The research-system changes and the specific techs and breakthroughs the mod alters. Sponsor-specific research perks are on Sponsors; research rewards from goals and trades are on Mission Goals and Trading.
| Change | What the mod does |
|---|---|
| Research output decays over the game | Each research point is worth less over time: 100% at Sol 1, 50% at about Sol 101, 33% at Sol 201, then held. The old per-field +10%-per-tech cost ramp is removed. |
| Tech order randomized each colony | Every research field is re-sorted once per new colony (a bell-curve shuffle), so the order techs appear in differs every run. |
| One tech revealed per field at start | Each research field is topped up to one revealed tech at colony start; the sponsor's own initial reveal is suppressed so the shuffle is not pinned. |
| No sponsor free starting tech | No sponsor grants a researched starting technology. |
| Each commander grants one tech | Every commander profile researches one bonus technology when picked (see Commander Profiles). |
| Terraforming techs cheaper | Green Planet Terraforming techs are halved to the standard cost curve for every sponsor (before any sponsor discount). |
| Live From Mars reworked | Now +10 Applicant Pool, +20% applicant generation, and 10 applicants the moment it is researched (vanilla's -25% interval effect removed; the TV Studio unlock kept). |
| Decommission Protocol repurposed | No longer gates deleting buildings (always allowed); researching it raises advanced-resource salvage refund from 25% to 50%. |
| Extractor AI breakthrough banned | Removed from the breakthrough pool entirely, so it never appears in a game. |
Part of the Survive the Storm mod. Detail: General Balance, Escalation, Applicant generation.