Alien Research (TFTD)

Difficulties

Information recovered from research of alien Medics may break the research tree progression. Don't research live alien Medics until the very end of the game, because you may need to interogate the actual live Alien (or research its corpse) instead of getting the information second-hand from a Medic class Alien.

There are problems getting the Thermic Lance and Vibro Blade research items if you don't have the Calcinite corpse to research. If the information is obtained from a Medic, then you will never get the option to research hand-to-hand weapons

Trying to get a Calcinite corpse after the initial glut of Terror mission from the Aquatoids is nigh on impossible. Well, not really because you can have "Mixed" race Terror Sites (usually on ocean liners). One problem that can arise is if one were to be researching a Medic, getting the results of any unresearched alien corpse or race would sometimes break the progression of research if those results were to lead to anything further down the research tree. eg:

---> ACTUAL Calcinite corpse = Calcinite Autopsy and Thermic Lance (if you are researching the physical corpse)

BUT

---> any Alien Medic = any possible Alien data

Hence: if you research any Medic, you MAY get "Calcinite Autopsy" as a result. If this were the case, the results display as per usual, but the research line stops dead for that path. ie: the next screen doesn't appear which would be "next available research" items. Thus, Medics can break the tree if the results lead to something more.

Note: i might have been a bit wrong with the vibro blade. I think that came from a Gillman race.... Damn! i really need to play a game so i can remember the tree. (but i'm absolutely sure about the Medic breaking the tree, BTW) - EsTeR

(Actually, Vibro Blade research comes from the Calcinite. Once that research is done, if you've autopsied a Gillman by that point (more than likely) you get to research Thermic Lance. Once Thermic Lance is researched, Heavy Thermic Lance, last in this line, can be researched.) - cpj1227

Research Times

This is taken from the XComUtil.cfg file, may not be 100% accurate.

Rec#	Days	Research Topic			
----    -----   -------------
0	50	Gauss Tech		
1	180	Particle Disturbance Sensor	
2	210	Medi-Kit		
3	500	M.C. Disruptor		
4	800	Sonic Cannon		
5	400	Cannon Power Clip	
6	700	Blasta Rifle		
7	400	Blasta Clip		
8	600	Sonic Pistol		
9	400	Sonic Pistol Clip	
10	900	Disruptor Pulse	Launcher	
11	300	Disruptor Ammo		
12	550	Thermal	Shock Launcher	
13	180	Thermal	Shock Bomb	
14	200	Sonic Pulser		
15	450	Zrbite			
16	600	M.C. Reader		
17	450	Ion-Beam Accelerator		
18	450	Magnetic Navigation		
19	450	Alien Sub Construction	
20	150	Alien Cryogenics		
21	150	Alien Cloning		
22	150	Alien Learning Arrays	
23	150	Alien Implanter		
24	150	Examination Room		
25	400	Aqua Plastics		
26	600	Manta			
27	700	Hammerhead			
28	900	Leviathan			
29	100	Gauss Pistol		
30	300	Gauss Rifle		
31	460	Heavy Gauss		
32	420	Craft Gauss Cannon (includes Gauss Cannon Ammo "free" [BASE.DAT item d0, not item d2])	
33	660	Sonic Oscillator		
34	880	PWT Cannon		
35	510	Gauss Defences		
36	620	Sonic Defences		
37	800	PWT Defences		
38	930	Bombardment Shield		
39	360	MC Generator	
40	420	MC Lab		
41	670	Transmission Resolver		
42	250	Coelacanth/Gauss			
43	430	Displacer/Sonic			
44	690	Displacer/PWT			
45	180	Aquatoid Corpse		
46	180	Gill Man Corpse	
47	180	Lobsterman Corpse		
48	180	Tasoth Corpse		
49	180	Calcinite Corpse		
50	180	Deep One Corpse	
51	180	Biodrone Corpse		
52	180	Tentaculat Corpse		
53	180	Triscene Corpse		
54	180	Hallucinoid Corpse		
55	180	Xarquid	Corpse		
56	300	Alien Origins		
57	500	Ultimate Threat		
58	600	T'leth the alien city
59	180	Plastic	Aqua Armor	
60	205	Ion Armor		
61	330	Mag-Ion Armor		
62	60	Gauss Pistol Clip	
63	150	Gauss Rifle Clip	
64	230	Heavy Gauss Clip	
65	400	<<BAD REF>> (unused Gauss Cannon ammo??)
66	500	Vibroblade			
67	500	Thermic	Lance		
68	600	Heavy Thermic Lance

Days is the total ( number of scientists x days of research) to complete research on the topic. This is an average value, actual values in any given game may be higher or lower.