Hard Drives are special parts obtained from Crash Sites used to unlock Alternate Recipes (see below). Crash Sites can be located using Object Scanner after Radio Signal Scanning has been researched in the MAM.
Each Hard Drive can be researched in the MAM and results in a choice of one of three alternate blueprints.
Selections are chosen from the pool below based on a players current progress/unlocks. Further Hard Drives can be researched while other Hard Drive choices remain un-selected. Multiple Hard Drives can remain un-selected in the MAM at a time and the player can still freely use the MAM for other Research. If the player does not re-roll un-selected Hard Drive choices and unlocks other components through Research, the new choices from re-rolling the un-selected Hard Drive choices can include recipes for the new research.
In Update 8, There is currently a bug that can result in lost hard drives if mods are installed. See current issues below for details and solutions. (Not yet tested for Update 1.0).
There are 118 Crash Sites, which means a total of 118 Hard Drives can be obtained.
Two Hard Drives can be used for pioneer inventory expansions. Currently, there are 85 Alternate Recipes and 2 MAM researches leaving 4 Hard Drives unused; 8 unused if the session participated in the FICSMAS event.
| Total Crash Sites |
Inventory expansions | Alternate recipes | MAM research | Unused Hard Drives without FICSMAS |
Unused Hard Drives with FICSMAS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 118 | 2 | 85 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
Alternate recipes[]
Choices for alternate recipes granted by analyzing a Hard Drive in Update 8
Alternate recipes generally require different input materials than the original, trading between raw material consumption, space, power, simplicity, and availability of material.
The set of blueprints to choose from is determined randomly at the beginning of the scan. Because of this, the player can keep re-rolling to get the desired blueprint by saving the game before researching a hard drive, then loading the save and waiting for another 10 minutes if the choices are undesirable. The recipes are determined at the beginning of the scan and are only shown to the player after the research concludes.
The selected alternate recipes are unlocked immediately after it is chosen. All alternate recipes can be only used in factory buildings, none in the Craft Bench; therefore, parts like Compacted Coal cannot be hand-crafted.
To allow an Alternate Recipe to be shown up after a Hard Drive research, the prerequisites as shown below must be fulfilled, whether it is Milestone, Research, or other Alternate Recipe. This means if a player builds a factory that requires certain alternate recipes that they have not yet unlocked, they may need to find more Hard Drives than they anticipated to unlock the prerequisites blocking their intended alternate recipes.
Note: Typically a recipe will become available to unlock as soon as the player has access to every material within it, but not necessarily the building required to actually use it. This means that, for example, the "Pure" alternatives that require a Refinery become available as soon as the Water Extractor can be built, while the Alloy Ingot recipes, needing only ore, are available immediately despite requiring a Foundry.
In the table below, the Prerequisites are the conditions that are required for a recipe to be able to appear in the research result choices. If no prerequisite is displayed, the recipe is available immediately in the recipe pool (but you still need MAM to scan the Hard Drive). Note that some alternate recipes may require player to unlock a new building so that they could be automated.
| Alternate name | Product | Ingredients /min | Rate /min | Original Rate /min | Original Ingredients /min | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Copper Ingot |  Copper Ore 50.0 Iron Ore 50.0 | 100.0 | 30.0 | Copper Ore30.0 | ||
 Iron Ingot | Iron Ore 40.0 Copper Ore 10.0 | 75.0 | 30.0 | Iron Ore30.0 | ||
 Reinforced Iron Plate |  Iron Plate 90.0 Screw 250.0 | 15.0 | 5.0 | Iron Plate30.0 Screw60.0 | ||
| Reinforced Iron Plate | Iron Plate 18.8 Wire 37.5 | 5.6 | 5.0 | Iron Plate30.0 Screw60.0 | ||
| Screw | Iron Ingot 12.5 | 50.0 | 40.0 |  Iron Rod10.0 | ||
| Iron Ingot | Iron Ore 25.0 Limestone 40.0 | 50.0 | 30.0 | Iron Ore30.0 | ? | |
 Black Powder |  Sulfur 7.5 Compacted Coal 3.8 | 15.0 | 30.0 |  Coal15.0 Sulfur15.0 | Alternate Recipe - Compacted Coal | |
| Wire |  Caterium Ingot 15.0 | 120.0 | 30.0 | Copper Ingot15.0 | Caterium Research - Caterium | |
| Wire | Copper Ingot 12.0 Caterium Ingot 3.0 | 90.0 | 30.0 | Copper Ingot15.0 | Caterium Research - Caterium | |
 Quickwire | Caterium Ingot 7.5 Copper Ingot 37.5 | 90.0 | 60.0 | Caterium Ingot12.0 | Caterium Research - Caterium Ingots | |
 Concrete |  Silica 15.0 Limestone 60.0 | 50.0 | 15.0 | Limestone45.0 | Quartz Research - Quartz | |
| Silica |  Raw Quartz 22.5 Limestone 37.5 | 52.5 | 37.5 | Raw Quartz22.5 | Quartz Research - Silica | |
| Wire | Iron Ingot 12.5 | 22.5 | 30.0 | Copper Ingot15.0 | Tier 0 - HUB Upgrade 2 | |
 Modular Frame | Reinforced Iron Plate 7.5 Screw 140.0 | 5.0 | 2.0 | Reinforced Iron Plate3.0 Iron Rod12.0 | Tier 2 - Part Assembly | |
 Rotor |  Copper Sheet 22.5 Screw 195.0 | 11.3 | 4.0 | Iron Rod20.0 Screw100.0 | Tier 2 - Part Assembly | |
| Iron Rod |  Steel Ingot 12.0 | 48.0 | 15.0 | Iron Ingot15.0 | Tier 3 - Basic Steel Production | |
| Modular Frame | Reinforced Iron Plate 2.0 Steel Pipe 10.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | Reinforced Iron Plate3.0 Iron Rod12.0 | Tier 3 - Basic Steel Production | |
| Rotor | Steel Pipe 10.0 Wire 30.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 | Iron Rod20.0 Screw100.0 | Tier 3 - Basic Steel Production | |
| Screw |  Steel Beam 5.0 | 260.0 | 40.0 | Iron Rod10.0 | Tier 3 - Basic Steel Production | |
| Steel Beam | Steel Ingot 120.0 Concrete 80.0 | 45.0 | 15.0 | Steel Ingot60.0 | Tier 3 - Basic Steel Production | |
| Steel Ingot | Iron Ingot 40.0 Coal 40.0 | 60.0 | 45.0 | Iron Ore45.0 Coal45.0 | Tier 3 - Basic Steel Production | |
| Steel Pipe | Iron Ingot 100.0 | 25.0 | 20.0 | Steel Ingot30.0 | Tier 3 - Basic Steel Production | |
| Steel Pipe | Steel Ingot 50.0 Concrete 30.0 | 50.0 | 20.0 | Steel Ingot30.0 | Tier 3 - Basic Steel Production | |
| Steel Ingot | Iron Ore 22.5 Compacted Coal 11.3 | 37.5 | 45.0 | Iron Ore45.0 Coal45.0 | Tier 3 - Basic Steel Production Alternate Recipe - Compacted Coal | |
 Beacon | Steel Beam 2.0 Steel Pipe 8.0 Crystal Oscillator 0.5 | 10.0 | 7.5 | Iron Plate22.5 Iron Rod7.5 Wire112.5 Cable15.0 | Tier 3 - Basic Steel Production Quartz Research - Quartz Crystals | |
| Coal |  Biomass 37.5 | 45.0 | 60.0 | Tier 3 - Coal Power | ||
| Coal |  Wood 15.0 | 150.0 | 60.0 | Tier 3 - Coal Power | ||
| Copper Ingot | Copper Ore 15.0 Water 10.0 | 37.5 | 30.0 | Copper Ore30.0 | Tier 3 - Coal Power | |
| Copper Sheet | Copper Ingot 22.5 Water 22.5 | 22.5 | 10.0 | Copper Ingot20.0 | Tier 3 - Coal Power | |
| Iron Ingot | Iron Ore 35.0 Water 20.0 | 65.0 | 30.0 | Iron Ore30.0 | Tier 3 - Coal Power | |
| Caterium Ingot |  Caterium Ore 24.0 Water 24.0 | 12.0 | 15.0 | Caterium Ore45.0 | Tier 3 - Coal Power Caterium Research - Caterium | |
 Quartz Crystal | Raw Quartz 75.0 Coal 36.0 | 54.0 | 22.5 | Raw Quartz37.5 | Tier 3 - Coal Power Quartz Research - Quartz Crystals | |
| Quartz Crystal | Raw Quartz 67.5 Water 37.5 | 52.5 | 22.5 | Raw Quartz37.5 | Tier 3 - Coal Power Quartz Research - Quartz Crystals | |
 Encased Industrial Beam | Steel Pipe 24.0 Concrete 20.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 | Steel Beam18.0 Concrete36.0 | Tier 4 - Advanced Steel Production | |
 Automated Wiring |  Stator 3.8 Wire 75.0 High-Speed Connector 1.9 | 7.5 | 2.5 | Stator2.5 Cable50.0 | Tier 4 - Advanced Steel Production Caterium Research - A.I. Limiter | |
| Stator | Steel Pipe 16.0 Quickwire 60.0 | 8.0 | 5.0 | Steel Pipe15.0 Wire40.0 | Tier 4 - Advanced Steel Production Caterium Research - Caterium Ingots | |
 Motor | Rotor 3.8 Stator 3.8 Crystal Oscillator 1.3 | 7.5 | 5.0 | Rotor10.0 Stator10.0 | Tier 4 - Advanced Steel Production Quartz Research - Quartz Crystals | |
 Empty Canister | Iron Plate 30.0 Copper Sheet 15.0 | 60.0 | 60.0 |  Plastic30.0 | Tier 5 - Alternative Fluid Transport | |
| Empty Canister | Steel Ingot 60.0 | 40.0 | 60.0 | Plastic30.0 | Tier 5 - Alternative Fluid Transport | |
 Heavy Modular Frame | Modular Frame 7.5 Encased Industrial Beam 9.4 Steel Pipe 33.8 Concrete 20.6 | 2.8 | 2.0 | Modular Frame10.0 Steel Pipe40.0 Encased Industrial Beam10.0 Screw240.0 | Tier 5 - Industrial Manufacturing | |
| Heavy Modular Frame | Modular Frame 18.8 Encased Industrial Beam 11.3 Rubber 75.0 Screw 390.0 | 3.8 | 2.0 | Modular Frame10.0 Steel Pipe40.0 Encased Industrial Beam10.0 Screw240.0 | Tier 5 - Industrial Manufacturing | |
 Portable Miner | Steel Pipe 4.0 Iron Plate 4.0 | 1.0 | N/A | N/A | Tier 5 - Industrial Manufacturing | |
 Computer |  Circuit Board 15.0 Quickwire 52.5 Rubber 22.5 | 3.8 | 2.5 | Circuit Board10.0 Cable20.0 Plastic40.0 | Tier 5 - Industrial Manufacturing Caterium Research - Caterium Ingots | |
| Computer | Circuit Board 5.0 Crystal Oscillator 1.7 | 3.3 | 2.5 | Circuit Board10.0 Cable20.0 Plastic40.0 | Tier 5 - Industrial Manufacturing Quartz Research - Quartz Crystal | |
| Cable | Wire 37.5 Heavy Oil Residue 15.0 | 67.5 | 30.0 | Wire60.0 | Tier 5 - Oil Processing | |
| Cable | Wire 45.0 Rubber 30.0 | 100.0 | 30.0 | Wire60.0 | Tier 5 - Oil Processing | |
| Circuit Board | Rubber 30.0 Petroleum Coke 45.0 | 5.0 | 7.5 | Copper Sheet15.0 Plastic30.0 | Tier 5 - Oil Processing | |
| Concrete | Limestone 100.0 Rubber 20.0 | 90.0 | 15.0 | Limestone45.0 | Tier 5 - Oil Processing | |
| Concrete | Limestone 120.0 Water 100.0 | 80.0 | 15.0 | Limestone45.0 | Tier 5 - Oil Processing | |
| Heavy Oil Residue |  Crude Oil 30.0 | 40.0 | 20.0 |  Packaged Heavy Oil Residue20.0 | Tier 5 - Oil Processing | |
| Iron Plate | Iron Ingot 50.0 Plastic 10.0 | 75.0 | 20.0 | Iron Ingot30.0 | Tier 5 - Oil Processing | |
| Iron Plate | Iron Ingot 15.0 Steel Ingot 15.0 | 45.0 | 20.0 | Iron Ingot30.0 | Tier 5 - Oil Processing | |
 Packaged Fuel | Heavy Oil Residue 30.0 Packaged Water 60.0 | 60.0 | 40.0 |  Fuel40.0 Empty Canister40.0 | Tier 5 - Oil Processing | |
| Plastic | Rubber 30.0 Fuel 30.0 | 60.0 | 20.0 |  Polymer Resin60.0 Water20.0 | Tier 5 - Oil Processing | |
| Polymer Resin | Crude Oil 60.0 | 130.0 | N/A | N/A | Tier 5 - Oil Processing | |
| Reinforced Iron Plate | Iron Plate 11.3 Rubber 3.8 | 3.8 | 5.0 | Iron Plate30.0 Screw60.0 | Tier 5 - Oil Processing | |
| Rubber | Plastic 30.0 Fuel 30.0 | 60.0 | 20.0 | Crude Oil30.0 | Tier 5 - Oil Processing | |
 Smart Plating | Reinforced Iron Plate 2.5 Rotor 2.5 Plastic 7.5 | 5.0 | 2.0 | Reinforced Iron Plate2.0 Rotor2.0 | Tier 5 - Oil Processing | |
| Steel Ingot | Iron Ore 75.0 Petroleum Coke 75.0 | 100.0 | 45.0 | Iron Ore45.0 Coal45.0 | Tier 5 - Oil Processing | |
 Versatile Framework | Modular Frame 3.8 Steel Beam 22.5 Rubber 30.0 | 7.5 | 5.0 | Modular Frame2.5 Steel Beam30.0 | Tier 5 - Oil Processing | |
| Cable | Quickwire 7.5 Rubber 5.0 | 27.5 | 30.0 | Wire60.0 | Tier 5 - Oil Processing Caterium Research - Caterium Ingots | |
| Circuit Board | Plastic 12.5 Quickwire 37.5 | 8.8 | 7.5 | Copper Sheet15.0 Plastic30.0 | Tier 5 - Oil Processing Caterium Research - Caterium Ingots | |
| High-Speed Connector | Quickwire 90.0 Silica 37.5 Circuit Board 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.8 | Quickwire210.0 Cable37.5 Circuit Board3.8 | Tier 5 - Oil Processing Caterium Research - High-Speed Connector Quartz Research - Quartz | |
| Crystal Oscillator | Quartz Crystal 18.8 Rubber 13.1 AI Limiter 1.9 | 1.9 | 1.0 | Quartz Crystal18.0 Cable14.0 Reinforced Iron Plate2.5 | Tier 5 - Oil Processing Quartz Research - Crystal Oscillator Caterium Research - Caterium Electronics | |
| Circuit Board | Copper Sheet 27.5 Silica 27.5 | 12.5 | 7.5 | Copper Sheet15.0 Plastic30.0 | Tier 5 - Oil Processing Quartz Research - Quartz | |
 Turbofuel | Heavy Oil Residue 37.5 Compacted Coal 30.0 | 30.0 | 20.0 |  Packaged Turbofuel20.0 | Tier 5 - Oil Processing Sulfur Research - Compacted Coal | |
 Battery | Sulfur 45.0 Alclad Aluminum Sheet 52.5 Plastic 60.0 Wire 90.0 | 30.0 | 20.0 |  Sulfuric Acid50.0 Alumina Solution40.0 Aluminum Casing20.0 | Tier 7 - Aeronautical Engineering | |
| Motor |  Electromagnetic Control Rod 3.8 Rotor 7.5 | 7.5 | 5.0 | Rotor10.0 Stator10.0 | Tier 7 - Aeronautical Engineering | |
 Supercomputer |  Radio Control Unit 6.0 Cooling System 6.0 | 3.0 | 1.9 | Computer7.5 AI Limiter3.8 High-Speed Connector5.6 Plastic52.5 | Tier 7 - Aeronautical Engineering Tier 8 - Advanced Aluminum Production | |
| Supercomputer | Computer 3.6 Electromagnetic Control Rod 2.4 Battery 24.0 Wire 54.0 | 2.4 | 1.9 | Computer7.5 AI Limiter3.8 High-Speed Connector5.6 Plastic52.5 | Tier 7 - Aeronautical Engineering Tier 8 - Nuclear Power | |
| Alumina Solution |  Bauxite 200.0 Water 200.0 | 240.0 | 120.0 |  Packaged Alumina Solution120.0 | Tier 7 - Bauxite Refinement | |
| Aluminum Casing |  Aluminum Ingot 150.0 Copper Ingot 75.0 | 112.5 | 60.0 | Aluminum Ingot90.0 | Tier 7 - Bauxite Refinement | |
| Aluminum Ingot |  Aluminum Scrap 60.0 | 30.0 | 60.0 | Aluminum Scrap90.0 Silica75.0 | Tier 7 - Bauxite Refinement | |
| Aluminum Scrap | Alumina Solution 180.0 Petroleum Coke 60.0 | 300.0 | 360.0 | Alumina Solution240.0 Coal120.0 | Tier 7 - Bauxite Refinement | |
| Fuel | Heavy Oil Residue 50.0 Water 100.0 | 100.0 | 40.0 | Heavy Oil Residue60.0 | Tier 7 - Bauxite Refinement | |
| Radio Control Unit | Crystal Oscillator 1.5 Circuit Board 15.0 Aluminum Casing 90.0 Rubber 45.0 | 4.5 | 2.5 | Aluminum Casing40.0 Crystal Oscillator1.3 Computer2.5 | Tier 7 - Bauxite Refinement | |
| Aluminum Scrap | Bauxite 150.0 Coal 100.0 Sulfuric Acid 50.0 Water 60.0 | 300.0 | 360.0 | Alumina Solution240.0 Coal120.0 | Tier 7 - Bauxite Refinement Tier 7 - Aeronautical Engineering | |
| Turbofuel | Fuel 15.0 Heavy Oil Residue 30.0 Sulfur 22.5 Petroleum Coke 22.5 | 45.0 | 20.0 | Packaged Turbofuel20.0 | Tier 7 - Bauxite Refinement Sulfur Research - Sulfur | |
| Cooling System |  Heat Sink 9.4 Motor 1.9 Nitrogen Gas 45.0 | 3.8 | 6.0 | Heat Sink12.0 Rubber12.0 Water30.0 Nitrogen Gas150.0 | Tier 8 - Advanced Aluminum Production | |
| Heat Sink | Aluminum Casing 30.0 Rubber 30.0 | 10.0 | 7.5 | Alclad Aluminum Sheet37.5 Copper Sheet22.5 | Tier 8 - Advanced Aluminum Production | |
| Radio Control Unit | Heat Sink 15.0 High-Speed Connector 7.5 Quartz Crystal 45.0 | 3.8 | 2.5 | Aluminum Casing40.0 Crystal Oscillator1.3 Computer2.5 | Tier 8 - Advanced Aluminum Production Caterium Research - AI Limiter | |
 Turbo Motor | Motor 6.6 Radio Control Unit 8.4 Electromagnetic Control Rod 4.7 Rotor 6.6 | 2.8 | 1.9 | Cooling System7.5 Radio Control Unit3.8 Motor7.5 Rubber45.0 | Tier 8 - Leading-edge Production Tier 8 - Nuclear Power | |
| Electromagnetic Control Rod | Stator 8.0 High-Speed Connector 4.0 | 8.0 | 4.0 | Stator6.0 AI Limiter4.0 | Tier 8 - Nuclear Power Caterium Research - AI Limiter | |
 Encased Uranium Cell |  Uranium 25.0 Silica 15.0 Sulfur 25.0 Quickwire 75.0 | 20.0 | 25.0 | Uranium50.0 Concrete15.0 Sulfuric Acid40.0 | Tier 8 - Nuclear Power Caterium Research - Caterium Ingots Quartz Research - Quartz Sulfur Research - Sulfur | |
 Uranium Fuel Rod | Encased Uranium Cell 20.0 Electromagnetic Control Rod 2.0 Crystal Oscillator 0.6 Beacon 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.4 | Encased Uranium Cell20.0 Encased Industrial Beam1.2 Electromagnetic Control Rod2.0 | Tier 8 - Nuclear Power Quartz Research - Quartz Crystals | |
 Encased Plutonium Cell |  Non-fissile Uranium 75.0 Aluminum Casing 10.0 | 10.0 | 5.0 |  Plutonium Pellet10.0 Concrete20.0 | Tier 8 - Particle Enrichment | |
 Fused Modular Frame | Heavy Modular Frame 3.0 Aluminum Ingot 150.0 Nitric Acid 24.0 Fuel 30.0 | 3.0 | 1.5 | Heavy Modular Frame1.5 Aluminum Casing75.0 Nitrogen Gas37.5 | Tier 8 - Particle Enrichment | |
| Non-fissile Uranium | Uranium 25.0 Uranium Waste 25.0 Nitric Acid 15.0 Sulfuric Acid 25.0 | 100.0 | 50.0 | Uranium Waste37.5 Silica25.0 Nitric Acid15.0 Sulfuric Acid15.0 | Tier 8 - Particle Enrichment | |
 Plutonium Fuel Rod | Encased Plutonium Cell 10.0 Pressure Conversion Cube 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 | Encased Plutonium Cell7.5 Steel Beam4.5 Electromagnetic Control Rod1.5 Heat Sink2.5 | Tier 8 - Particle Enrichment | |
| Turbo Motor | Motor 7.5 Pressure Conversion Cube 1.9 Packaged Nitrogen Gas 45.0 Stator 15.0 | 3.8 | 1.9 | Cooling System7.5 Radio Control Unit3.8 Motor7.5 Rubber45.0 | Tier 8 - Particle Enrichment |
Usage[]
AWESOME Sink[]
Research[]
Non-recipes from Hard Drives[]
Besides Alternate Recipes, two inventory expansions can be unlocked:
| Name | Effect | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|
| Inflated Pocket Dimension | +6 Inventory Slots | none - see below |
| Inflated Pocket Dimension | +6 Inventory Slots | Tier 5 - Industrial Manufacturing |
There are no explicit prerequisites for the first inventory expansion - you only need to have the MAM unlocked from Tier 1. Note that these expansions have a lower priority than all the alternate recipes. So with only the MAM unlocked, it takes five hard drive scans for the Inflated Pocket Dimension option to show up: Currently there are six recipes without prerequisites, and after a scan you have three choices. So after four scans, only two recipes and the Inflated Pocket Dimension option are left.
Important notes[]
- The Hard Drive research is repeatable, as long as there are remaining alternate recipes to unlock.
- Each alternate recipe can only be unlocked once, it will never appear in the selection screen again once it has been selected.
- If a Hard Drive is researched, and there is nothing more available to unlock (either due to every recipe being unlocked or no more recipes being currently available due to milestone/MAM research progress), the Hard Drive will be returned after it is analyzed with the following message: "The analysis of Hard Drive is completed! No new research is available. Try again later after further progress. Your Hard Drive has been returned to you.".
- The game does not list what recipes were unlocked in one place, the Codex has to be searched for that.
Alternate recipe analysis[]
The previous alternate recipe analysis has been replaced by a more mathematical approach and transparent calculation, opposed to an opinionated breakdown. Refer to individual item pages (e.g. Iron Ingot) for more details. Some of the notable parameters are:
- Weighted Point: the weighted consumption rate which is calculated by:
(resource consumption rate / maximum extraction rate) * 10,000. The lower the better.- For example, if a certain recipe path requires 10 Iron Ore/min, and the max mining rate of Iron Ore is 70380/min, then
WP = 10 / 70380 * 10000 = 1.4208582.... The 10,000 multiplier is arbitrarily chosen to make the numbers more readable, since most of the WP values fall in 1e-4 to 1e-5 ranges.- Round off the value by using the template, for example,
{{rounding|1.4209|2}}, this will display as 1.42 , and its input value can be read by mouse-hover it. Please take note as rounding error do accumulate, displaying a number with many decimals has no meaning.
- Round off the value by using the template, for example,
- As Water is abundant and its maximum extraction rate cannot be defined, it is set to WP = 0.
- A low WP indicates low amount of weighted resources is needed.
- For example, if a certain recipe path requires 10 Iron Ore/min, and the max mining rate of Iron Ore is 70380/min, then
- Energy per item: how much power is consumed for the entire production chain. The lower the better.
- Energy is the product of power and time. It is the summed every steps involved, normalized at 60 / min of the final product.
- The energy spent for mining each type of ore or raw resources is also included in per-ore basis. Each ore has a specific mining energy, calculated as if the entire map is fully mined with appropriate overclocking.
- The energy for extracting water is also included.
- If more than 1 alternate recipe are involved to produce the upstream ingredient, the energy for that alternate recipe path is included in the calculation.
- Space: refers to building space, excluding belts and pipes. The lower the better.
- It is summed for all buildings for every steps involved for the production, including all alternate recipes. The building space, or building area is calculated by L x W, in m2, which can be found in individual building pages.
- The areas for Conveyor Belts, Pipelines, Power Lines, etc are not included since they are subjective to player's design.
- The areas for miners and Extractors are not included. (these will be included after the 2nd pass of analysis)
- Alternate recipes for ingredients: if there are multiple ways to produce its ingredient, the recipe with the lowest WP is chosen.
- For example, to craft Iron Wire, Pure Iron Ingot is chosen.
- If an exception is to be made, it will be mentioned under this section.
- This is when the reduction in WP is too small compared with the increasing complexity, or if a large amount of rarer resources are involved.
- For example, Steel Coated Plate has the lowest WP, but the default recipe will be used nonetheless, when Iron Plate is used as an ingredient for other items.
- The best trait for each of the recipe is highlighted in bold for visibility.
- The crafting speed of a particular alternate recipe is not considered, as it can be breakdown into space saving or power saving when the production rate is normalized at 60 / min.
- If there is only a sole recipe, whether it is alternate or not, to automate a certain product, then analysis will be skipped for that item, unless new recipes are added for it.
- Similarly, alternate recipes for coal will not be analyzed as both recipes can never be fully automated.
Tips[]
- Research within the MAM continues regardless of a MAM being present on the map, also multiple MAMs may be constructed. Therefore, when a Hard Drive has been acquired, the player may build a MAM at the crash site, load the Hard Drive in, and then remove the MAM, continuing their search for further drives without building a backlog of Hard Drives to research (or, if they acquire drives faster than a rate of one per 10 minutes, can significantly reduce the amount of drives in their backlog).
- Only one Hard Drive can be researched at a time, meaning multiple MAMs cannot be used to research more than one Hard Drive at a time.
Quick reference for alternate recipes, created by Reddit user oldshavingfoam.
External links[]
Current issues[]
- If mods are installed and the game is saved while a Hard Drive is being scanned, loading that save will result in the Hard Drive disappearing from the MAM without giving any recipes or inventory upgrades.
- It is advised to not quit the game while a Hard Drive is being scanned to avoid losing any Hard Drives.
- If a Hard Drive has been lost this way, they can be edited into the save using a save editor.
- Using a save editor allows the user to spawn as many Hard Drives as desired
- Alternatively, it can be used to unlock alternate recipes directly
- Details on a permanent fix should be directed at the modding community.
History[]
 |
The history section is incomplete in this article. Please help expanding it if you can. Information can be gathered from patch notes. |
- Patch 0.6.0.0:
- Turbofuel and Compacted Coal are now unlocked in the Sulfur Research chain, each requiring 1 Hard Drive
- Polyester Fabric is now unlocked in the Mycelia Research chain and no longer requires a Hard Drive
- Removed Seismic Nobelisk alternate recipe
- Patch 0.4.0.0:
- Rebalanced alternate recipes in Tier 7
- Implemented new alternate recipes: Alclad Casing, Automated Miner, Classic Battery, Cooling Device, Diluted Fuel, Electric Motor, Fertile Uranium, Heat-Fused Frame, Instant Plutonium Cell, Instant Scrap, OC Supercomputer, Plutonium Fuel Unit, Radio Connection Unit, Radio control System, Silicon High-Speed Connector, Sloppy Alumina, Super-State Computer, Turbo Blend Fuel, Turbo Pressure Motor
- Removed Radio Control System
- Both Inventory expansions now give 6 slots instead of 5
- Patch 0.3.6:
- Introduced two alternate recipes for the Empty Canister
- Can no longer be trashed with the inventory trash slot
- Patch 0.3.1.0: The 30 new alternate recipes added in 0.3 can now actually be unlocked
- Patch 0.3:
- Almost all recipes (including alternate recipes) have been adjusted
- 30 new alternate recipes have been introduced (but aren't properly implemented and cannot be actually unlocked)
- Renamed Expanded Pocket Dimension to Inflated Pocket Dimension, unlock requirement is now Tier 5, not Tier 5 - Industrial Manufacturing
- Patch 0.2.1.1: Clients should be able to see Hard Drives in Drop Pods again
- Patch 0.1.14: Introduced a few alternate recipes
- Patch 0.1.7:
- Adjusted the Alternate Recipe for Compacted Coal
- Old: 2 Coal + 2 Sulphur
- New: 3 Coal + 3 Sulphur
- Adjusted the Alternate Recipe for Turbo Fuel
- Old: 5 Fuel + 2 Compacted Coal
- New: 5 Fuel + 4 Compacted Coal
- Adjusted the Alternate Recipe for Compacted Coal
- Patch 0.1.5:
- Alternate recipes can no longer be hand-crafted
- Introduced several new alternate recipes
- Fixed the milestone cost of the Alternate Heavy Modular Frame
- Reduced the Quickwire cost of Quickwire alternate recipes
- Patch 0.103: Fixed the Hard Drive research crash
- Patch 0.1: Adjusted a few alternate recipes
- Patch Closed Alpha 4: Now researchable and gives Alternate Recipes
