Scientists on the run! - Research must be more exciting!

[Bolgfred]

By now doing science is almostly an office job: Throw a pawn into a hole, wait 5 years, and science has been done. I'd wish there be more special elements to this.

Example Idea:
When a colonist is working on a research table there are following chances every x ticks. As long as he is following these events the workbench is still occupied and research is still progressing as if pawn would be sitting there:

Take a walk
scientist takes a walk about 5-20 tiles away from the science table, thinking about his topic he worked on. Whilst doing this he gains small relaxation.

Inspect workshops
Walk to a workshop which is currently in use, or was when event was started. When scientis tis there he walks around the table/watching it working for a while and go back after a while.

Share ideas
Runs to the closest 2-5 colonists after another, having a conversation. Depending on social and research skills, each conversation gives a boost to research progress or a short interruption in progress. Has a low chance on making scientist enrage on critical failure, or granting progress on random research on critical success.

Into the green
Pawn takes a long walk, aiming for trees, chunks and natural elements in general. Gets +1% research speed for every tile distance between the scientist and artifical objects.

Occupy Workshop
Occupies a workshop, using some random material, but no creating something specific, or maybe something like "weird object". Small chance to request a specific workshop and going soft tantrum as long as this workshop doesn't exist.

Archaeological expedition
The Scientist gets Indiana Jones'd and heads for 1-3 different ancient temples or psycho ship locations. It doesn't matter if the temple was opened or the ship is destroyed already. Small chance on getting too excited and try to open a temple by destroying a wall or attacking an existing ship.

Fingering the AI core
Heads for the next AI core and takes it to the research bench. Whilst experimenting following things might happen:
-The AI core explodes/ignites/EMPs/foams a 5-25 area
-Mechanoid Attack
-The AI core heats the room extremly
-Positive mood wave
-The AI cools the the room extremly
-Negative mood wave

[{insert_name_here}]

Sounds like an interesting idea, but I would make it a far more toned-down version of what you suggested, because what you suggested would make researching a job that can randomly create negative mood waves, explosions, opened ancient dangers and make the researcher go on a mental break.

[SpaceDorf]

By now doing science is almostly an office job: Throw a pawn Nerd Scientist into a hole cellar Labratory, wait 5 10 years, and science has been done.

Sounds absolutely right to me 

Your examples sound great too.
But some of them should be bound to special research topics, it would be strange if your Scientist starts fiddling with AI cores when researching pemmican or cremation.

[Mkok]

I think this would be a really great idea.

[OFWG]

I like everything except the AI core interaction, all those outcomes would be anti-fun.

[BetaSpectre]

More interaction for researching would be nice, but it's hard to implement it outside of X task gives X research points which I imagine would be possible if it were done like healing is. A sudden burst once a certain milestone is hit.

[freemapa]

I've been thinking for a while that research should be "attached" to the mental capacity of the colony (perhaps the total Intellectual of the colony). It doesn't really make sense that every colonist could be killed accept one pawn with no research skill and Intellectual skill of 0, and yet this pawn can still construct advanced research items. I like to think that my smart researchers are constantly advising the colony on how to create all these high tech gadgets. Plus, I want to be able to be bombed, literally, back into the stone age! 

Example:

• Colony has done 10,000 points of research
• I have 3 pawns with Intellectual of 1, 2, and 7
• The pawns with Intellectual of 1 and 7 are killed
• The game rolls back my last 8,000 points of research... and I lose access to the corresponding items

Other thoughts:
I think you could have a data storage item in the mid- to late-game (like a server or something) that could simulate additional Intellectual points. So in the example, if I had a server equivalent to 10 Intellectual points, then the same pawn deaths would half the loss (4,000 points lost instead of 8,000). Of course, if the enemy destroys the server I will also lose research.

Also, it seems fair that existing stuff would still work, and the game would just prevent new items from being made (and maybe prevent repairs).

I don't know... that was my thought. But I love the ups and downs of RimWorld.

[Bolgfred]

Sounds like an interesting idea, but I would make it a far more toned-down version of what you suggested, because what you suggested would make researching a job that can randomly create negative mood waves, explosions, opened ancient dangers and make the researcher go on a mental break.

Agree on that. I imagined different science modes, like: "desk work", "social only", "home restricted", "take all risk"
These would affect research speed in common, but allow or forbid events, depending on their type. Plus, whenever a scientist gets drafted or interrupted on an event, he goes into depression e.g."science time sadness" or something.

Maybe the AI core thing could be extended into some open end research option to get some special high-end effects.

I like everything except the AI core interaction, all those outcomes would be anti-fun.

More interaction for researching would be nice, but it's hard to implement it outside of X task gives X research points which I imagine would be possible if it were done like healing is. A sudden burst once a certain milestone is hit.

By now, yes, it sounds to be quite unrewarding. I'd imagine a benefit like 200% research speed whilst doing so.

I thought about that aswell. So i imagined it would be best if research progress continues while all actions, just getting some modifier maybe. So walking around gets 1.1, talking with people 1.2 and occupy workshop gets a 1.3x multiplier in research points.
By this, the more risky/intterruptive/annoying it is, gains more points continuously.