The Unsupervised Science walkthrough for Control Resonant centers on six hidden Testing Facilities scattered across the map, each hiding an underground lab filled with object-transformation puzzles. Players trigger the side quest the moment they stumble onto the location of any one of the six labs, and from there the quest tracks progress across all of them as part of a single, connected questline.
Getting through each facility means figuring out how a strange transformation mechanic works, then using it deliberately to turn ordinary objects into the one item the console actually wants: a Thirst Station Soda Machine. This guide breaks down the mechanic, the goal in each lab, and what the reward is worth once the quest wraps up.
What The Unsupervised Science Quest Involves
Every one of the six Testing Facilities is built around the same core idea. Each is an underground laboratory containing puzzles tied to power distribution and soda machines, and each uses the same basic transformation trick to get players from a random pickup item to the object they actually need.
Scattered around each facility floor are random objects that can be picked up and carried. The twist is that these objects do not stay the same. Every time a player crosses one of the yellow lines painted on the floor, whatever object they are carrying transforms into a different random object.
Step 1: Identify The Yellow Lines And Transformation Cycle
Before touching any puzzle, walk the room and locate the yellow lines dividing the floor into zones. These lines are the trigger for every transformation, and the pattern of what an object turns into follows a complex, repeating cycle rather than pure randomness.
That cycle matters because it can be manipulated. According to GamesRadar, crossing a yellow line you just crossed resets the cycle back by one step. That means backtracking over the same line is not wasted movement. It is a deliberate way to undo a transformation and land on a different result the next time an object changes.
Step 2: Turn Your Object Into A Thirst Station Soda Machine
The actual goal in each facility is to get a carried object to transform specifically into a Thirst Station Soda Machine, then carry that machine onto one of the marked squares on the floor. Each facility has multiple marked squares that need a Soda Machine placed on them before the puzzle counts as solved.
Because the transformation cycle is complex, reaching the exact object needed can take several line crossings in either direction. Players should treat each crossing as one step forward or one step back in the cycle, using resets to correct course when an object turns into something other than a Soda Machine.
Step 3: Use T-Intersections For Harder Layouts
Some facilities have more complicated floor layouts than others, with multiple yellow lines crossing in different directions. For those rooms, look for a T-intersection where three yellow lines meet, dividing the floor into three distinct zones.
At a T-intersection, the fix is to run in circles through all three zones repeatedly. Looping through the intersection cycles the object through its transformation states more efficiently than crossing a single line back and forth. Keep looping until the object lands on a Thirst Station Soda Machine, then break off and carry it straight to the nearest marked square before crossing any more lines by accident.
Step 4: Place Soda Machines On Every Marked Square
Each facility will not register as complete until every marked square on the floor has a Soda Machine sitting on it. Work through the squares one at a time, since the transformation puzzle has to be solved fresh for each object that needs to reach a square.
Setting an object down on a square before it has transformed into a Soda Machine will not count, so double check the object type before placing it. If a lab has several squares spread far apart, expect to repeat the yellow-line cycling process for each one individually.
Step 5: Pull The Lever To Finish The Facility
Once every marked square in a facility has a Soda Machine placed on it, head to the main console in the room and pull the lever. This action completes that individual facility’s puzzle and allows progress toward finishing the broader Unsupervised Science quest.
Repeat the full process, locating yellow lines, cycling transformations, placing Soda Machines on every square, and pulling the console lever, at each of the six Testing Facilities to fully clear the quest.
Reward: The Untapped Scrunchie Artifact
Finishing the Unsupervised Science quest across all six facilities rewards players with the Untapped Scrunchie artifact. Equipping it increases Primary weapon damage by 10%, according to GamesRadar, making it a worthwhile pickup for players who rely on primary weapons in combat encounters elsewhere in Control Resonant.
Players working through the quest should expect each facility’s puzzle to require some trial and error with the transformation cycle, since the exact sequence of objects depends on how many lines have been crossed and in which direction. Paying attention to the yellow line layout before carrying an object around the room will save unnecessary backtracking.
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