Skip to main content
FOUNDRY Wiki

Wiki: Research Guide — Tech Tiers, Pumps, Conveyors & Mining

FOUNDRY is a first‑person factory-building simulation in an endless procedurally generated voxel world where you mine resources, craft machinery and automate production lines. Gameplay focuses on logistics (conveyors, pipes), power systems and research-driven progression to unlock advanced buildings and improvements.

Core loop and goals

  • Explore and mine the world to gather raw ores and materials.
  • Build production chains: conveyors and pipes move items and fluids; assemblers and machines convert raw resources into components and products.
  • Automate research to unlock new buildings, upgrades and technologies that increase throughput, efficiency, and range of construction options.
  • Expand infrastructure while solving spatial and power constraints in a persistent factory.

Research system

Research is central: unlocking technologies requires spending research points (costs shown per tech) and time. Each research entry lists cost in research points and a research time; the game presents these as per-item values in the tech tree UI.

Common research categories and example costs/times:

  • Basic infrastructure and early tools (low costs): e.g. Basic Infrastructure, Container, Ladder, Railings, Stairs, Decor I — small research cost and short time.
  • Production and logistics upgrades: e.g. Assembler I, Loader 2nd Lane, Piping — modest research costs and moderate times.
  • Mid/late game systems and improvements: e.g. Mining Efficiency II, Mining Drill Speed III, Conveyor Balancer III, Mining Force II — higher research costs and longer times.
  • Advanced systems and high-tier techs: e.g. Fracking Tower, Cargo Ships (Liquids), Ignium Fuel Rods — large research cost and longer times for unlocking large-scale infrastructure.

Exact example entries (displayed as cost — research time in the tech UI):

  • Container: 15 research points, short time.
  • Decor I, Ladder, Railings, Stairs: 15 research points, short time each.
  • Assembler I: small cost (one entry lists 3 then 15; the tech UI shows both cost and time fields).
  • Basic Infrastructure: 5 research points, short research time.
  • Loader 2nd Lane: 20 research points, short research time.
  • Piping: 50 research points, moderate time.
  • Conveyors/Loaders/Balancers: some tiers require 75 research points and longer times.
  • Mining Efficiency II: 500 research points and a longer research time.
  • Fracking Tower and other heavy infrastructure: many-tier costs totaling larger research point sums and longer times.

Note: Research entries are presented in a two-column table showing multiple resource costs and a final time (seconds per item) in the in-game tech display. Use the tech UI to see each tech’s exact cost and wait time before planning major expansions.

Logistics: conveyors, loaders and balancers

  • Conveyors form the backbone of item movement. Research unlocks higher-tier conveyors and balancing solutions which increase throughput.
  • Loaders add a second lane or increase insertion/extraction speeds when researched (e.g. Loader 2nd Lane).
  • Conveyor balancers even out supply between lanes; higher-tier balancers require research investment (e.g. Conveyor Balancer III).

Mining and resource extraction

  • Mining drills and mining upgrades are gated by research. Upgrades increase drill speed or mining force, enabling faster resource extraction and access to more resource-rich layers.
  • Fracking Tower is an advanced researchable building for large-scale resource extraction; it requires significant research investment and construction planning.

Pipes, pumps and fluids

  • Piping must be researched to handle liquid/fluid transport.
  • Pumps and pump-related research (e.g. Pump Pipelines) let you move fluids across distance and elevation automatically.
  • Cargo Ships (Liquids) is a later research branch enabling long-distance liquid transport logistics.

Power and advanced energy

  • Power management is a major gameplay pillar; buildings and production lines draw from your grid and require planning to avoid brownouts.
  • Energy-related research includes batteries (Small Battery research), fuel rods, and specialized power-generation tech like Ignium Fuel Rods, which are gated behind medium-to-high research costs.

Automation and maintenance

  • Maintenance drones and production automation are researchable. Maintenance Drone Production becomes available through the tech tree and automates repairs/maintenance in larger factories.
  • Assemblers and factories (Assembler I and beyond) are unlocked by research and enable automated crafting of advanced components.

Tier progression and planning tips

  • Prioritize Basic Infrastructure, Container and Piping early to enable basic factory layouts and storage.
  • Early logistics upgrades (additional lanes, loaders) greatly reduce congestion for your first automated lines.
  • Invest in mining speed and efficiency once you have stable logistics and power to scale extraction to meet demand.
  • Research higher-tier conveyor/balancer and pump technologies before building large multi-line systems; retrofitting later is more expensive and disruptive.
  • Plan power infrastructure in parallel with production expansions; advanced production and mining upgrades significantly increase power draw.

Terminology and UI notes

  • Research entries display multiple cost components and a final time value (seconds per item) — both must be met to start research.
  • Tech names are the canonical labels in the game (e.g. Basic Infrastructure, Assembler I, Mining Efficiency II, Fracking Tower, Ignium Fuel Rods, Cargo Ships (Liquids)).
  • The game uses voxel terrain and first-person building placement; spatial planning (vertical and horizontal) impacts conveyor and pipe routing.

Release and editions

  • FOUNDRY launched into Early Access on May 2, 2024. Early Access price was set and included a limited-time launch discount at release.
  • Players who purchased earlier on itch.io received Steam keys enabling them to claim the Founder's Edition on release; the Founder's Edition includes the base game plus a cosmetic pack.

This guide covers the high-level mechanics of FOUNDRY’s factory/research progression and logistics. Use the in-game tech tree and building tooltips for exact numeric costs and construction requirements for each unlocked item.

Pages featured in this guide