Factorio Forums

Science packs feel weird when they're crafted from metals, parts, and alien orbs. I just don't think doing science really fits with a resource hungry capitalistic business. They're cheap, but demand a lot. So you get simplistic, but highly capable construction suit capable of self upgrading from a low cost suit to a high resource consuming factory to build a mining operation for sale on the galactic market.

The mindset I put the game is that when you land, you have a wearable construction bot suit which when provided with materials, can craft a small set of items. However, since it can only craft so much and some things it can't make, you need to "tech up" your bot to produce more complex goods and parts. The "science packs" which I think of as Upgrade Kits, go into the "Science Lab", which turns these upgrade kits into specialized parts your current construction suit & machines didn't have before that now enable them to produce new things.

So it's not a matter of reinventing the wheel when I start a new game and more of required build up of infrastructure to support a factory growing in complexity on each new world.

Red Science Packs become Actuators.
Green Science Packs become Servos.
Blue Science Packs become CPUs.
Alien Science Packs become Sensors.

The actuators open up early tech, helping early tech development with basic robotics. As you start applying Servo upgrades, things get faster and stronger, making larger construction easier. Going into the CPUs, machines get faster and more intelligent, fueling a more logistically robust system. With alien artifacts, we've noticed they improve sensor capabilities allowing better weapon effectiveness as well as performance a lot of areas.

This is just how I think of science packs and what they're really getting used for. I find it more fitting and more satisfying. If you got ideas, share them!

Honestly, I would go for more of an exploration method. We need more random in this game. Forcing players to set up outposts so that they find "research" basically items they can break down to research things, I know this game is about automation and all, but doing more things with the player would be lovely as well!

Also finding random derelict bases, from both past colony attempts to alien derelict bases that are randomly constructed as the player would be a lovely system to be placed in.

@vampiricdust : So this is more or less like the modules? And you need to change the "state" of this bottle (from a fluid-like looking to some more item- or module-like)?

Well, in a way, but you don't insert anything, it would be akin to a software update. The labs test ways to do things, each round at a lab is a different method, and then it finds which one does the best and enables the player's crafting and buildings' ability to produce the goods that were the focus.

The main thought is that planetary conditions, even among habitable planets, will vary greatly. Vehicles for instance in really cold areas can actually become too cold to start. The labs would test all the methods of doings something, finds the best suited methodology and enable the production.