[1.0] Technology Blueprints

[LOLKAT_KOMRAD_94]

Technology Blueprints v1.0.5
[1.0] Version 1.0.5
Always load Technology Blueprints after any mod that adds, changes or removes Research Projects!

Description:
This mod adds Technology Blueprints to the game. Discover the secrets of any research by using them!
These are rare items that can be dropped by enemies or bought at traders. Using one will consume it and unlock a random, researchable technology if the blueprint is under or equivalent to your era; otherwise, it will give you some progress towards the technology.

There are four types of blueprints:
- Neolithic blueprints
- Medieval blueprints
- Industrial blueprints
- Spacer blueprints

Factions drop relevant blueprints, e.g. tribals mostly drop neolithic blueprint and medieval blueprint, but have a tiny chance of dropping higher era blueprints. The frequency of dropping a blueprint in a raid is between 1-5% per enemy, where weaker enemies have a lesser chance to drop. Faction leaders have about 90% drop chance, thus giving more reason to travel to enemy bases.

Blueprints can also be awarded as world quests, item stash, etc., so keep your eye out for them!

When you have mastered a technological era, you'll be able to research the capacity to craft your own technology blueprints at a Blueprint Bench and sell them to traders for profit!
This will make sure your researchers keep their minds sharp, and their work profitable

Please send any feedback or suggestion our way, in the discussion here or on the forums!

Links:
Steam Workshop
Github

Mod compatibility:
Always load Technology Blueprints after any mod that adds, changes or removes Research Projects!
Now works with Fluffy Research Tree and Research Pal.
The blueprints will also unlock technology from other mods, and can be very useful if you utilize several mods that have their own research.
However, if you do encounter any compatibility problems, do tell us in the discussion here so we can look into it and list it.

Known bugs:
None currently.
Please send them to us in the discussion here so we can update this list and work on them!

Credits:
Design / Development: Smuffles & LOLKAT_KOMRAD_94
Blueprint art: Hobosensual
Mod compatibility w/ Research Tree & ResearchPal: Ashnal

[Harry_Dicks]

This sounds like a great idea, will give it a try on my next run. Between this and researchers writing books/journals, I shall never again have idle Sheriffs in late game not earning their keep! Could you throw out some rough estimates on the amount of work and cost to make and buy/sell blueprints? Thanks!

[frenchiveruti]

Hey, for balance sake I suggest making the "blueprints" increase a % of a research instead of giving it out full, because in big raids you'll have better chance to get blueprints that automatically complete researches
Nice mod.

[Canute]

Instead a random research of these tech, the blueprint should specify the right research.
At this way you can adjust the market value more at the needed research points.

[LOLKAT_KOMRAD_94]

@Harry_Dicks
Sure! The market values of blueprints go from 250 (Neolithic) to 1500 (Spacer) if I'm not mistaken. The work to make them is not too big, a few hundred I think.
Do tell us what you think when you get the chance to try it out!

@frenchiveruti
That's a good point. It only gives the full tech if it's your era or less, but we could go for a % gain whatever happens, the % being scaled on era difference. We went for the instant unlock because we want blueprints to be rather rare and a good find, but we'll see how people find it and adjust if needs be.

@Canute
We did think about making blueprints specific to a tech, but the problem with that approach is that a blueprint is useful only once. Having it as a resource kind of thing means it's less of a "one shot" type of item, but something that can be bought / traded in "bulk" without too much micromanagement (waiting for that ONE blueprint to show up...).

[TryB4Buy]

Well darn I thought this was a reverse engineering mod: you find a charge rifle, then you take it apart and get tech points towards charge rifles, etc.

[Canute]

Then it would be very limited to moveable only objects.

[Backstab1993]

sounds amazing, downloaded now.

[Crow_T]

Hey, for balance sake I suggest making the "blueprints" increase a % of a research instead of giving it out full, because in big raids you'll have better chance to get blueprints that automatically complete researches
Nice mod.

I haven't tried this mod yet but I was thinking the same thing- just grabbed it though so looking forward to testing I wonder if the % unlocked could be scaled down the higher the difficulty level.

[darkwar1213]

Is it capacble of completing mod researches? What happens if you unlock progress in a research for which you don't have prerequesites unlocked yet (like previous technologies or multianalyzer)?

I support the idea that this should give % instead of completing the research in any case. Considering the distance of your tech level and the research level. Also would be a great combo with Tech Advancement mod. Really nice mod.

[Ruisuki]

I like the idea of giving research a use post completion by selling your own research notes. I will definitely load this as soon as I finish all research. I dont wanna speed up my research by finding blueprints from others, so I'll wait until then.

[Heni]

Very helpfull your mod is, i like the idea. Keep the good work!

[LOLKAT_KOMRAD_94]

@Heni
Thanks!

@Ruisuki
I understand! Do tell us how you like the mod once you get there.

@darkwar
Yup, the random enables us to select a valid technology (this includes mod techs, and excludes techs without the prerequisites unlocked yet)

About the % idea - we wanted blueprints to be a rare resource to find, but if we get enough feedback that it's too OP, we'll change that!

[Roolo]

Nice mod! I love the idea. I understand darkwar's point: getting a full research completed may be unbalanced, and giving only a certain amount of points would make it more balanced. However I also think that would make the effect of the blueprints much less noticeable and therefore take away some of the magic. I therefore suggest: make the chance to find a certain blueprint dependent on the research points required to complete the blueprint's research (in other words: more costly research blueprints would be harder to find). This would improve balancing without taking away the magic feeling players get when encountering a blueprint.

Let me know if you can use my help coding this suggested change.

[LOLKAT_KOMRAD_94]

Nice mod! I love the idea. I understand darkwar's point: getting a full research completed may be unbalanced, and giving only a certain amount of points would make it more balanced. However I also think that would make the effect of the blueprints much less noticeable and therefore take away some of the magic. I therefore suggest: make the chance to find a certain blueprint dependent on the research points required to complete the blueprint's research (in other words: more costly research blueprints would be harder to find). This would improve balancing without taking away the magic feeling players get when encountering a blueprint.

Let me know if you can use my help coding this suggested change.

That's a great point. We currently have 4 types of blueprints which correspond to the 4 levels of technologies, but we definitely could weight the list of available technologies according to how many Research Points are left to research (the lowest being the highest chance of unlocking that tech).