At the start of a game you can only sell virtual machines, over 1 Gb/s copper. Everything else — new cloud services and faster network hardware — is unlocked through research projects on the console's R&D page.
¶ 📏 The rules
- 💵 A project's cost is paid at launch: you need the cash.
- 1️⃣ One project at a time: the next one waits until the current one is finished.
- 🔗 Some projects have prerequisites: they can only start once those are unlocked.
- ⏳ A project lasts a few game days.
- 🔓 Once finished, its content is unlocked for the whole game.
¶ 🌳 The tech tree
¶ ☁️ Cloud services
| Project | Unlocks | Requires |
|---|---|---|
| 🪣 S3 | Object storage | — |
| ⚖️ Load Balancer | Network-heavy load balancing | — |
| 🗃️ DBaaS | Managed databases | — |
| 🎮 GPU VM | GPU virtual machines | — |
| ☸️ Kubernetes | Managed clusters | Load Balancer |
¶ 🌐 Network hardware
Three projects, to be chained:
| Project | Unlocks | Requires |
|---|---|---|
| SFP+ networking | The SFP+ router, switches with fast uplinks, 10G DAC cables, the 10 Gb/s Internet plan | — |
| 10G networking | 10G access switches, the L3 network core, SFP+ network cards for servers, 25G DAC cables | SFP+ networking |
| Fibre and 100G | The 100G spine switch, fibre cables, 100G cables, the 40 and 100 Gb/s Internet plans | 10G networking |
As long as a project isn't finished, the products it unlocks stay greyed out in the shop with the required project written next to them, locked cables are greyed out in the cable choice, and locked Internet plans are disabled.
¶ 🖥️ Upgrading servers' networking
A server leaves the factory with a 1 Gb/s copper network card. Its networking is the only upgradable part of a server (processors, memory and disks are fixed at purchase):
| Card | What it does | How to install |
|---|---|---|
| SFP+ network card | Turns all the server's data ports into 10 Gb/s SFP+ cages | Unplug the server's network cables, then bring the box to the server and press E |
| RJ45 expansion card | Adds extra 1 Gb/s copper ports in a free expansion slot | Bring the box to the server, E — nothing to unplug |
| SFP+ expansion card | Adds extra 10 Gb/s SFP+ cages in a free expansion slot | Same, nothing to unplug |
A server full of customers can ask for much more than 1 Gb/s. As long as its card is copper, its link saturates and its units are degraded. Upgrade busy servers first!
¶ 🧭 Choosing what to research
Listen to your prospects. A prospect asking for a service you can't sell yet shows an R&D required badge — and won't sign until you develop it. What your prospects ask for is the best guide to your next project.
- 💼 Services open up new customers (and new revenue).
- 🌐 Network projects remove bottlenecks before they become outages.
- 💵 Don't spend your last dollars on research: keep cash for repairs and, in story mode, for the loan.
In Story Mode, R&D opens during the energy chapter, and Victor opens the network projects one after another as the story needs them.