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== Research Tree ==
''Research'' is a decisive factor in the battle between Man and Alien. X-COM forces start out badly outclassed by their alien foes, but as they master alien technology, the battle swings to the Humans' favor.
You are given [[Weapons_(UFO_Defense)#Laser_Technology|Laser Weapons]], [[Medi-Kit]]s, and [[Motion Scanner]]s as research topics at the start of the game. Every subsequent research topic stems from a breakthrough in a previous research topic, or new technology picked up on the battlefield and brought back to your stores. You need scientists and laboratories to do research, 100 scientists and 2 laboratories are recommended if you can afford it. Don't forget to build the Alien Containment area!


Research often opens up other research topics, sometimes more than one. Indeed, only three aliens need to be researched to ultimately unlock all technology that matters, that relies on aliens (see [[Research_%28UFO_Defense%29#Alien_Abduction:_A_Streamlined_Guide|A Streamlined Guide]]).
Through research, X-COM forces gain access to vastly improved weapons technology, armor, base facilities, interception and transport craft, and a variety of other useful technologies.  Researching captive live aliens provides information about the aliens' methods and traits, and is ultimately the only path toward [[Alien Research#Cydonia or Bust|winning the game]].


Alien artifacts from the battlefield cannot be manufactured or used (or even thrown!) by your soldiers until research is completed.
== Research allocations ==


Tip: You can sell off the item from your stores once research has started, if you need the space. The research will continue (unless you cancel the project!). Also, you get the same amount of cash when selling alien items, whether you've researched them or not.
You start the game with one [[Laboratory]] and 10 Scientists.  You will want to add 40 additional Scientists when space and money permit, so as to unlock new technology as soon as possible.  This is expensive: 40 Scientists have a hiring cost of $2.4 million (and a monthly salary of $1.2 million), and require the addition of a new [[Living Quarters]], at a cost of $400,000. 
 
An additional Laboratory, Living Quarters, and 50 Scientists (for a total of 100) is recommended when you can cobble together an additional $4.2 million, so as to unlock all useful alien technologies within the first few months of the game.
 
Many of the game's most important research topics require the capture of certain specific live aliens, so it is recommended you start building an [[Alien Containment]] at the very beginning of the game.  As few as three aliens need to be captured and researched to ultimately unlock all the critical research topics which are dependent on alien captives. See [[#The Minimum Three|The Minimum Three]] for more details.
 
Alien artifacts from the battlefield cannot be manufactured or used (or even thrown!) by your soldiers until they have been fully researched.  In fact, you start the game unable to manufacture any items until you have completed your first research topics.
 
== Initial research projects ==
 
You are given [[Weapons_(UFO_Defense)#Laser_Technology|Laser Weapons]], [[Medi-Kit]]s, and [[Motion Scanner]]s as research topics at the beginning of the game. Every subsequent research topic becomes available by completing a previous research topic, or by capturing new technology found on the battlefield.
 
Different X-COM commanders differ on which technologies are best researched first, although the initial three topics are all good choices.  [[Laser Rifle]]s are an enormous improvement over standard armaments, particularly against [[Cyberdisc]]s, the toughest early foe. Laser weapons are reasonably powerful and do not require ammunition, making them useful for the duration of the game.
 
[[Medi-Kit]]s are rapidily researched and of great utility, especially once your soldiers are outfitted with armor.  [[Personal Armor|Armor]] technology is also a high priority, although it is relatively time-consuming to research and subsequently manufacture.
 
[[Motion Scanner]]s can help you pinpoint the location of your foes, and are the most profitable item that can be manufactured in the early game.  (See [[Manufacturing Profitability]].)
 
After your first [[UFO Ground Assault|combats]], advanced alien weapons become available for research.  [[Heavy Plasma]], [[Small Launcher]], and [[Blaster Launcher]] are all popular early research choices.
 
Commanders who wish to supplement their incomes by manufacturing profitable items should research [[Laser Cannon]]s early on, as they are the most profitable production item in the entire game.
 
Once you manage to capture an alien Navigator, you should research it as soon as possible, as the [[Hyper-Wave Decoder]] it unlocks is an invaluable technology.  Researching a psionically-enabled alien (Sectoid Leader/Commander or any Ethereal) should also be a top priority, as [[psionics]] becomes an enormous factor as the game progresses.
 
== Research trees ==
 
Here are sequences of research topics needed to unlock all the technologies in the game.


=== Laser Weapons ===
=== Laser Weapons ===
Line 40: Line 65:
                   |
                   |
                 [[Fusion Ball Launcher|Fusion Ball]]
                 [[Fusion Ball Launcher|Fusion Ball]]
           ([[Heavy Weapons Platforms (UFO Defense)|Hovertank/Launcher]])  *See Note 2
           ([[Heavy Weapons Platforms (UFO Defense)|Hovertank/Launcher]])  *See Note 1
                   |
                   |
           [[Fusion Ball Defences|Fusion Ball Defense]]
           [[Fusion Ball Defences|Fusion Ball Defense]]
Line 65: Line 90:
             |
             |
     New Fighter Craft
     New Fighter Craft
       ([[Firestorm]])  *See Note 1 ''(Required for [[Heavy Weapons Platforms (UFO Defense)|Hovertank/Plasma]])
       ([[Firestorm]])  *See Note 1
             |
             |
  New Fighter-Transporter
  New Fighter-Transporter
Line 73: Line 98:
  [[Grav Shield]]    Ultimate Craft ([[Avenger]])
  [[Grav Shield]]    Ultimate Craft ([[Avenger]])


'''Notes
#"New Fighter Craft" required before you can build the Plasma or Launcher Hovertank.
#"New Fighter Craft" required before you can build the Plasma Hovertank.
 
#Fusion Ball Launcher required before you can build the Launcher Hovertank.
=== Psionics ===
Any Live Psionic Alien
  |
[[Psionic Laboratory|Psi Lab]]
  |_______
  |      |
[[Psi-Amp]] [[Mind Shield]]
 
=== Hyper-Wave Decoder ===
 
Any Live Alien Navigator
  |
[[Hyper-Wave Decoder]]
 
=== Individual topics ===
 
Researching these topics will not unlock any technologies beyond themselves.
 
* [[Medi-Kit]]
* [[Motion Scanner]]
* [[Mind Probe]]
* [[Alien Grenade]]
 
There are also four UFO Components which can be researched but which have no practical value:
 
* [[Alien Entertainment]]
* [[Alien Food]]
* [[Alien Surgery]]
* [[Examination Room]]
 
A fifth component, [[Alien Reproduction]], cannot normally be found in the game, although it can be researched if you add it to your General Stores using an editor.
 
== Researching aliens ==
 
Researching live aliens will provide a variety of information.  The type of information revealed is usually dependent on the alien's rank (or ''type''). 
 
Here is an overview of the research each alien type can produce:
 
*Any Live Alien: [[Alien Research#Alien Origins|Alien Origins]] and information on its own species
*Alien Soldier or Terrorist: Nothing, beyond information on its own species
*Alien Medic: information on other [[#Alien species|alien species]]
*Alien Navigator: [[#Alien missions|Alien missions]] and [[Hyper-Wave Decoder]]
*Alien Engineer: [[#Alien ships|Alien ships]]
*Alien Leader (or Commander): [[Alien Research#The Martian Solution|The Martian Solution]]
*Alien Commander: [[Alien Research#Cydonia or Bust|Cydonia or Bust]]
*Sectoid Leader or Commander, or any Ethereal: [[Psionic Laboratory]]
 
Researching a live alien will produce a "live alien" entry and can sometimes produce other UFOPaedia entries or even unlock new research topics, as detailed above.  The first live alien of any type you study will unlock the [[Alien Research#Alien Origins|Alien Origins]] topic.  Often researching an alien will produce no new UFOPaedia entries, if everything that could be learned from that alien type has already been discovered.
 
Most of the UFOPaedia entries generated by studying live aliens are of no intrisic value, although sometimes they will provide insight into in-game alien behavior or characteristics.  Sometimes the information provided is misleading.  If nothing else, though, they are fun to read.
 
Each [[#Alien species|alien species]] (including autopsies), [[#Alien missions|alien mission]], or [[#Alien ships|alien ship]] entry added to the UFOpaedia will earn the player 50 points.


''-- from Kasey Chang's USG
=== Alien types ===


== Live Alien Research ==
There are 29 different alien race/rank combos in the game:


Researching live aliens gives different results depending on their rank. It is very important to take certain aliens alive to finish the game. Picking your aliens becomes easier with the [[Mind Probe]] and [[Small Launcher]], although a well-applied [[Stun Rod]] early in the game can give your tech tree a big boost. Note you not only need to have an [[unconscious]] alien when you exit the Battlescape, you also need an [[Alien Containment]] module at the base your craft returns to, or they'll die before you get any useful info.
*Sectoid Soldier, Medic, Navigator, Engineer, Leader, or Commander
*Snakeman Soldier, Navigator, Engineer, Leader, or Commander
*Ethereal Soldier, Leader, or Commander
*Muton Soldier, Navigator, or Engineer
*Floater Soldier, Medic, Navigator, Engineer, Leader, or Commander
*Celatid Terrorist
*Silacoid Terrorist
*Chryssalid Terrorist
*Reaper Terrorist
*Sectopod Terrorist
*Cyberdisc Terrorist


*Any Live Alien -> [[Alien Research#Alien Origins|Alien Origins]]
One does not need to capture all of the alien-rank combinations to produce every possible UFOPaedia entry in the game.  Enough Medics, Navigators, and Engineers of any sort will eventually fill out your UFOPaedia completely (although you must study at least one Leader and Commander, as [[#The Minimum Three|detailed below]]).


*Alien Soldier -> Nothing, beyond information on own species
=== Alien missions ===


*Alien Medic -> Species information *See note 1
These UFOPaedia entries will be generated by researching alien Navigators.  Captured Navigators may give information on mission types other than the type they were engaged in when captured.


*Alien Navigator -> [[Missions (UFO Defense)|Alien missions]] (harvest, base, etc.) and [[Hyper-Wave Decoder]]
*[[Alien Missions#Alien Research|Alien Research]]
*[[Alien Missions#Alien Harvest|Alien Harvest]]
*[[Alien Missions#Alien Abduction|Alien Abduction]]
*[[Alien Missions#Alien Infiltration|Alien Infiltration]]
*[[Alien Missions#Alien Base|Alien Base]]
*[[Alien Missions#Alien Terror|Alien Terror]]
*[[Alien Missions#Alien Retaliation|Alien Retaliation]]
*[[Alien Missions#Alien Supply|Alien Supply]]


*Alien Engineer -> [[UFO (UFO Defense)#UFO Types|UFO Types]] (they will show you all UFO types, not just their own)
=== Alien ships ===


*Alien Leader (or Commander) -> [[Alien Research#The Martian Solution|The Martian Solution]]
These UFOPaedia entries will be generated by researching alien Engineers.  They do not unlock any technologies, but they do give detailed information about the performance characteristics of each ship, which can help players tailor their [[UFO_Interception|interception]] strategies.  Captured Engineers may give information on ship types other than the type they were found on.


*Alien Commander -> [[Alien Research#Cydonia or Bust|Cydonia or Bust]] *See note 2
*[[Small Scout]]
*[[Medium Scout]]
*[[Large Scout]]
*[[Abductor]]
*[[Harvester]]
*[[Supply Ship]]
*[[Terror Ship]]
*[[Battleship]]


*Any [[Ethereal]], or Sectoid Leader/Commander -> [[Psionics]] (see below)
=== Alien species ===


Studying any captive alien will produce a "live alien" UFOPaedia entry on that species, unless that entry already exists.  Researching an alien corpse will produce an "Alien Autopsy" UFOPaedia entry on its species. 


'''Notes
Researching alien Medics can produce "live alien" and Autopsy entries on species other than their own. (However, if the entry on live [[Ethereal]]s is produced in this manner it will not unlock the [[Psionic Laboratory]] research topic -- you must still study a psionic alien directly.)
#Alien medics can give information on species other than their own. This is the only way to gain information about "live" Cyberdiscs. Information gained about Etherals (or Sectoids) in this way will not give you access to [[Psionics]], however.
#Commanders can be found in their [[Battleship|Battleships]], or [[Alien Base Assault|their bases]] (<i>or</i> your bases, should they [[Base Defense|choose to attack]]). The [http://www.xcomufo.com/usg.html USG] incorrectly states that only a Commander from an alien base can be used to give access to "Cydonia or Bust", however, in practise any Commander will do - so long as The Martian Solution has already been researched. Should you research a Commander prior to this, you'll have to capture another.


=== Psionics ===
There are 11 different alien species in the game, and 11 different Live and Autopsy entries can be generated.  (Zombies can be thought of as a 12th alien species, although neither a corpse nor live specimen can ever be collected, and a UFOPedia entry can never be generated on them.)
  Psionic Alien
 
  |
The two robotic units (Sectopods and Cyberdiscs) cannot be captured alive or studied directly. To generate a live alien UFOPaedia entry on them, you must research alien Medics of any other species.
[[Psionic Laboratory|Psi Lab]]
 
  |_______
*[[Sectoid]]
  |      |
*[[Snakeman]]
[[Psi-Amp]] [[Mind Shield]]
*[[Ethereal]]
*[[Muton]]
*[[Floater]]
*[[Celatid]]
*[[Silacoid]]
*[[Chryssalid]]
*[[Reaper]]
*[[Sectopod]]
*[[Cyberdisc]]


== Endgame ==
== Endgame ==
These research topics must be completed in order to travel to [[Cydonia]] and finish the game.


  Any Live Alien
  Any Live Alien
Line 130: Line 239:
  [[Cydonia]] (mission)
  [[Cydonia]] (mission)


''-- from Kasey Chang's USG
Alien Commanders can be found on [[Battleship]]s, or in [[Alien Base Assault|alien bases]].  An alien Commander will also always accompany a [[Base Defense|base invasion]] force.  The [http://www.xcomufo.com/usg.html Unofficial Strategy Guide] incorrectly states that only a Commander from an alien base can be used to give access to "Cydonia or Bust".  In practice, any Commander will do -- so long as The Martian Solution has already been researched.  Should you research a Commander prior to this, you'll have to capture another.
 
== The Minimum Three ==


== Alien Abduction: A Streamlined Guide  ==
You only need to capture three live aliens to unlock the research topics that will allow you complete the game. These three aliens are, in the following order:
You only need three aliens to get the end-game research that will let you complete the game. These are:


*Any ''random alien'', Any ''Leader or Commander'', and finally Any ''Commander''
*Any ''random alien'', Any ''Leader or Commander'', and finally Any ''Commander''


This is the minimum amount of aliens that you need to capture in order to acquire [[Alien Research#Cydonia or Bust|Cydonia or Bust]]. In order to kill a few more birds with the same stone, this list can be tailored to allow you to acquire the [[Hyper-Wave Decoder]] and [[Psionics]]. To get:  
By studying these three aliens, you can unlock the end-game mission [[Alien Research#Cydonia or Bust|Cydonia or Bust]]. These same three aliens can be used to unlock all additional research dependent on alien captives, by altering the list as follows:


; Hyperwave Decoder : Substitute: Any ''Navigator'' for: Any ''random alien''
For ''[[Hyper-Wave Decoder]]''
: substitute "Any ''Navigator''" for "Any ''random alien''"


; Psi Lab : Same as usual, but make sure one of the leader or commanders is a [[Sectoid]] or [[Ethereal]]. (There are no Ethereal Navigators.)
For ''[[Psionic Laboratory]]''
: make sure your captured Leader or Commander is Sectoid or Ethereal


Thus, to unlock all technology that matters (not counting window-dressing fluff, like Autopsies and UFO and Mission types), you only need to research three aliens:
Thus, to unlock all technology that matters (not counting window-dressing fluff, like Autopsies, UFO types, and Mission types), you only need to research three aliens:


*Any ''Navigator'', Any ''Sectoid or Ethereal, Leader or Commander'', and finally Any ''Commander''
*Any ''Navigator'', Any ''Sectoid or Ethereal, Leader or Commander'', and finally Any ''Commander''


==Research Time==
== Capturing live aliens ==
 
Capturing the above three aliens, especially early on in the game, can be difficult.  However, [[Mind Probe]]s make it much easier to single out specific aliens, and once you get [[Small Launcher]]s, things are pretty easy.
 
If you spot an alien with a Small Launcher, you can often get him to knock himself out by walking up to him point-blank and letting him shoot you next turn.
 
Using [[Stun Rod]]s is tricky, except when you can sneak up on an alien from behind.  However, sending a swarm of rookies with Stun Rods into a UFO can be worth it in order to capture that first Navigator.  Don't attempt this if there are multiple aliens facing your soldiers.
 
Occasionally you will simply get lucky -- conventional weapons can deal a small amount of stun along with a lot of conventional damage, and aliens may go [[unconscious]] due to smoke inhalation.
 
Be sure to build an [[Alien Containment]] at the beginning of the game, and don't attempt to capture any aliens alive until it's built.


Research project completion time is based on the average number of scientist days needed to work on a project. Below, find listings alphabetically by Project, or by increasing Days. For important Notes, see the text after the table.
== Research time ==


''Does anyone know the times for UFO type and End Game projects? (Where are these tables from anyway, the OSG?) ---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]]
The following is a list of all research topics in the game. 


===Research Time, Alphabetically by Project===
''Values taken from [[RESEARCH.DAT]]''
 
=== Sorted alphabetically ===


   <u>Days</u>  <u>One Lab</u>  <u>Research Project</u>
   <u>Days</u>  <u>One Lab</u>  <u>Research Project</u>
  150    3.0    Alien Abduction
   400    8.0    Alien Alloys
   400    8.0    Alien Alloys
  180    3.6    Alien Corpses (each -- 11 different types)
   150    3.0    Alien Entertainment
   150    3.0    Alien Entertainment
   150    3.0    Alien Food
   150    3.0    Alien Food
   200    4.0    Alien Grenade
   200    4.0    Alien Grenade
   150    3.0    Alien Reproduction
  300    6.0    Alien Origins
   150    3.0    Alien Reproduction*
   150    3.0    Alien Surgery
   150    3.0    Alien Surgery
   300    6.0    Blaster Bomb
   300    6.0    Blaster Bomb
   900    18.0    Blaster Launcher
   900    18.0    Blaster Launcher
   880   17.6   Craft Fusion Ball Launcher
   600   12.0   Cydonia or Bust
  420    8.4    Craft Laser Cannon
  660    13.2    Craft Plasma Beam
   450    9.0    Elerium-115
   450    9.0    Elerium-115
  150    3.0    Examination Room
   330    6.6    Flying Suit
   330    6.6    Flying Suit
   800    16.0    Fusion Defenses
   800    16.0    Fusion Defenses
  880    17.6    Fusion Missile (Fusion Ball & Launcher)
   930    18.6    Grav Shield
   930    18.6    Grav Shield
   460    9.2    Heavy Laser
   460    9.2    Heavy Laser
Line 176: Line 301:
   400    8.0    Heavy Plasma Clip
   400    8.0    Heavy Plasma Clip
   670    13.4    Hyper-Wave Decoder
   670    13.4    Hyper-Wave Decoder
  420    8.4    Laser Cannon
   510    10.2    Laser Defenses
   510    10.2    Laser Defenses
   100    2.0    Laser Pistol
   100    2.0    Laser Pistol
   300    6.0    Laser Rifle
   300    6.0    Laser Rifle
     50    1.0    Laser Weapons
     50    1.0    Laser Weapons
  192    3.84  Live Aliens (except Terrorists and Sectoid Commander) (22 types)
  190    3.8    Live Sectoid Commander (go figure)
  170    3.4    Live Terrorists (4 types -- Reaper, Chryssalid, Silacoid, Celatid)
   210    4.2    Medi-Kit
   210    4.2    Medi-Kit
   600    12.0    Mind Probe
   600    12.0    Mind Probe
Line 187: Line 316:
   700    14.0    New Fighter-Transporter (Lightning)
   700    14.0    New Fighter-Transporter (Lightning)
   180    3.6    Personal Armor
   180    3.6    Personal Armor
  660    13.2    Plasma Beam
   620    12.4    Plasma Defenses
   620    12.4    Plasma Defenses
   600    12.0    Plasma Pistol
   600    12.0    Plasma Pistol
Line 197: Line 327:
   550    11.0    Small Launcher
   550    11.0    Small Launcher
   180    3.6    Stun Bomb
   180    3.6    Stun Bomb
   250    5.0    Tank/Laser Cannon
   500    10.0    The Martian Solution
   450    9.0    UFO Construction
   450    9.0    UFO Construction
   450    9.0    UFO Navigation
   450    9.0    UFO Navigation
Line 203: Line 333:
   900    18.0    Ultimate Craft (Avenger)
   900    18.0    Ultimate Craft (Avenger)


===Research Time, by Days Needed===
<nowiki>*</nowiki> Alien Reproduction is not ordinarily researchable unless you use an editor to add one your General Stores.
 
=== Sorted by days needed ===


   <u>Days</u>  <u>One Lab</u>  <u>Research Project</u>
   <u>Days</u>  <u>One Lab</u>  <u>Research Project</u>
     50    1.0    Laser Weapons
     50    1.0    Laser Weapons
   100    2.0    Laser Pistol
   100    2.0    Laser Pistol
  150    3.0    Alien Entertainment
   150    3.0    Alien Food
   150    3.0    Alien Food
   150    3.0    Alien Reproduction
   150    3.0    Alien Reproduction
  150    3.0    Alien Entertainment
   150    3.0    Alien Surgery
   150    3.0    Alien Surgery
   150    3.0    Alien Abduction
   150    3.0   Examination Room
  170    3.4    Live Terrorists (4 types -- Reaper, Chryssalid, Silacoid, Celatid)
  180    3.6   Alien Corpses (each -- 11 different types)
   180    3.6    Motion Scanner
   180    3.6    Motion Scanner
   180    3.6    Personal Armor
   180    3.6    Personal Armor
   180    3.6    Stun Bomb
   180    3.6    Stun Bomb
  190    3.8    Live Sectoid Commander (go figure)
  192    3.84  Live Aliens (except Terrorists and Sectoid Commander) (22 types)
   200    4.0    Alien Grenade
   200    4.0    Alien Grenade
   205    4.1    Power Suit
   205    4.1    Power Suit
   210    4.2    Medi-Kit
   210    4.2    Medi-Kit
   250     5.0    Tank/Laser Cannon
   300     6.0    Alien Origins
  300    6.0    Blaster Bomb
   300    6.0    Laser Rifle
   300    6.0    Laser Rifle
  300    6.0    Blaster Bomb
   330    6.6    Flying Suit
   330    6.6    Flying Suit
   360    7.2    Mind Shield
   360    7.2    Mind Shield
  400    8.0    Alien Alloys
   400    8.0    Heavy Plasma Clip
   400    8.0    Heavy Plasma Clip
  400    8.0    Plasma Pistol Clip
   400    8.0    Plasma Rifle Clip
   400    8.0    Plasma Rifle Clip
  400    8.0    Plasma Pistol Clip
   420    8.4    Laser Cannon
  400    8.0    Alien Alloys
   420    8.4    Craft Laser Cannon
   420    8.4    Psi-Lab
   420    8.4    Psi-Lab
   450    9.0    Elerium-115
   450    9.0    Elerium-115
  450    9.0    UFO Construction
  450    9.0    UFO Navigation
   450    9.0    UFO Power Source
   450    9.0    UFO Power Source
  450    9.0    UFO Navigation
  450    9.0    UFO Construction
   460    9.2    Heavy Laser
   460    9.2    Heavy Laser
   500    10.0    Psi-Amp
   500    10.0    Psi-Amp
  500    10.0    The Martian Solution
   510    10.2    Laser Defenses
   510    10.2    Laser Defenses
   550    11.0    Small Launcher
   550    11.0    Small Launcher
   600    12.0    Plasma Pistol
   600    12.0    Cydonia or Bust
   600    12.0    Mind Probe
   600    12.0    Mind Probe
   600    12.0    New Fighter Craft (Firestorm)
   600    12.0    New Fighter Craft (Firestorm)
  600    12.0    Plasma Pistol
   620    12.4    Plasma Defenses
   620    12.4    Plasma Defenses
   660    13.2    Craft Plasma Beam
   660    13.2    Craft Plasma Beam
   670    13.4    Hyper-Wave Decoder
   670    13.4    Hyper-Wave Decoder
  700    14.0    New Fighter-Transporter (Lightning)
   700    14.0    Plasma Rifle
   700    14.0    Plasma Rifle
   700   14.0    New Fighter-Transporter (Lightning)
   800   16.0    Fusion Defenses
   800    16.0    Heavy Plasma
   800    16.0    Heavy Plasma
  800    16.0    Fusion Defenses
   880    17.6    Fusion Missile (Fusion Ball & Launcher)
   880    17.6    Craft Fusion Ball Launcher
   900    18.0    Blaster Launcher
   900    18.0    Blaster Launcher
   900    18.0    Ultimate Craft (Avenger)
   900    18.0    Ultimate Craft (Avenger)
   930    18.6    Grav Shield
   930    18.6    Grav Shield
=== Research Time: Notes ===
 
=== Research time: notes ===


*'''One Lab''' is the number of Days divided by 50. This shows how quickly one lab full of 50 scientists needs to complete the Project, on average. Two labs full of scientists would need half this time on average, etc.
*'''One Lab''' is the number of Days divided by 50. This shows how quickly one lab full of 50 scientists needs to complete the Project, on average. Two labs full of scientists would need half this time on average, etc.
Line 273: Line 412:
*Also keep in mind that you can assign more than one project at a time. You could attempt to pinpoint breakpoints, if you wanted (although it would be haphazard). You could also assign short projects to a fraction of your science crew, if you have a big operation. Use 1.5 times the average time as an important cut-off if you're doing this - no project will last longer than this. But keep truncation in mind, too, and use it in your favor.
*Also keep in mind that you can assign more than one project at a time. You could attempt to pinpoint breakpoints, if you wanted (although it would be haphazard). You could also assign short projects to a fraction of your science crew, if you have a big operation. Use 1.5 times the average time as an important cut-off if you're doing this - no project will last longer than this. But keep truncation in mind, too, and use it in your favor.


===Total Research Time===
== Total research time ==
 
The total time needed to research all technologies is 21,215 days, plus another 576 to research [[#The Minimum Three|The Minimum Three]], plus another 6,500 or so to add every alien [[#Alien species|species]], [[#Alien ships|ship type]], and [[#Alien missions|mission type]] entry to the UFOPaedia (about 28,300 hours total).
 
This can be compared against the total time needed for 1 Scientist, 50 Scientists (1 lab), 100 (2 labs), and so on. Numbers were composed by taking the average of the integer-truncated min and max for each project, then summing these together for all projects:


The total time needed for all 46 research projects is 20,215 days. This can be compared against the total time needed for 1 scientist, 50 (1 lab), 100 (2 labs), etc. Numbers were composed by taking the average of the integer-truncated min and max for each project, then summing these together for all 46 projects:
'''Note: the following figures are based on an earlier (incomplete) list of research topics.  The specific numbers are no longer correct, although the "efficiency" figures are likely to be similar.'''


           ''Scientists
           ''Scientists
Line 287: Line 430:
'''Efficiency''' shows how much time is gained or lost versus a pure case with absolutely no integer truncation or 1-day minima (see Notes). As can be seen, it is maximal around 3-5 labs, then starts dropping and keeps dropping.
'''Efficiency''' shows how much time is gained or lost versus a pure case with absolutely no integer truncation or 1-day minima (see Notes). As can be seen, it is maximal around 3-5 labs, then starts dropping and keeps dropping.


Note that going from e.g. 3 labs to 4 only saves you about a month - which is about how long it takes to set up the lab! Additional labs result in increasingly less game time saved.
Note that going from 3 labs to 4 only saves you about a month -- which is about how long it takes to set up the lab! In practice, 2-3 labs are quite sufficient to acquire all alien technologies in a reasonable timeframe.
 
== Popular research sequences ==
 
''To be done: total time needed for Laser Rifle, Avenger, Cydonia, Psi-Amp, etc.''
 
==See also==
 
[[Research Tips]]


==See Also==


[[Category: Data tables]]
[[Category: data tables]]

Revision as of 02:47, 22 May 2006

Research is a decisive factor in the battle between Man and Alien. X-COM forces start out badly outclassed by their alien foes, but as they master alien technology, the battle swings to the Humans' favor.

Through research, X-COM forces gain access to vastly improved weapons technology, armor, base facilities, interception and transport craft, and a variety of other useful technologies. Researching captive live aliens provides information about the aliens' methods and traits, and is ultimately the only path toward winning the game.

Research allocations

You start the game with one Laboratory and 10 Scientists. You will want to add 40 additional Scientists when space and money permit, so as to unlock new technology as soon as possible. This is expensive: 40 Scientists have a hiring cost of $2.4 million (and a monthly salary of $1.2 million), and require the addition of a new Living Quarters, at a cost of $400,000.

An additional Laboratory, Living Quarters, and 50 Scientists (for a total of 100) is recommended when you can cobble together an additional $4.2 million, so as to unlock all useful alien technologies within the first few months of the game.

Many of the game's most important research topics require the capture of certain specific live aliens, so it is recommended you start building an Alien Containment at the very beginning of the game. As few as three aliens need to be captured and researched to ultimately unlock all the critical research topics which are dependent on alien captives. See The Minimum Three for more details.

Alien artifacts from the battlefield cannot be manufactured or used (or even thrown!) by your soldiers until they have been fully researched. In fact, you start the game unable to manufacture any items until you have completed your first research topics.

Initial research projects

You are given Laser Weapons, Medi-Kits, and Motion Scanners as research topics at the beginning of the game. Every subsequent research topic becomes available by completing a previous research topic, or by capturing new technology found on the battlefield.

Different X-COM commanders differ on which technologies are best researched first, although the initial three topics are all good choices. Laser Rifles are an enormous improvement over standard armaments, particularly against Cyberdiscs, the toughest early foe. Laser weapons are reasonably powerful and do not require ammunition, making them useful for the duration of the game.

Medi-Kits are rapidily researched and of great utility, especially once your soldiers are outfitted with armor. Armor technology is also a high priority, although it is relatively time-consuming to research and subsequently manufacture.

Motion Scanners can help you pinpoint the location of your foes, and are the most profitable item that can be manufactured in the early game. (See Manufacturing Profitability.)

After your first combats, advanced alien weapons become available for research. Heavy Plasma, Small Launcher, and Blaster Launcher are all popular early research choices.

Commanders who wish to supplement their incomes by manufacturing profitable items should research Laser Cannons early on, as they are the most profitable production item in the entire game.

Once you manage to capture an alien Navigator, you should research it as soon as possible, as the Hyper-Wave Decoder it unlocks is an invaluable technology. Researching a psionically-enabled alien (Sectoid Leader/Commander or any Ethereal) should also be a top priority, as psionics becomes an enormous factor as the game progresses.

Research trees

Here are sequences of research topics needed to unlock all the technologies in the game.

Laser Weapons

Laser Weapons  (tech breakthrough)
  |
Laser Pistol
  |
Laser Rifle
  |  
Heavy Laser       
  |  
Laser Cannon 
(Laser Tank)
  | 
Laser Defense

Plasma Weapons

    Heavy Plasma               Plasma Rifle 
         |    Heavy Plasma Clip   |  Plasma Rifle Clip  
         |___________|            |__________|
                 |                       |
                 |                       |
                 |__________OR___________|
                            |
                      Plasma Cannon
                   (Hovertank/Plasma) *See Note 1
                            |
                      Plasma Defense

Fusion Weapons

 Blaster Launcher    Blaster Bomb
             |___________|
                  |
               Fusion Ball
          (Hovertank/Launcher)  *See Note 1
                  |
          Fusion Ball Defense

Armor

      Alien Alloys
              |  
Elerium-115  Personal Armor  UFO Power Source      
|_____________|_________________| 
          | 
          |     
     Power Suit      UFO Navigation  
          |_________________|   
                   |
              Flying Suit

Craft

Alien    Elerium        UFO            UFO
Alloys      115     Power Source   Navigation
|___________|___________|______________|
           |
   UFO Construction
           |
           |
   New Fighter Craft
      (Firestorm)  *See Note 1
           |
New Fighter-Transporter
      (Lightning)
 __________|____________
 |                      |
Grav Shield     Ultimate Craft (Avenger)
  1. "New Fighter Craft" required before you can build the Plasma or Launcher Hovertank.

Psionics

Any Live Psionic Alien
  |
Psi Lab
  |_______
  |       |
Psi-Amp Mind Shield

Hyper-Wave Decoder

Any Live Alien Navigator
  |
Hyper-Wave Decoder

Individual topics

Researching these topics will not unlock any technologies beyond themselves.

There are also four UFO Components which can be researched but which have no practical value:

A fifth component, Alien Reproduction, cannot normally be found in the game, although it can be researched if you add it to your General Stores using an editor.

Researching aliens

Researching live aliens will provide a variety of information. The type of information revealed is usually dependent on the alien's rank (or type).

Here is an overview of the research each alien type can produce:

Researching a live alien will produce a "live alien" entry and can sometimes produce other UFOPaedia entries or even unlock new research topics, as detailed above. The first live alien of any type you study will unlock the Alien Origins topic. Often researching an alien will produce no new UFOPaedia entries, if everything that could be learned from that alien type has already been discovered.

Most of the UFOPaedia entries generated by studying live aliens are of no intrisic value, although sometimes they will provide insight into in-game alien behavior or characteristics. Sometimes the information provided is misleading. If nothing else, though, they are fun to read.

Each alien species (including autopsies), alien mission, or alien ship entry added to the UFOpaedia will earn the player 50 points.

Alien types

There are 29 different alien race/rank combos in the game:

  • Sectoid Soldier, Medic, Navigator, Engineer, Leader, or Commander
  • Snakeman Soldier, Navigator, Engineer, Leader, or Commander
  • Ethereal Soldier, Leader, or Commander
  • Muton Soldier, Navigator, or Engineer
  • Floater Soldier, Medic, Navigator, Engineer, Leader, or Commander
  • Celatid Terrorist
  • Silacoid Terrorist
  • Chryssalid Terrorist
  • Reaper Terrorist
  • Sectopod Terrorist
  • Cyberdisc Terrorist

One does not need to capture all of the alien-rank combinations to produce every possible UFOPaedia entry in the game. Enough Medics, Navigators, and Engineers of any sort will eventually fill out your UFOPaedia completely (although you must study at least one Leader and Commander, as detailed below).

Alien missions

These UFOPaedia entries will be generated by researching alien Navigators. Captured Navigators may give information on mission types other than the type they were engaged in when captured.

Alien ships

These UFOPaedia entries will be generated by researching alien Engineers. They do not unlock any technologies, but they do give detailed information about the performance characteristics of each ship, which can help players tailor their interception strategies. Captured Engineers may give information on ship types other than the type they were found on.

Alien species

Studying any captive alien will produce a "live alien" UFOPaedia entry on that species, unless that entry already exists. Researching an alien corpse will produce an "Alien Autopsy" UFOPaedia entry on its species.

Researching alien Medics can produce "live alien" and Autopsy entries on species other than their own. (However, if the entry on live Ethereals is produced in this manner it will not unlock the Psionic Laboratory research topic -- you must still study a psionic alien directly.)

There are 11 different alien species in the game, and 11 different Live and Autopsy entries can be generated. (Zombies can be thought of as a 12th alien species, although neither a corpse nor live specimen can ever be collected, and a UFOPedia entry can never be generated on them.)

The two robotic units (Sectopods and Cyberdiscs) cannot be captured alive or studied directly. To generate a live alien UFOPaedia entry on them, you must research alien Medics of any other species.

Endgame

These research topics must be completed in order to travel to Cydonia and finish the game. 

Any Live Alien
 |
Alien Origins
 |
 | Any Live Alien Leader
 | /
The Martian Solution 
 |
 | Any Live Alien Commander
 | /
Cydonia or Bust
 |
 | Avenger
 | /
Cydonia (mission)

Alien Commanders can be found on Battleships, or in alien bases. An alien Commander will also always accompany a base invasion force. The Unofficial Strategy Guide incorrectly states that only a Commander from an alien base can be used to give access to "Cydonia or Bust". In practice, any Commander will do -- so long as The Martian Solution has already been researched. Should you research a Commander prior to this, you'll have to capture another.

The Minimum Three

You only need to capture three live aliens to unlock the research topics that will allow you complete the game. These three aliens are, in the following order:

  • Any random alien, Any Leader or Commander, and finally Any Commander

By studying these three aliens, you can unlock the end-game mission Cydonia or Bust. These same three aliens can be used to unlock all additional research dependent on alien captives, by altering the list as follows:

For Hyper-Wave Decoder

substitute "Any Navigator" for "Any random alien"

For Psionic Laboratory

make sure your captured Leader or Commander is Sectoid or Ethereal

Thus, to unlock all technology that matters (not counting window-dressing fluff, like Autopsies, UFO types, and Mission types), you only need to research three aliens:

  • Any Navigator, Any Sectoid or Ethereal, Leader or Commander, and finally Any Commander

Capturing live aliens

Capturing the above three aliens, especially early on in the game, can be difficult. However, Mind Probes make it much easier to single out specific aliens, and once you get Small Launchers, things are pretty easy.

If you spot an alien with a Small Launcher, you can often get him to knock himself out by walking up to him point-blank and letting him shoot you next turn.

Using Stun Rods is tricky, except when you can sneak up on an alien from behind. However, sending a swarm of rookies with Stun Rods into a UFO can be worth it in order to capture that first Navigator. Don't attempt this if there are multiple aliens facing your soldiers.

Occasionally you will simply get lucky -- conventional weapons can deal a small amount of stun along with a lot of conventional damage, and aliens may go unconscious due to smoke inhalation.

Be sure to build an Alien Containment at the beginning of the game, and don't attempt to capture any aliens alive until it's built.

Research time

The following is a list of all research topics in the game.

Values taken from RESEARCH.DAT

Sorted alphabetically

 Days   One Lab  Research Project
  400     8.0    Alien Alloys
  180     3.6    Alien Corpses (each -- 11 different types)
  150     3.0    Alien Entertainment
  150     3.0    Alien Food
  200     4.0    Alien Grenade
  300     6.0    Alien Origins
  150     3.0    Alien Reproduction*
  150     3.0    Alien Surgery
  300     6.0    Blaster Bomb
  900    18.0    Blaster Launcher
  600    12.0    Cydonia or Bust
  450     9.0    Elerium-115
  150     3.0    Examination Room
  330     6.6    Flying Suit
  800    16.0    Fusion Defenses
  880    17.6    Fusion Missile (Fusion Ball & Launcher)
  930    18.6    Grav Shield
  460     9.2    Heavy Laser
  800    16.0    Heavy Plasma
  400     8.0    Heavy Plasma Clip
  670    13.4    Hyper-Wave Decoder
  420     8.4    Laser Cannon
  510    10.2    Laser Defenses
  100     2.0    Laser Pistol
  300     6.0    Laser Rifle
   50     1.0    Laser Weapons
  192     3.84   Live Aliens (except Terrorists and Sectoid Commander) (22 types)
  190     3.8    Live Sectoid Commander (go figure)
  170     3.4    Live Terrorists (4 types -- Reaper, Chryssalid, Silacoid, Celatid)
  210     4.2    Medi-Kit
  600    12.0    Mind Probe
  360     7.2    Mind Shield
  180     3.6    Motion Scanner
  600    12.0    New Fighter Craft (Firestorm)
  700    14.0    New Fighter-Transporter (Lightning)
  180     3.6    Personal Armor
  660    13.2    Plasma Beam
  620    12.4    Plasma Defenses
  600    12.0    Plasma Pistol
  400     8.0    Plasma Pistol Clip
  700    14.0    Plasma Rifle
  400     8.0    Plasma Rifle Clip
  205     4.1    Power Suit
  500    10.0    Psi-Amp
  420     8.4    Psi-Lab
  550    11.0    Small Launcher
  180     3.6    Stun Bomb
  500    10.0    The Martian Solution
  450     9.0    UFO Construction
  450     9.0    UFO Navigation
  450     9.0    UFO Power Source
  900    18.0    Ultimate Craft (Avenger)

* Alien Reproduction is not ordinarily researchable unless you use an editor to add one your General Stores.

Sorted by days needed

  Days  One Lab  Research Project
   50     1.0    Laser Weapons
  100     2.0    Laser Pistol
  150     3.0    Alien Entertainment
  150     3.0    Alien Food
  150     3.0    Alien Reproduction
  150     3.0    Alien Surgery
  150     3.0    Examination Room
  170     3.4    Live Terrorists (4 types -- Reaper, Chryssalid, Silacoid, Celatid)
  180     3.6    Alien Corpses (each -- 11 different types)
  180     3.6    Motion Scanner
  180     3.6    Personal Armor
  180     3.6    Stun Bomb
  190     3.8    Live Sectoid Commander (go figure)
  192     3.84   Live Aliens (except Terrorists and Sectoid Commander) (22 types)
  200     4.0    Alien Grenade
  205     4.1    Power Suit
  210     4.2    Medi-Kit
  300     6.0    Alien Origins
  300     6.0    Blaster Bomb
  300     6.0    Laser Rifle
  330     6.6    Flying Suit
  360     7.2    Mind Shield
  400     8.0    Alien Alloys
  400     8.0    Heavy Plasma Clip
  400     8.0    Plasma Pistol Clip
  400     8.0    Plasma Rifle Clip
  420     8.4    Laser Cannon
  420     8.4    Psi-Lab
  450     9.0    Elerium-115
  450     9.0    UFO Construction
  450     9.0    UFO Navigation
  450     9.0    UFO Power Source
  460     9.2    Heavy Laser
  500    10.0    Psi-Amp
  500    10.0    The Martian Solution
  510    10.2    Laser Defenses
  550    11.0    Small Launcher
  600    12.0    Cydonia or Bust
  600    12.0    Mind Probe
  600    12.0    New Fighter Craft (Firestorm)
  600    12.0    Plasma Pistol
  620    12.4    Plasma Defenses
  660    13.2    Craft Plasma Beam
  670    13.4    Hyper-Wave Decoder
  700    14.0    New Fighter-Transporter (Lightning)
  700    14.0    Plasma Rifle
  800    16.0    Fusion Defenses
  800    16.0    Heavy Plasma
  880    17.6    Fusion Missile (Fusion Ball & Launcher)
  900    18.0    Blaster Launcher
  900    18.0    Ultimate Craft (Avenger)
  930    18.6    Grav Shield

Research time: notes

  • One Lab is the number of Days divided by 50. This shows how quickly one lab full of 50 scientists needs to complete the Project, on average. Two labs full of scientists would need half this time on average, etc.
  • Projects only complete at midnight, which also means they will take a minimum of one day. Decimals are still shown for the One Lab column, however, so you can project to multiple labs and/or see where time is lost or gained by truncation (read on).
  • The numbers shown in the tables are averages. In actuality, projects with an initial status of "Unknown" will take from INT(Average/2) to INT(Average*3/2) days. Example:
 The "Laser Weapons" project requires an average of 50 scientist days.
 If 10 scientists are assigned,
 50/10 = an expected average of 5 days.
 INT(5/2) = a minimum of 2 days, and
 INT(5*3/2) = a maximum of 7 days.
 Actual range seen for completion of Laser Weapons: 2 to 7 days.
  • Note that integer truncation works in favor of the player. Without integer rounding, the above numbers would've been 2.5 to 7.5 days which, if you had to wait for the next midnight, would've meant 3 to 8 days.
  • Integer truncation also works in favor of having more labs - to a point:
    • Example: Several projects require 150 research days, which takes 3 days on average with one lab (INT(150/50)). But with two labs, these would only take 1 day on average (INT(150/100)).
    • Overall, projects might be completed up to 8% faster, with 1 to 5 labs (see Total Research Time, next section).
    • However, as the number of labs grows high, increasingly more projects would have finished in less than one day (scientists are standing around doing nothing). By the time one reaches 6 labs, the integer-truncation effect is counterbalanced (little or no speed gain) by these "wasted" scientists.
    • At 8 labs, productivity sinks to 90%. At this point, 32 out of the 46 projects are finished in one day. Productivity falls more and more, with 9+ labs.
  • Despite this "much discussion", remember that the actual time is a random roll between the min and max. That is, there won't always be neat, magical breakpoints versus the number of labs in a real game. Still, integer truncation will be working in your favor.
  • Testing on the random-roll functionality has only been done on projects with an initial status of "Unknown". Better ratings (Poor to Excellent) cause the project to complete more quickly - possibly very quickly, at the highest ratings, including instant result in the extreme case. However, these other ratings have not been quantified. Furthermore, Unknown seems to be the most common initial status. The upshot is that you get a little lucky sometimes.
  • Also keep in mind that you can assign more than one project at a time. You could attempt to pinpoint breakpoints, if you wanted (although it would be haphazard). You could also assign short projects to a fraction of your science crew, if you have a big operation. Use 1.5 times the average time as an important cut-off if you're doing this - no project will last longer than this. But keep truncation in mind, too, and use it in your favor.

Total research time

The total time needed to research all technologies is 21,215 days, plus another 576 to research The Minimum Three, plus another 6,500 or so to add every alien species, ship type, and mission type entry to the UFOPaedia (about 28,300 hours total).

This can be compared against the total time needed for 1 Scientist, 50 Scientists (1 lab), 100 (2 labs), and so on. Numbers were composed by taking the average of the integer-truncated min and max for each project, then summing these together for all projects:

Note: the following figures are based on an earlier (incomplete) list of research topics. The specific numbers are no longer correct, although the "efficiency" figures are likely to be similar. 

          Scientists
              1      50    100    150    200    250    300    350    400    450    500
Days        20215   391    190    125     94     75     67     58     56     52     49
Months       663  12.82   6.23   4.10   3.08   2.46   2.20   1.89   1.84   1.69   1.61
Efficiency    --    +3%    +6%    +8%    +8%    +8%    +1%    +0%   -10%   -13%   -17%

"Months" are considered to be 30.5 days long.

Efficiency shows how much time is gained or lost versus a pure case with absolutely no integer truncation or 1-day minima (see Notes). As can be seen, it is maximal around 3-5 labs, then starts dropping and keeps dropping.

Note that going from 3 labs to 4 only saves you about a month -- which is about how long it takes to set up the lab! In practice, 2-3 labs are quite sufficient to acquire all alien technologies in a reasonable timeframe.

Popular research sequences

To be done: total time needed for Laser Rifle, Avenger, Cydonia, Psi-Amp, etc.

See also

Research Tips

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