Research and Tech Tree

Research unlocks new buildings and ships, and grants permanent empire-wide bonuses. It is the primary progression gate in Kosmaris — you cannot build a Shipyard, a Radar, or any advanced ship without completing the appropriate research first.

How Research Works

You queue research in the Research Lab on any planet. The time to complete a research item depends on:

  1. The item's base research time — set per node; longer for more advanced technologies
  2. Your empire's total Research Lab levels — all Research Lab levels across all your planets contribute. Higher total levels means faster research everywhere. The effect is significant but not perfectly linear — spreading Research Labs across multiple planets still pays off substantially.

Early game, research takes minutes to hours. Late-game nodes can take much longer if your Research Lab investment is thin.

Research Queue

Research is a single-slot queue empire-wide — you can only be researching one item at a time across all your planets. Choose your next research item carefully, as it will block the queue until it finishes.

Levelled Research (Infinite Tiers)

Two special research nodes — Construction Speed and Electronic Counter-Counter-Measures (ECCM) — have infinite levels. Each level provides a small incremental bonus. Costs grow steeply per level.

  • Construction Speed: Each level grants a small reduction to build times empire-wide.
  • ECCM: Each level degrades enemy spy-probe accuracy against your holdings. Attackers can compensate by sending more probes.

Research Categories

Foundation (Tier 0)

The foundational research nodes are the most important to unlock early. They gate essential buildings (Shipyard, Radar) and the first wave of ships. Every player should unlock Shipyard research as early as possible — without it, no ships can be built anywhere in your empire.

Most early-game research nodes are hydrogen-exempt by design: a brand-new player may not yet have a working Hydrogen Synthesizer, so the earliest unlocks are reachable on metal and carbon alone.

Tier 1

The first combat and utility ships become available: the Skiron (your first warship), the Hauler and Colonizer (civilian logistics), and the Spy Probe Espionage chain (branches off from Radar research independently of the combat chain). The Colonizer is particularly important — it is the only way to claim new planets.

Tier 2 and Beyond

Mid-game research unlocks heavier warships (Phalanx, Pythia), the Bulk Hauler for high-volume logistics, the Mining Ship for asteroid operations, and the Lynceus recon cruiser for mobile intelligence. The highest tiers (Aegis, Archon) represent major strategic investments. Research at these levels requires substantial hydrogen alongside metal and carbon.

Research Costs

Research costs Metal, Carbon, and Hydrogen in varying proportions depending on the node. The early-game carve-outs (Shipyard building, Hauler, Bulk Hauler) charge no hydrogen, making them reachable without a developed Hydrogen Synthesizer. From the Mining Ship unlock onward, every research node charges hydrogen — the further along the tree, the larger the hydrogen component tends to be.