Nice Research Tab

Let me tell you a fairy tale about beautiful UI in our beloved game

This mod completely revamps the research window, bringing incredible visuals, responsiveness, and QoL tweaks to it.

The main idea was to fix all the flaws of existing similar mods and bring a fresh perspective to the UI.

                             
                             

It bugs me that other mods just focus on the UI and completely miss the elephant in the room: the topology of research nodes.



In the vanilla game, all nodes are placed manually by the developers. Overall, it works pretty well, until mods come into play. When you add mods, everything turns into a mess, with elements overlapping each other.
Many mod authors realize this, so a trend has emerged to create custom tabs for individual mods. Isolating them feels convenient at first, but what does it actually lead to?
You just end up with 15–20 tabs, and figuring out dependencies between them becomes a puzzle.



My idea is simple: if things are logically connected, they should stay on the same screen. This applies not only to direct research dependencies, but also to logically grouped categories like power management, for example:



Mathematically, a flawless layout is impossible to achieve. However, we can reach a solid approximation - one that doesnt turn everything into a single massive monolith, nor stretch it out over miles.





A built-in research queue is already included.
You can also easily reorder your research using intuitive drag & drop.



Tabs have been completely removed. Everything now exists in a single, unified space, paired with a handy side-navigator that serves the exact same purpose.
                             ..with a few extra categories for QoL.



The mod also displays an ETA for your current research (and the whole queue in brackets). It factors in your pawns schedule and activities, dynamically adjusting to ongoing events.

                             

Moreover, it changes your mindset from 'What to research next?' to 'I want to research that.'



This should work with any mods that dont alter the UI of this window. However, extremely heavily modded setups (400+) might still break research connectivity, scattering nodes further apart. That said, I've manually added plenty of rules and exceptions for popular mods.
If you notice any obvious topology issues, please leave your feedback.

Fully compatible with:

• Research Reinvented
• Semi Random Research
• Discoveries
• World Tech Level
• Combat Extended

If you change the language mid-game, the entire universe might fold into a donut (Im not kidding)

Giga modpacks and weird mods might mess up grouping, but it wont break gameplay.

If you encounter issues upon opening the window, enable single threaded option in settings



Let’s start with the fact that all effects are shaders, making them extremely performance-friendly.
The algorithm that handles the topology is also highly efficient. I tested it on a modpack with 367 mods, and it completed the task in just <100 ms.

However, you need to understand that magic doesnt exist and everything comes with a cost. The catch lies in how the game engine itself renders simple primitives, and unfortunately, I just cant optimize that. Because of this, potato machines might experience some issues. Thats why Ive included a performance section in the mod settings, where you can tweak different presets to find your own sweet spot.

What's guaranteed is that there is no performance impact while the tab is closed.
                             It does nothing in the background.



Q: Wait, can there be multiple queues running at the same time?
A: Yes, the Anomaly DLC research is processed in parallel, without interfering with the main branch.

Q: I don't like the unified workspace. Can I split it back into tabs?
A: Yes, you can easily toggle this option in the mod settings.

Q: Where did the Vanilla Expanded category go?
A: It is now seamlessly integrated into the vanilla research branches.

Q: How do I add more research tasks to the queue?
A: Shift + click.

Safe to add or remove mid-game.


                 


Translations:

• English
• Russian