Hey wanted too suggest an option or a plain removal of Prerequisites on the speed & range since why have them when you would get bots before even completing them?

Thanks for the suggestion! I checked the current technology definitions: speed/range level 1 requires Nanobots, level 2 adds Engine, level 3 adds Electric engine, and level 4 adds Robotics. So the final upgrades do overlap with the point where regular robots become available. Nanobots can still be used without a roboport network, but I understand your point about their early-game progression.

Would an option to remove the extra vanilla technology prerequisites while keeping the Nanobots upgrade chain address what you want, or would you prefer a different research cost/progression as well? Leaving this suggestion open for discussion; no balance change has been released yet.

yes it would

Thanks for confirming! This is now available in 5.9.15. By default, all four speed and range levels are available before construction robots, with red science for level 1 and red and green science for levels 2–4. The upgrade chains remain in order. The startup setting “Legacy Nanobots research prerequisites” restores the original Engine, Electric engine, and Robotics requirements and research costs. Both settings were verified in Factorio 2.1.24.