Best solution is like I have seen in other games is to just give a token where you can just go to the shop and get what you want, so if you have the old stuff you can choose the new stuff if you so desire, and if your new and want the old stuff you can do the same. Win/Win for everyone.
Yes, i'm in the same boat. I just came back last week or so after having been gone 3200 days. One of my backpacks is literally full of stacks of mats. I don't even remember how I got them or how the old system worked. I have 285 science, so I must have did some working on it at one point, but now I have no clue what to do,…