Research
Research opens the game step by step. You earn research points by playing and spend them on the nodes of a tree. Which branch you grow first is your choice, and it shapes your company.
Research points
Section titled Research points| Source | Points |
|---|---|
| Revenue | 1 RP per €1,000, counted over the whole life of your company |
| A closed day with revenue | 3 RP at the settlement |
| Quests | 320 RP in all |
Research points are written "RP". They cannot be bought, and money cannot be turned into them. Rent, fees, workshop payouts and lot proceeds earn none: you earn points by what you move.
Nodes
Section titled Nodes- You research a node once and keep it. It is never lost and never refunded.
- A node needs the nodes named under "Needs". Some need two or three, from different branches, so late nodes reward a company that grew in two directions.
- The order does not matter. Where two nodes change the same number, the better value counts.
- The first node of a branch costs 5 RP to 40 RP. All 47 nodes together cost 2,730 RP.
The branches
Section titled The branches
Large farm
Vineyard
Dairy farm
Mill
Bakery
Large mill
Hop farm
Brewery
Quarry
Forestry
Sawmill
Large forestry
Large sawmill
Furniture factory
Instrument works
Flatbed pickup
Budget van
Van
Long van
Electric pickup
Express van
Electric van
Budget truck
Small depot
Depot
Large depot
Small workshop
Workshop
Row houses
Maintenance company
Large maintenance company
Large workshop
Apartment block
Construction companyThe Research tree lists every node with its price, its needs and what it opens.
Open from the start
Section titled Open from the startSome content needs no node. Every company holds it:
- Sites:
Small farm
Farm - Vehicles:
Budget pickup
Pickup - Upgrades: Field lightsLoading rampCarport
- Markets: every town market and every industry market
- Jobs: 3 open jobs and 1 rush order at a time
Nodes that change a number
Section titled Nodes that change a numberMost nodes open content. These change a number of your company instead.
| Node | Price | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Quick hands | 20 RP | Every vehicle handles a stop in 15% less time. |
| Eco driving | 35 RP | Every trip costs 15% less per km. |
| Lean fleet | 40 RP | Every vehicle costs 20% less upkeep. |
| Fleet care | 30 RP | Service is due every 7,500 km instead of every 5,000 km. |
| Trade in | 25 RP | The bank buys a vehicle back at 60% of its price instead of 50%. |
| Dispatch desk | 10 RP | Your company holds 5 open jobs and 2 rush orders at a time. |
| Priority freight | 30 RP | A rush order pays 1.6 times the base price instead of 1.4 times. |
| Big desk | 60 RP | Your company holds 8 open jobs and 3 rush orders at a time. |
| Credit line | 50 RP | Your company holds 7 loans instead of 5 and pays 20% less interest. |
| Broker | 60 RP | The fee on a lot you sell falls from 3% to 2%. |
What a missing node closes
Section titled What a missing node closesWhen you lack a node, the game says which one. A site type, a vehicle type, an upgrade, a good, a loan and a market each name the node that opens them, and the Research view shows the way there.
- A route cannot sell, buy or load a good you have not opened.
- A harbor needs harbor export, an airport air cargo, lots need region board.
- A town orders a good from you in a supply contract or a rush order only when your research has opened it.
- The kit of your start is yours whatever the tree says.
Planning
Section titled Planning- Take a cheap first node from the branch that fits your start: light fleet for vehicles, dispatch desk for jobs, bigger fields for farms.
- Aim for a join. harbor export opens exports and is needed by many later nodes.
- Research what your cash can use. A node that opens a site you cannot pay for helps nobody.