Re: Materials: I have a pet theory that I haven't been able to test that one can grab the four best parts they see and run through Materials with nothing but a naked core and still do decent in Factory. Like jimjam, I'm starting to hone an instinct on how the levels are shaped, and I'm pretty decent at finding the stairs. Materials is... REALLY small. Like, I didn't even know, but now I do, and it's really small. With Factory, my strategy is to just follow the main corridor as long as I can. At a certain distance, I can sense when the stairs should be nearby. 'Research' can still go fuck itself though lol.
On this run I've really felt the benefit of Improved Terrain Scanners (weird I know). I can't remember the name of the item that augments the power of them, but with those two together I'm getting a feel for whether a room is worth going into. Plus, that little nook where the a Sentry sits is a dead give away. If it's in a spot where I can peek in and have a look without being detected I'll decide whether the items inside are worth the battle.
The Factory is crazy-small. I would even say it's a little too small (or maybe stairs are too plentiful). Even so, it's still giving a few players a hard time especially when just starting out.
You've hit the nail on the head about the Factory levels. That's about the best way to make it through I've found.
I haven't spent enough time in Research to get a handle on it at all, I'm not even sure if I can remember even completing a Research level (maybe once, no idea).
I'm finding Storage the hardest to navigate at the moment and the concentration of enemies is
really high. Just have to cross my fingers and hope for some powerful prototype gear