A Robust Research System

[steenhole]

As it stands, the research system could effectively be replaced by having a timer release available techs.  The current end game is actually entirely dependent on research (can't get off the planet without it).  If you play entirely for end game, you can say that purpose of the game is research and build the end goal.  That's a strong reason to have a much more robust research system.  I'd like to suggest the following.

1-Right now the only significant cost of research is time.  Research should be shifted to fit the in game description of the skill and fit RL a little better.

• Research is expensive, costing resources.  Things are made of stuff.  Stuff needs to be experimented with to make new things.
• Research fails regularly, and is filled with dead ends.
• Now and then, a rare, revolutionary breakthrough occurs.

2-Break the current research items into parts--e.g. part a, part b, part c, etc.
3-Not everything is knowable given the resources, and people involved.  Unknown parts could be traded for or found.  This allows an economy to emerge around a central feature of the game.

4-Introduce a health and safety risk for risky developments--like fuel, rocket parts, etc.

5-The introduction of other research related features would let the new research system work more easily:

• A library--a non-risky method of research not suitable for all research parts.
• A Hopper--to be used for the research benches and materials.  Different types of hoppers could ultimately be used to control items, animals, reactions, etc.

6-Possible creation of data crystals to be used for trade and sale.

7-I'm a strong believer that it should be almost impossible to research everything in one play of a  game.  That can easily be done through the costs and risks.

This system could be easily made more varied, but it could also be phased in in small releases.  With a little further adjustment, it could be used to easily help with new end game scenarios.

[New_Roman]

+1

As a biotechnologist I know how much the cost of research can be. Imagine paying $250 for 100 µl of a particular solution that's $250 for 100 millionth's of a liter! Although I don't think the costs should be too high, for gameplay's sake. Reality is great, but in part I play Rimworld to get a break from the reality around us much like many of our hobbies.

Some suggestions

-Health risks involved: When researching drugs, medical bed, vitals monitor, and anything else of a chemical/life science fashion there is a possibility of your researcher getting sick (flu, malaria, infection, whatever). I think it's too complicated to implement the dangers of research with the more nasty chemicals on a lab bench (phenol, sulfuric acid, etc...)

-Other research will carry possibility of risk but I will leave that to you all to ponder those dangers.

-Resource cost of research should be like filling a bucket. For example researching pemmican requires 400 points of time and 100 food ingredients, or something more intense like component assembly requires X amount of time and 300 steel. These resources can be changed, but I believe they should all be readily available resources that are not difficult to replace like components. This is once again for gameplay's sake not for realities sake.

-Or you could simply implement a cost system. Costs 50 silver to fund research for pemmican or 375 silver to fund component assembly (50 silver per 400 points of research time).
Anyways, I like the idea but I do see a lot of people complaining about this slowing their game down. I for one am an avid city management gamer and I appreciate the slow climb to perfection as you desperately cling to life while waiting for hydroponics research  .

[Dingo]

I like the idea that pawns research a weapon or fuel type and accidentally hurt themselves.

[Plasmatic]

I like the idea that pawns research a weapon or fuel type and accidentally hurt themselves.

me too, but I don't like it going to far.. aka.. my only pawn capable of research goes and blows himself up.. Not when the risk is based on RNG

[makkenhoff]

I like parts of the OP's idea.

I like the idea of enhancing the research system to be more dynamic - it doesn't have to go as extreme as injuries, I think just adding a few "specialized" tree branches for certain areas would be good for me. (As a rather bland idea: Improvised Turret has a future choice between Improved Firing Speed, Improved Tracking Speed, Manned Turrents, and Improved Turret Durability) Ideally, you could research all the branches, but with each improvement it should cost additional time, because your not just factoring in one more upgrade, your factoring in the complexity of all those working components.

I don't particularly like the idea of adding more "resources" in order to research anything, be it research materials or additional buildings.

[BetaSpectre]

I don't believe that some things shouldn't be found in one play of the game. It should depend on how long you play.

I do support making research more varied though, especially with risks/costs.

[Alenerel]

I dont agree in almost anything but I like the idea of costing resources.

Maybe the idea of locking some researches behind skill level (ex: need level 10 for researching electricity) BUT the problem here is that skill in this game is hard to earn and you are always at risk of losing your precious researcher and not be able to get another one in a VERY long time.

[Dingo]

Maybe don't lock the research behind the skill, just increase the overall research costs. Specific skills can lower the point requirement on relevant topics or boost research speed (outside of the general research stat which can be like GlobalWorkSpeed).

[Wex]

Also, the research bench should get the research skill slowly up, with a "training" research;
Or be usable as a joy item for those with the double flame on research.

[deslona]

If paying were an option maybe you could PAY traders for particular technologies.
Certain factions should have access to certain technologies (tribals [faction] wouldn't have technologies beyond their means)
And not all factions should be equal. Some may be generated with some tech and some without.

OT:
Research should cost some kind of resource, but not money (seriously who are you paying?)
But I think it should cost a certain amount of resource OVER TIME, or resources = faster research time. Not a lump sum (though that is certainly easier to code).

[Alpha393]

I this gave me an idea. Field research. Let's say you watch a centipede ravage some looters from a safe distance, observing how it's minigun works on the outside. Now you have a general shape and some level of understanding of how it works. Kill the centipede and pick up the minigun, now you know pretty much exactly what moves and how it moves. Take it over to a research table with some steel and components, and bam. You can now produce low quality miniguns. Continue researching it, and you can produce higher quality miniguns and upgrade lower quality ones.

How cool would a system like that be?

Pemmican: experiment with different ingredients, figure out which ones last the longest.

Refrigeration: have a basic understanding of thermodynamics, study mechanoid heat sinks, etc.