Summary
Metadata is a special resource that the player earns across all of their save files. Once the player has enough Metadata, they can use it to instantly research a given Technology. There are 6 types of Metadata, and the amount of Metadata a given save file has contributed to the player's overall total can be seen on the save file screen.
Acquisition
Anytime Science Matrices are consumed for research, the player earns a small amount of Metadata of the corresponding type(s). Notably, Metadata is not awarded equally by type; late-game Matrices award much more Metadata than early-game ones (presumably to compensate for their greatly increased complexity).
Altering the difficulty of a new game will also affect the amount of Metadata earned by that save file. If the resource multiplier is lower than 1x, the Metadata awarded will increase; if the multiplier is greater than 1x, the Metadata awarded decreases. The effect that difficulty has on the awarded Metadata is not directly proportional; for instance, a 0.5x multiplier awards 200% as much Metadata as a 1x multiplier, but a 2x multiplier awards 80% as much Metadata as a 1x multiplier.
Usage
Metadata can be redeemed to instantly research technologies. The amount and types of Metadata required depend on the amount and types of Matrices that would be required normally; for instance, a technology that only requires Electromagnetic Matrices will only cost blue Metadata, while a technology requiring both Electromagnetic and Energy Matrices will cost both blue and red Metadata.
Metadata cannot be used to partially research a given technology; if the player wishes to redeem Metadata for a given technology, they must have all the required Metadata on hand. If a technology has been partially researched with Matrices already, the amount of Metadata required will not be accordingly reduced, and if the player does redeem Metadata for it, the Matrices they already used will not be refunded.
Notes
There are 2 important caveats to keep in mind with Metadata:
- Metadata cannot be redeemed on the save file in which it was earned. For example, assume a player has 2 save files, A and B. In save file A, the player earned 400 blue Metadata, and in save file B, they earned 500 green Metadata. File B will only be able to redeem 400 blue Metadata (earned in file A), while file A will only be able to redeem 500 green Metadata (earned in file B).
- Certain Achievements can only be earned on save files that have not redeemed any Metadata. These achievements are usually related to completing the game on a certain difficulty level or completing difficult tasks in a limited time.