There are different mod settings for different playstyle.
Generally, the improved items will be the same size, with each tier specification a 2x value (4x on solar).
They dont require any extra to craft, for instance, a tier 2 item require 2 tier 1 to craft.
PHI-CL VP Map hosted regularly on APERX.

PHI-MB MEGABASE

[energy] solar, steam, nuclear power.
[machine] Entities with crafting speed. Furnace, assembling, refinery & chemical plant, centrifuge, lab, miner.
[weaponary] Entities that deal damage. laser, flame, gun.

PHI-EQ EQUIPMENT

Armor equipments. Better armors. fusion reactor, laser, roboport.

PHI-MI MEGABASE ITEM

miscellaneous changes such as landfill ingredient, effciency effect, void power robots.

PHI-SA SPACE AGE

[rocket] increased rocket cargo capacity by adjusting spaceship space or cargo weight
[heat] increased heat radius (ice planet)
[spoilage] disable most of the spoil (except the 2 ore). frozen items for extended spoilage.
[quality] quality module rate boost, default legendary quality (by setting normal)
[utility] no requirement on recipe and buildings (single planet run), easier space age tweaks

PHI-VP VANILLA PLUS

vanilla extend with space age content. still with original science, but with the newer machine. also a intermediate productivity research for up to 10 levels, total of 50% (the productivity from machine is now a research). More landing hub.
Main focus of this is to have the 1.0 style large production using newer SA machines.

PHI-CT CREATIVE TOOL

super radar, anywhere fluid pump, passive power void, loader, second underground for belt weaving, linked chest, trash chest, trash pipe, electric boiler, basic 1 slot chest
[map gen] empty world generation