Research
Research Tree
You are given Laser weapons, Medi-kits, and Motion Detectors 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 can sell off the item from your stores once research has started, if you need the space.)
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)*1 | Plasma Defense
Fusion Weapons
Blaster Launcher Blaster Bomb |___________| | Fusion Ball (Hovertank/Launcher)*2 | Fusion 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) *1 = [Hovertank / Plasma] | New Fighter-Transporter (Lightning) __________|____________ | | Grav Ultimate Craft Shield (Avenger)
Notes
- 1 Need "New Fighter Craft" before you can build the plasma
hovertank.
- 2 Need fusion ball launcher before you can build the fusion ball
hovertank.
-- from Kasey Chang's USG
Live Alien Research
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.
- Any Live Alien
- Alien Soldier
- Alien missions (harvest, base, etc)
- Alien Medic
- Species information *1
- Alien Navigator
- Alien Engineer
- UFO stats (of that UFO)
- Alien Leader (or Commander)
- The Martian Solution
- Alien Commander
- Cydonia or Bust *2
Notes
- 1: Alien medics can give information on species other than their own
- 2: Commanders can be found in bases, or UFOs on Base missions, however, only a commander from a base can be researched. (Any species of alien commander will do - Cydonia or Bust requires The Martian Solution, and that in turn requires Alien Origins)
Psionics
Psionic Alien | Psi Lab |_______ | | Psi-amp Mind Shield
Endgame
Any Live Alien | Alien Origins | | Any Live Alien Leader | / The Martian Solution | | Any Live Alien Commander | / Cydonia or Bust | | Avenger | / Cydonia (mission)
-- from Kasey Chang's USG