Ingredients

Ingredients are the raw materials from which drugs are created. Each ingredient has up to three traits: cures, side effects, and boosters. Most ingredients have a single positive trait (either cure or booster) and multiple side effects; side effects can also be catalysts for upgrading cures.

Not all cures are available at the beginning of a scenario or game except in Freebuild mode. Access to a wider range of ingredients can be gained through exploration; opening additional zones (such as the desert) through research allows for additional exploration and discovery of yet more ingredients.

Ingredient Data
Ingredients can have as few as two and as many as four effects. All effects are universally color-coded as shown in the example here. Positive effects (cures) are shown with green concentration bars. Side effects will have red concentration bars. Boosters have both a yellow concentration bar and are unique in that the booster effect is active at all concentration levels. Additionally, an effect of any type may also be a catalyst, which is often necessary to upgrade cures; catalysts are marked with a catalyst symbol: a stylized, color-coded "molecule" of two to six dots.

Additionally, all ingredients start off at a specific concentration level, shown via the blue tab above the ingredient's effects and the highlighted square in the effect concentration bars.

Cures
Main article: Cures

Shown with a green concentration bar, ingredients typically have only one cure effect. Mousing over a cure effect will show its active concentration range, its maximum effect concentration if known, and any cure upgrade available if known. An upgradable cure effect can be altered to cure a different disease or disorder; most cures are upgradable.

Side Effects
Main article: Side effects

Shown in red, side effects are negative effects that the ingredient will introduce into a finished product unless removed or rendered inert.

Boosters
Main article: Boosters

Marked with a yellow concentration bar which is active from zero to twenty, a booster can improve the finished drug provided it matches the packaging method used. Boosters can also be used to eliminate side effects that cannot otherwise be removed, even if the booster won't have any effect on the finished drug.

Ingredient Pricing
Selecting an ingredient on the "Ingredients" tab will change the information displayed in the right pane. This includes 4 areas: 1) A graph of the price of the ingredient over time (12 month period)

2) Number of Ingredients - The leaf bubble shows the number of this ingredient purchased in the last month. The total is shown to the right. Hovering over the bubble will show the breakdown of number purchased by player and/or AI(s).

3) Net Demand - shows how much demand there is for the ingredient. This determines ingredient cost. Hovering over Net Demand shows percentages of Basic Demand, Over-saturation, and the Total Saturation.

4) Saturation - shows how much of supply capacity is being used. Increases net demand when above 100%. Hovering over Saturation will show the breakdown of number purchased by player and AI(s).

Ingredient Cost
The cost of an ingredient is influenced by three factors:
 * Demand from the player - Having a "favorite" ingredient used for a particular effect or as the basis of several cures means importing more of the ingredient. This will drive up the price.
 * Demand from competitors - On top of demand from the player, demand from competitors will also drive up the price. Consequently, a particularly useful ingredient can become very expensive very quickly.
 * Upgrades - Upgrading the ingredient in the Ingredients Tab will drive the price down. Upgrading an ingredient uses exploration points, not research points, so idle explorers are necessary to upgrade ingredients.

Importing Ingredients
To import an ingredient, click on any unassigned wall input/output port.This will open the list of currently available ingredients. By clicking the white Import tab on an ingredient, the wall port will deliver one sample of the ingredient per clock beat, providing a steady supply for processing.