Researches

Players can upgrade most things they control in the game through the Researches interface. A limited branch of research (using green papers and stars earned in levels to purchase) is available from the beginning.

Research costs Green Papers, Resources, and occasionally time, level "stars", or other researches having completed. Most researches have a number of levels, each of which will be more expensive and cost more advanced resources than the previous level. The border around the research will indicate:

* Purple - Can afford to purchase the next level
* Gray - Not unlocked due to prerequisites not being met
* Green - Cannot afford the next level, currently above level 0
* Gold - Maximum level purchased already

In Endless Research, additional new researches not available from regular research are available and many existing researches maximum level are significantly increased. Most researches beyond the standard research level requires Bit Dust. They significantly improve towers, stats, and gameplay compared to regular research tree due to their huge maximum level limit. Endless Research tree is accessible if the player changes the difficulty to Endless Mode in main menu.

Researches exclusive to Endless Research or leveled beyond Regular Max level cannot be used in Normal Mode. If a research exceeds the Regular research max level, it will be set to the regular research max level.

## Research Screen (format changed after more recent game updates, but the basic interface is the same)

### 1: Current resources

Shows what current resources you have to spend:

1. Unopened items. Click here to open them. This is items you have earned in levels, or Boxes you have purchased, but not yet opened
2. Number of Accelerators. These are earned from defeating certain enemies within levels, finishing certain quests, or opening purple/orange boxes. They are used to complete timed researches early, upgrade custom map tiles, and to replenish Mining energy.
3. Amount of each Resource ( Scalar,  Vector,  Matrix,  Tensor or  Infiar) you own. Only resources you have already unlocked in research are shown here. These are earned from mining source tiles, completing quests or opening boxes. They are used to do research or purchase Abilities.
4. Green Papers. Click here to access the Shop. These are earned by completing levels or quests. They are used to purchase upgrades or boxes from the shop.

### 2: Research Effects

Shows what the selected research is currently doing (if applicable) and how that will change if another level is purchased.

### 3: Research Requirements

The cost of buying the next level of the research. This can include:

* Previous research having been completed. In some cases there is a small number shown on the line (eg "6/7"). This means that the linked research must have been researched up to the specified level to unlock this one.
* Other requirements. In some cases specified things need to have happened to purchase this research. For instance in the picture, 1 million damage must have been dealt using the sniper tower.
* Resources cost. The quantity of  Scalar,  Vector,  Matrix,  Tensor,  Infiar or  Bit Dust required.
* Green Paper cost.
* Stars cost (upgrades on the left side of the research tree)
* Research levels completed (total amount of research player unlocked (eg "2.18K/2.25K"). This is the requirement for the Developer mode.

### 4: Research Timer

Time needed for research (can be skipped with accelerators)

However this was removed and replaced with research ticket on version 1.x.x

### 5: General Research Section

This section allows research into:

* Unlock new resource types, Miners, and miner upgrades
	+ Scalar is unlocked with the first upgrade
	+ Vector is unlocked with the 4th upgrade
	+ Matrix is unlocked with the 7th upgrade
	+ Tensor is unlocked with the 13th upgrade
	+ Infiar is unlocked with the 18th upgrade
	+ Bit Dust becomes available as a reward in Endless mode.
* Unlock and upgrade Abilities
* Unlock new levels
* Unlock map editor for Custom maps with the 10th upgrade
* Unlock and upgrade Modifiers

### **Ability Research**

#### Fireball

Throw burning projectiles on your enemies

Prerequisite Research - Index Mapping unlocked.

Normal Max Level: 10, Endless Max Level: 15

#### Fireball Damage

Ability Damage

Prerequisite Research - Level 3 Fireball or higher

Normal Max Level: 10, Endless Max Level: 50

#### Fire Damage

Fire damage of ability

Prerequisite Research - Level 5 Fireball Damage or higher

Normal Max Level: 5, Endless Max Level: 30

#### Blizzard

Freeze everything

Prerequisite Research - Brute Force Search unlocked.

Normal Max Level: 10, Endless Max Level: 15

#### Blizzard Duration

Ability Duration

Prerequisite Research - Level 3 Blizzard or higher

Normal Max Level: 10, Endless Max Level: 50

#### Thunder

Hit random enemies with electricity

Prerequisite Research - Hashing unlocked.

Normal Max Level: 10, Endless Max Level: 15

#### **Thunder Damage**

Ability damage

Prerequisite Research - Level 3 Thunder

Normal Max Level: 10, Endless Max Level: 50

#### **Thunder Charges count**

Number of charges

Prerequisite Research - Level 3 Thunder Damage or higher

Normal Max Level: 5, Endless Max Level: 25

#### Windstorm

Push enemies back towards portals

Prerequisite Research - Cuckoo Hashing unlocked.

Normal Max Level: 10, Endless Max Level: 15

#### **Windstorm Duration**

Ability duration

Prerequisite Research - Level 3 Windstorm

Normal Max Level: 10, Endless Max Level: 50

### Story Research

Story research are researches that are required in order to be able to continue progressing in the level. They usually do not cost a lot and provide a big boost to a specific stat or unlock a certain feature. All story researches are one-time upgrades meaning they are maxed out at level 1

#### Index Mapping - 217 is false in no time

Prerequisite - Scalar unlocked, Total damage dealt to enemies - 150k

#### Brute force search - Wheatley was not that close

Prerequisite - Index Mapping unlocked, Opened Level 2.2

#### Vector - Very familiar and with direction

Prerequisite - Brute Force search unlocked, Opened Level 2.3

#### Binary search - found or not

Prerequisite - Bubble sort unlocked, Opened Level 2.4

#### **Matrix - There's still no spoon**

Prerequisite - Binary search unlocked, Opened Level 3.1

#### **Caching - Hidden Treasures**

Prerequisite - Cuckoo Hashing unlocked, Opened Level 3.4

#### **Tensor - Multidimensional thing**

Prerequisite - Rainbow Table unlocked, Opened Level 4.1

#### **Timsort - Fastest?..**

Prerequisite - Dijkstras algorithm unlocked, Opened Level 4.5

#### **Infiar - Data generating neural net**

Prerequisite - A Star unlocked, Opened Level 5.1

#### **SCG Algorithm - Let's learn**

Prerequisite - LM Algorithm unlocked, Opened Level 5.3

#### **LSTM Network - Time travels with forecasts**

Prerequisite - MTRNN Model unlocked, Opened Level 6.1

## 6: Global Upgrade Section

This section allows research into:

* Global Tower upgrades, for example projectile speed and damage. These apply to every tower built. Stacks additively with other Tower exclusive upgrade that features the same upgrades as these Global upgrades.
* Global game upgrades, eg starting money and health and increased green paper earning.
* Global Miner upgrade, reducing deployment time.

#### **Projectile speed - Tiles per second**

Prerequisite Research - none

Normal Max Level: 10, Endless Max Level: 30

#### **Starting coins - Number of coins available at the start of the game**

Prerequisite Research - Level 1 Projectile Speed or higher

Normal Max Level: 20, Endless Max Level: 100

#### **Starting health - Amount of health available at the start of game**

Prerequisite Research - Level 3 Projectile Speed or higher

Normal Max Level: 20, Endless Max Level: 100

#### **Rotation Speed - Degrees per second**

Prerequisite Research - Level 1 Passive XP at max upgrade level or higher.

Normal Max Level: 10, Endless Max Level: 50

#### **Forced wave bonus - Bonus coins for calling next enemy wave**

Prerequisite Research - Level 1 Rotation Speed or higher.

Normal Max Level: 10, Endless Max Level: 100

#### **Damage - Damage dealt to enemies**

Prerequisite Research - Level 3 Rotation Speed or higher

Normal Max Level: 10, Endless Max Level: 100

#### **Range - Range in tiles**

Prerequisite Research - Level 3 Forced Wave Bonus or higher

Normal Max Level: 10, Endless Max Level: 25

#### **Attack Speed - Shots per second**

Prerequisite Research - Level 3 Starting Money

Normal Max Level: 10, Endless Max Level: 40

#### **Tower sell refund - Number of coins returned for sold towers**

Prerequisite Research - Level 1 Experience Multiplier or higher.

Normal Max Level: 10, Endless Max Level: 15

#### **Upgrade Price - Price of tower upgrades in coins**

Prerequisite Research - Level 3 Range or higher.

Normal Max Level: 10, Endless Max Level: 15

#### **Passive XP at max upgrade level - Amount of XP tower gets per second on max upgrade level**

Prerequisite Research - Level 1 Starting Money or higher.

Normal Max Level: 10, Endless Max Level: 15

#### **Experience Multiplier - Each XP point is multiplied by this**

Prerequisite Research - Level 1 forced wave or higher.

Normal Max Level: 10, Endless Max Level: 100

#### **Installation Time - Amount of time required to install the miner**

Prerequisite Research - Level 3 Sell Refund or higher.

Normal Max Level: 5, Endless Max Level: 5

#### **Wave interval - Delay before each next enemy wave**

Prerequisite Research - Level 3 Sell Refund or higher.

Normal Max Level: 5, Endless Max Level: 30

#### **Green papers bonus- Bonus Green Papers from each game**

Prerequisite Research - Level 3 Wave Interval and Level 3 Installation Time or higher

Normal Max Level: 10, Endless Max Level: 100

## 7: Specified Tower Sections

Each unlocked tower has it's own section allowing upgrades to that tower to:

* Increase each common and unique characteristics
* Increase the maximum XP and upgrade levels
* Increase XP generation
* Reduce purchase cost
* Increase starting XP level
* Increase the tower generation. These are expensive upgrades that require you have have dealt a certain amount of damage with the tower. They award a significant increase the specified characteristics.
* To see tower specific research, visit Towers and then select a specific tower.

## Prestige Section

This section allows research into:

* Unlock the feature to sell custom maps and reset quests and get a refund in prestige ticket
* Gain an additional quest slot
* Increase loot rarity
* Increase Green paper bonus
* Increase both quest difficulty and quest prizes
* Factory (Still in development)

## Trivia

* Towers First, Second, and Third generation researches used to require research time, where players have to wait a specific amount of time in order to finish the research or pay accelerators to instantly finish them. With the introduction to blueprints, research time has been removed and replaced with blueprint requirements instead.
	+ Although unobtainable, Developer mode is the only research that requires 2 minutes to research
* Research tree used to be locked until the player has access to Level 2.1.
* All Story Researches names are reference to coding/programming
	+ Scalar, Vector, Matrix, Tensor are N-dimensional array of data.
		- The description of Matrix is a reference to the "Matrix" film, where a kid says to the protagonist "There is no spoon."
	+ Most of the researches are widely-known algorithms which follow a set of rules which are used for calculations or problem solving.