Factorio Forums

TL;DR

Simplify technology tree with consolidation to make choices more meaningful technology sets.

What ?

Consolidate technologies together into fewer, but larger technologies. Decreasing the number of technologies to be researched but correspondingly increasing their cost and number of items unlocked. Particularly mid-game and late-game technologies.
Examples:

• Combine explosive technologies: grenades, "explosives" and "cliff explosives" into one technology.
• Combine fast inserter with "logistics 2" because they interoperate at the same technology level.
• Combine "Electric Energy Distribution 1" "Electric Energy Distribution 2" and "Electric energy accumulators" into a single technology.
• Maybe combine "railway" with "fluid wagon" and "engine".
• Combine "automobilism" and "tanks" (prerequisite railroads/engine/fluidwagon).
• Combine "Automated rail transportation" and "Rail Signals".
• Combine "Military 2" "Gates" and "stone walls".
• Combine "Concrete" and "landfill".

Also, separate out all technologies that are upgrades/bonuses as a separate category from technologies which unlock new things.
I haven't reached production science pack or utility science pack yet so I don't know which technologies at that level might be improved by consolidating them but the general theme is to combine technologies at the same technology level that have the same theme, are not usable separately or are intended to be used together.

Why ?

As a new player I find myself constantly having to re-select research choices which is tedious, and more importantly interrupts gameplay buildign. Furthermore, most researched technologies have little effect on how I am building my base/factory. Choices in games should be meaningful and impactful. Currently I find myself just selecting the first one listed because it will be completed in only a few minutes anyways. The tediousness of selecting technologies to research seems to be recognized because you can unlock the "research queue" - which seems like an anti-fun game mechanic.

• Consolidating the technology de-clutters the technology list making the user interface immediately better.
• Making research choices less frequently reduces their impression of interrupting gameplay.
• Consolidating into larger technology nodes makes each research selection more meaningful an impactful on gameplay

I personally like the granularity of the tech tree. I like that (other than prerequisites) I can hand-pick exactly what I want to unlock.

Really the research queue should be on by default, not hidden in a setting that you can't change once you start the map. And it should have drag/drop functionality to reorder your queue. And the queue should be bigger. And and and.