Why such a HUGE Tech tree, when you can't research most upgrades while needing them?

[Tejarah]

Honestly, I love researching and unlocking new techs and upgrades. But the tree in Ixion is frustrating as hell !!! I'm in chapter 2 atm and I would really like to get a few upgrades done, but all I could get until now are two for the tech lab. one for storage, one for insect farms. Even with 3 every 5 cycle and 20% faster, the Lab is slow, slow, slow producing the needed points. All points getting from POI are needed to unlock the Tier tech, so maybe in the next chapter I can finally get an upgrade for my steel mill, the one, I would need NOW! When the game is over, after the last chapter, I won't need them anymore!

Every unlocked tech has between three and seven upgrades. But with every upgrade needing between 30 and 45 points, they are practically useless, because you never get the points to unlock them. All you do is hasten through the chapter, because, if you stay too long, your nice crew complains and gets moody (not enough that they get moody, because you have stored cryos on board. Shouldn't they be happy? We rescued the pods, so they actually have a chance to be awakened. But no, doesn't matter, that we don't have power, food and accomodation to just wake every one. Sorry for not being the divine being you hoped for. No bibbidi babbidi boo. Just needed to vent my frustration. sorry, back to topic)

Why do the upgrades of one tier have to be locked behind the next tier? Let's take the steel mill. First you have to unlock the tech itself, then you have to unlock all the other tech (if you actually use them or not). THEN at least you get the good stuff? NO! You get Waste Heat Recovery as upgrade, so your mill needs 2 less power. 30 points for a problem, you don't have at this time. The actually useful upgrade Alloy Development is of course locked behind the next tier, which means, you first have to research all the other tech from the next tier so you can finally get the chance of an upgrade, which costs another 35 points. Really? It's faster and less frustrating to build a second steel mill.

So, even if the game itself and the story is quite interesting, why developing such a great tree, I would have fun unlocking, but can't use. We cannot stay longer in one sector to get more research points once every POI is harvested... your lab is the only source. A lab that you cannot upgrade enough to produce points for the upgrades, because 5 out of 7 are locked behind Tier 3. So when exactly do I have time in this game to enjoy all the other upgrades of 46 techs (with let's say 4 upgrades each)???

What I would like? I don't need every upgrade, but at least a chance for half of them? Reducing the amount of points necessary for the upgrades would be a good start. Getting upgrades for the tech lab faster. Or more points at the POIs. And locking them only behind the tier, the tech is actually in. So for the steel mill in Tier 2. I don't want to be greedy and say, give me the upgrade when I unlock the tech. It's just sad, that most of the potential of this nice tree won't have been used at the end of the game.

[<Caeris↝]

An another problem is, if you stay to long in one system you run out of ressources (ex. Fe/Iron) to keep the station running.

I also found out, some upgrades are only for one use to unlock achievements.
It really looks like devs. want that we need to replay the game several times.

[Nox]

Originally posted by <Caeris↝:

An another problem is, if you stay to long in one system you run out of ressources (ex. Fe/Iron) to keep the station running.

I also found out, some upgrades are only for one use to unlock achievements.
It really looks like devs. want that we need to replay the game several times. :ConfusedLawyer:

also you start losing stability if you wait too much.

[Tejarah]

That's what I meant. You just cannot stay and let the lab get more points to unlock the upgrades, you want. To mine, what you want. All you do is running against time, knowing at the end, your station will fall apart, because you are forced to jump. So... the tree is great, but... useless.

[Sokkar]

All the necessaries points for unlocking the corresponding tech level tree can be found with probe... Chapter 1 -> search all techs points with probe you can found and you will have more than necessary for this level. Go next chapter and repeat. And that don't take so much time to do that (i never have to wait for laboratory or have my stability go down with that).

[Bourbon Kid]

so you want to unlock the highest tech at the first map?

To progress tech fast you need research points, and the passive income of research points is just "a nice bonus"! Your main income comes from events in the system. You have to decide which tech you want to research first.

It's intended. This game philosophy bases on limited ressources and not idling like a town builder on one spot to max out highest tier of production/ressource building.

[Jeronimo]

What's hilarious is that all the base tech unlocked at start at there to make it feel like a populated tech tree while in fact there's like 2 branches.

[Tejarah]

Originally posted by Sokkar:

All the necessaries points for unlocking the corresponding tech level tree can be found with probe... Chapter 1 -> search all techs points with probe you can found and you will have more than necessary for this level. Go next chapter and repeat. And that don't take so much time to do that (i never have to wait for laboratory or have my stability go down with that).

Originally posted by Bourbon Kid:

so you want to unlock the highest tech at the first map?

To progress tech fast you need research points, and the passive income of research points is just "a nice bonus"! Your main income comes from events in the system. You have to decide which tech you want to research first.

It's intended. This game philosophy bases on limited ressources and not idling like a town builder on one spot to max out highest tier of production/ressource building.

As right as you both seem to be, it is not the POINT of my question. If we have to hasten through the chapters, because of all the surviving factors, WHY do we need a tree, that is so detailed with UPGRADES you can never unlock, even if you individually decide which one you need.
I don't need the highest tech in chapter 1, but I don't need it at the end of the game either. I get enough points to go foward, but this tree is a frustrating tease that just tell what you cannot get in the game. It is useless and unnecessary. LESS upgrades, better timed would have been MORE.

[rokenn]

A game that forces you to make hard choices?

I would not surprised if at some point they don't release an update allowing an Endless mode. Lots of overhead room to expand the game out.