweaks and skip the new items?
I played with them and bob'smods a bit but it seems really costly atm.

Allright, I'll add that.
Any ideas on what I should tweak in the bob'smods recipes to make them better?
Also, is it specifically the bob'smods recipes that are too expensive, or is the vanilla ones too expensive as well?

And making time factor for evolution 1/10th is probably to much - 1/4th would work I think.

Allright, I'll tone the default down to 1/4th.

[hoho]

I've been playing a few hours with the mod + bobs + tons more and not only is wood usage high but also steel.
I'm funneling almost all of the steel coming from 9 stone furnaces burning non-stop to my green science pack production line and it can barely keep 4 science labs running.

I'm not really sure if it's too much or not but quite definitely I'm feeling like steel is much more of a bottleneck for me than wood is (12 greenhouses creating it).

I'm most definitely liking the changes made by this mod. I did have a bit of a problem at start where iron gearwheels were locked behind a research and required to make any electricity but that seemed to be a problem with dytech+bob combo and had nothing to do with your mod. After fixing that it has been quite nice

[orzelek]

@UberWaffe - I played around only with bobs mods - didn't look at vanilla costs. And steel was also plenty more then usual one as hoho noted. Even with cheaper steel from bob's mods it was a lot of iron going on in there.

[UberWaffe]

Allright, I've made some adjustments.
I've not chopped on the wood cost yet.

• Config option for using new intermediate products and science pack recipes (Default = true).
• Added 4 preconfigured difficulties for cost adjustment "lolwhat", "no adjustment", "normal", and "extended".
• Support for Bobingabout's Modules research.
• Replaced need for steel in science pack recipes with iron plate.

[hoho]

[*] Replaced need for steel in science pack recipes with iron plate.[/list]

I haven't checked yet but did you replace *all* usage of steel with iron? I think it would have been fine if you had just replaced some occurrences of steel with iron. E.g for green packs, there are two intermediates that took steel. It would have been good enough (IMHO) if you had replaced only one of those with iron and leave the other as-is.

[UberWaffe]

For now I've replaced all.
Over the coming weekend I'll take a bit more detailed look at the vanilla science pack costs and complexity, and then adjust the new recipes to be inline with that.

Mainly this problem exists because I had forgot to take into account that I run with a personal tweak that changes steel to a mixing furnace recipe with iron and coal (i.e. 5 iron-plate + 1 coal = 5 steel).
Hence why I never thought about how costly the steel would be.

[orzelek]

I can;'t build bob's module laboratory. It requires standard lab to be built - and there is no standard lab since it's disabled.

[UberWaffe]

I can;'t build bob's module laboratory. It requires standard lab to be built - and there is no standard lab since it's disabled.

And this is why I really should do entire playthroughs before releasing these.

I'll fix it up for the next version. Hopefuly I'll have the next version out by within the next 24 hours.

[orzelek]

Disabling base lab might have more consequences like that. Evolution mod would also be broken since it adds new lab type.

[UberWaffe]

Allright, I've re-enabled the vanilla science lab. It is now the equivalent of the new tier 1 science lab if the tiered labs option is true. Otherwise it is simply unchanged

I've also done some minor tweaks on the recipes for the science packs (if the new intermediate products config option is true). Total cost should be a bit closer to what they are normally.
Though I still need feedback in this regard.

[orzelek]

One tining slipped past - sct-lab-2 needs to have lab in it's recipe not sct-lab-1 or it can't be constructed.

As for bobs - I think you would need another set of intermediates for the science pack 4 to keep things consistent.

My first order of business is to actually finish the game without modified science packs

[UberWaffe]

One tining slipped past - sct-lab-2 needs to have lab in it's recipe not sct-lab-1 or it can't be constructed.

Could have sworn I did that, but you are right, it is still using sct-lab-1. Will hotfix it soon.

[tjmonk15]

Can't seem to make science pack 4's. Can't find the recipes for QL Bio-Processors or Neural Overclockers anywhere. I just used the default settings, and am also playing with a few other mods, peacemod conflict might be the issue here?

- Monk

P.S. Other mod that might affect this that I am running: Alien Plant (Treefarm addon), everything else shouldn't be touching alien artifacts or any of the recipes.

[hitzu]

I installed the mod and loaded my saved game. Now it is broken
The majority of new recipes are missing and unavaliable for crafting because I had done researches before I installed this mod. For example I cannot craft tier 3 labs.

Could you provide a better discription for your mod so people can understand what really they get before the installation?

[GotLag]

A minor quibble about the name: if you're going to massively increase the cost/time requirements, don't call it a tweak. Or a rebalance. Call it Science Cost Increaser or something like that. Tweaker sounds like it's making some small adjustments in a few places. Maybe cheaper, maybe more expensive, maybe both.

[UberWaffe]

Can't seem to make science pack 4's. Can't find the recipes for QL Bio-Processors or Neural Overclockers anywhere. I just used the default settings, and am also playing with a few other mods, peacemod conflict might be the issue here?

- Monk

P.S. Other mod that might affect this that I am running: Alien Plant (Treefarm addon), everything else shouldn't be touching alien artifacts or any of the recipes.

Had you already researched alien technology before installing the mod? It appears I have a problem in my migration scripts.
See my reply below to @hitzu, if that is the case.

If not, can you tell me what version of the mod you are using?

I installed the mod and loaded my saved game. Now it is broken
The majority of new recipes are missing and unavaliable for crafting because I had done researches before I installed this mod. For example I cannot craft tier 3 labs.

It sounds like there is a problem with the migration scripts. I thought they would cover the case for research already done, but obviously there is a problem there.
I'll take a look at adjusting the migration scripts to cover this case.

In the meantime, you can set

Code: Select all

sciencecosttweaker.options.useNewIntermediates = false

and

Code: Select all

sciencecosttweaker.options.useTieredLabs = false

in the config.

Could you provide a better discription for your mod so people can understand what really they get before the installation?

I'll update it. Suggestions as to what to add is also welcome.

A minor quibble about the name: if you're going to massively increase the cost/time requirements, don't call it a tweak. Or a rebalance. Call it Science Cost Increaser or something like that. Tweaker sounds like it's making some small adjustments in a few places. Maybe cheaper, maybe more expensive, maybe both.

I'll try and make it more clear in the topic name.