Like a lot of survival construction games, Raft starts players off with a few basic items and slowly adds more equipment and objects as the game goes on. However, to unlock anything, a Raft player must first research it, and to do that, they must build the research table.
Unfortunately, the game isn't completely clear on how research works. The table has a slot where players can add items, but it doesn't explain what items it wants, so players may get stuck in the early game if they don't know what to do next. The purpose of this guide is to explain exactly how this essential starting Raft item works.
Raft Research Basics
The first thing players should understand is that the research table wants construction materials. Just about every material in the game is useful for one blueprint or another, and this includes starting materials like palm leaves, planks, plastic, and stone.
By placing one of these materials on the research table, a green "Research" button will appear, and players can click on it. Players can put any inventory item on the research table, but if it's not a material any blueprint needs, then the "Research" button will be red instead.
Hitting that Research button will partly unlock every research item the table can produce, and once every material called for is unlocked, Raft players can research the blueprint. After that, the blueprint will appear in the crafting menu next to the items players can craft immediately.
However, players should keep in mind that using a material for research will consume it. This means the first hinge or metal ingot a player finds will vanish for good, but in exchange, players can unlock all the blueprints that call for hinges and metal ingots. Luckily, the research table only needs one crafting item of each type, so a single item can unlock four or five blueprints. Players don't have to prioritize certain blueprints over others.
Found Blueprints
Something else new players should understand about the research table is how blueprints work. Most players will quickly come across a blueprint for something called a receiver, and they might not know what to do with it. The answer to this is quite simple: nothing. Players should do nothing with the blueprint, and in fact, they can throw it away if they want.
While earlier builds of Raft had players use blueprints, in the final version, this isn't necessary. By picking up the blueprint, players get access to the item shown and can, from that point, research it normally by adding crafting materials to the research table. After that point, blueprints are nothing more than collectibles.
Raft is available now for PC.