Lab

The Lab is the game entity that consumes science packs to progress research; its effective research throughput depends on base lab speed, the Lab research speed technology, module effects, and the number of labs. The rate at which each type of science pack must be produced to continuously supply a set of labs can be calculated precisely with the formulas below.

Calculating packs-per-second (PPS) and related values:

• ERS (effective lab research speed) = (1 + B[r]/100) × (1 + M[r]/100) × BLS
  • B[r] is the percent speed bonus granted by the Lab research speed research.
  • M[r] is the sum of all module speed effects, expressed in percent; speed modules contribute positive effects, while productivity modules contribute negative speed effects.
  • BLS is the base lab speed, which is adjusted by the lab’s quality.
• ACT (adjusted cycle time) = T[r] / ERS
  • T[r] is the research cycle time shown in the research screen (seconds per research cycle).
• PPS (packs per second, per pack type) = N / ACT = N × ERS / T[r]
  • N is the number of labs available.

Combined equation (when all labs share the same B[r] and BLS): PPS = (N / T[r]) × (1 + B[r]/100) × (1 + M[r]/100) × BLS

Example: with 10 base-quality standard labs, researching Nuclear Power (30 s cycle time), Lab Research Speed 4 (a 140% bonus), and no module effects:

• ERS = 1 + 140/100 = 2.4
• ACT = 30 / 2.4 = 12.5 s
• PPS = 10 / 12.5 = 0.8 packs per second (of each required pack type)

Practical notes and implications:

• The biolab has twice the speed of a standard lab but consumes packs at half the rate; therefore a biolab’s pack consumption rate equals that of an equal-quality standard lab.
• Module effects enter the calculation through M[r]; speed modules increase ERS, productivity modules reduce ERS because their speed penalty is negative, and all module speed effects combine additively in percent.
• To compute the number of labs needed to consume a target PPS, rearrange the combined equation: N = PPS × T[r] / [(1 + B[r]/100) × (1 + M[r]/100) × BLS].
• These calculations give the required continuous production rate of each science pack type to keep research progressing without interruption. Adjustments for mixed lab qualities or differing module setups require applying the formulas per-lab grouping or using the detailed ERS definition for each lab cohort.