Statement on AI: All my mods are created 100% without the use of AI.
Science Difficulty Overhaul
Have you ever wished for a mod that would make manufacturing science packs more complex and challenging, without straying too far from the spirit of the game?
In that case, this overhaul is for you!
Science Difficulty Overhaul changes the recipe for all basic science packs and adds an extra one. The cost increases slightly, but it is in terms of complexity and production chains that the change is most noticeable. It consists of three highly customizable and complementary mods.
They're designed to work together, but can be played separately if you wish.
-
Harder Science Packs, which tweaks the majority of science pack recipes.
https://mods.factorio.com/mod/HarderSciencePacks -
Better Space Science, which adds a bit of depth to space science.
https://mods.factorio.com/mod/BetterSpaceScience -
Military MK2 Science Pack, which adds a new pack used in advanced military techs.
https://mods.factorio.com/mod/MilitaryMK2SciencePack
Harder Science Packs:
This mod change science packs recipes to make them a bit more challenging to produce, without relying on a simple cost multiplier (such as the x10 difficulty mods). The difference in cost compared with vanilla recipes is summarised in the Excel table below.
The other science packs (namely Space, Cryogenics and Promethium) are modified by my other mods. You can find them below under the ‘Compatibility’ section.

For maths lovers:
I’ve done quite a lot of maths and I think the result is fairly balanced. The recipes for production/utility packs now yield four packs instead of three to accommodate for the increase in cost. The table shows the cost increase per pack, without any productivity bonuses at any step:

Most changes can be customised in the settings !
No fewer than 18 customisation options:

And even more settings with others compatible mods enabled
Compatibility
-
Space Age Hard Mode -> Harder Science Pack is now an optional dependency in the Space Age Hard Mode
https://mods.factorio.com/mod/Space-Age-Hardcore-Mode -
Military MK2 Science Pack -> Designed to work together.
https://mods.factorio.com/mod/MilitaryMK2SciencePack -
Better Space Science -> Designed to work together.
https://mods.factorio.com/mod/BetterSpaceScience -
Aquilo Overhaul: Lithium Battery -> Changes cryogenic and promethium science packs.
https://mods.factorio.com/mod/LithiumBattery -
Challenging Pack Logistics -> Great synergy with this mod.
https://mods.factorio.com/mod/harder-pack -
Furnace tweak mod -> Small mod that add one extra step.
https://mods.factorio.com/mod/furnace-tweak-mod
Future plans
Nothing new planned for the moment, the mod seems good to me.
-> Please report any bug you encounter.
I'm open to suggestions/ideas ;)
Wants more ?
- If you like overhauls that stays in the game spirit, you'll maybe like my Aquilo Overhaul mods:
https://mods.factorio.com/mod/LithiumBattery - If you like small tweaks, you'll maybe like my Rocket 100 mod:
https://mods.factorio.com/mod/Rocket100