A tree of twenty-eight machines: the price is shown in battles
Three branches of nine ranks and a common starter. A locked node says not only how much XP it costs, but how many battles that is for you.
«47 000 XP» means nothing until it is said that this is six evenings. The tree converts the price of a node by your own average income per battle and shows it in battles. Until you have played any, it shows an honest dash instead of a made-up «typical» number.
The branches are the three roles the battle is built around. The Fortress takes the most punishment and digs the widest: it has the biggest blast radius in the game, and the terrain becomes a weapon. The Blade hits hardest but forgives least. The Ghost drives farthest and wins on the enemy not knowing where the shot will come from.
Blueprints discount the research of one particular machine: a full set covers the price entirely. The discount grows smoothly, so that nobody has to hoard «up to a threshold» instead of playing.
See it for yourself
Everything written here works in the game right now.