Science Counter

The Science Counter is an automation sensor that monitors your colony's Science Point balance and sends a signal when it crosses a configurable threshold. This allows automated responses to your research economy, such as ramping up or pausing science-related production based on current point totals. At 300 Science Points to unlock, it is one of the more expensive counter-type components, reflecting its specialized role in managing the research pipeline.

The Science Counter connects to the standard automation signal network, allowing it to control buildings, trigger logic gates, and activate output devices. A practical use case is connecting it to your science-producing buildings (such as Inventors) with the logic: when Science Points exceed a target threshold, pause science production to redirect workers to other tasks. Conversely, when points drop below a research goal, the counter can reactivate science buildings to resume accumulation. This prevents over-investing in science at the expense of other colony needs.

For colonies pursuing specific technology unlocks, the Science Counter provides a way to automate the research sprint. Set the threshold to the cost of your target technology, connect it to an Indicator, and you will receive a visual notification when you have accumulated enough points to unlock it. Combining the Science Counter with a Population Counter or Resource Counter through logic gates creates sophisticated priority systems: for example, only produce science when food stockpiles are above a minimum and population is stable. The 300 Science Point cost and construction requirements (including Scrap Metal) position this as a mid-to-late game component for colonies with mature automation networks.