The Research

[Evul]

I think that the current Research system is a bit empty, also cause it is an alpha, but. here are some ideas to improve the current research system.

Here are some examples:

Code Select Expand

Category: Type of Research: Levels: Cost:
Tools Mining 10, Miner's picks are 10% more effective per level level*1500 Research points.
Tools Firefighting 10, Firefighting are 10% more effective per level level*2000 Research points.
Tools Construction 10, Construction are 10% more effective per level level*1500 Research points.
Tools Growing 10, Growing are 10% more effective per level level*1500 Research points.
Tools Research 10, Research are 10% more effective per level level*5000 Research points.
Food Nutrient resynthesis 4, Nutrient paste dispensers consume 5% less food per meal produced. level*2200 Research points.

Instead of revoking it the system instead just expand it.
So what do people think?

[ShadowDragon8685]

It would give a reason to have full-time researchers.

I think the numbers could stand to be brought down, though. Say, about 50%. It'd be easy to get a little ways into any research tree, but still make absolute dominance a pain. Also, leave it open-ended.

[Amaror]

Nah, that kind of research seems kinda booring.
Research should be new stuff, not just a bit more effective skills.

[ShadowDragon8685]

Boring but Practical is a valid strategy, and it should be so.

Not to mention it's a hell of a lot easier to implement.

[Galileus]

Boring but practical is also called busy work and should be left for hack&slashers. I'm with Amaror all the way.

[ShadowDragon8685]

Boring but practical is also called busy work and should be left for hack&slashers. I'm with Amaror all the way.

Boring but practical is basically the entire premise of city-building games, whereas the exact opposite is the idea in hack and slash or machine-gun rampage games.

Incredible. You want your action games to be boring and your building games to be bloodsoaked, crotch-kicking carnage. You must be a masochist or something.

[lt_halle]

I personally think this should be added in in addition to all the research we currently have and more.

As it stands, there's next to no point in anyone who specializes in research because you research everything a few days sooner than you would otherwise and then the skill is 100% worthless.

And it's not really busy work. Well, I mean, it is, but it has balance. You have to choose if you want to devote one of your colonists to researching or if you want to have him actually do things. Until a decent ways in that can be 20-25% of your work force.

Mostly I just want something so I feel like the 14 research skill on several of my colonists isn't be utterly wasted.

[Galileus]

Boring but practical is basically the entire premise of city-building games

If they would be boring, no-one would play them. They are engaging - planing and watching your plan spring can be as exciting as any action game.

Mining for another 5%, then mining for another 5%, there's nothing exciting in that. Despite all your ad hominem.

Also, for one hundredth thime for frell's sake - RimWorld is a colony builder SLASH tactical combat sim, unless you choose no-raiders mode.

[ShadowDragon8685]

If they would be boring, no-one would play them. They are engaging - planing and watching your plan spring can be as exciting as any action game.

And yet, boring-but-practical remains the meat-and-potatoes of the research trees. 5% here, 5% there, it adds up. Do it twice, and that's 10%. Do it ten times, and that's 50%

Increasing the numbers that drives the player's actions is one of the simplest and best ways to upgrade them. Sure, it doesn't have the wizz-bang factor of an entirely new type of gun, but it is simple and reliable. In most of the games I've played, simple and reliable is superior to wizz-bang, which often start off wholly inferior to simple and reliable.

Mining for another 5%, then mining for another 5%, there's nothing exciting in that. Despite all your ad hominem.

Exciting, no, but it sure as hell does make long-term mining faster and simpler. The more you do it, the more your miners can get done in one day before they have to sprint back to the barracks or the canteen because their tummies are rumbling and they want to go naptime.

Also, for one hundredth thime for frell's sake - RimWorld is a colony builder SLASH tactical combat sim, unless you choose no-raiders mode.

And 5% more damage, 5% more accuracy, etcetera, adds up, and would make a huge difference.

[Evul]

The techs in the first topic were only 4 examples in addition there could be many, effecting different things adding new buildings etc.
One other example could be upgrades to the 'nutrition thingy' giving lowering the  the bad stuff, and even the space when upgrading it long enoth.

This was the things i had time to write down.

[Galileus]

The problem with this solution is - it actually worsens the problem that is there right now. Researchers are used for research - and that's that. Once game gets filled with new stuff researchers should have more stuff to do - weather stations or disarming saboteurs' bombs would be ideas off the top of my mind. That makes researchers useful and artificially padding and bloating tech tree would instead make it un-fun to go through the research - research should be padded by other research projects, not by splitting one project into 15 forcefully.

[mumblemumble]

Boring but practical is basically the entire premise of city-building games

If they would be boring, no-one would play them.

Explain cookie clicker.

[starlight]

I think that the current Research system is a bit empty, also cause it is an alpha, but. here are some ideas to improve the current research system.

Here are some examples:

Code Select Expand

Category: Type of Research: Levels: Cost:
Tools Mining 10, Miner's picks are 10% more effective per level level*1500 Research points.
Tools Firefighting 10, Firefighting are 10% more effective per level level*2000 Research points.
Tools Construction 10, Construction are 10% more effective per level level*1500 Research points.
Tools Growing 10, Growing are 10% more effective per level level*1500 Research points.
Tools Research 10, Research are 10% more effective per level level*5000 Research points.
Food Nutrient resynthesis 4, Nutrient paste dispensers consume 5% less food per meal produced. level*2200 Research points.

Instead of revoking it the system instead just expand it.
So what do people think?

I prefer implicit research compared to explicit research.

For example: start mining with stone picks.
Discover and set up Metal-1 Picks (say iron) which require forges, etc.
Mine faster

Then discover and Set up Metal-2 picks and mine even faster.

[Galileus]

I prefer implicit research compared to explicit research.

For example: start mining with stone picks.
Discover and set up Metal-1 Picks (say iron) which require forges, etc.
Mine faster

Then discover and Set up Metal-2 picks and mine even faster.

Now, this is the way to do it. It's basically the same as +5%, +5%, +5% - but it relies a feeling of progression. You don't add arbitrary numbers to your picks - you invite new technologies, upgrade your tools and so on. Of course it's still the same - you just add arbitrary numbers, but that goes on behind a curtain. There is no immersion breaking as such. I would add that the arbitrary numbers should be arranged unevenly - here's a sneak peek of how it could look like:

tier - name - desc - effect

__________________
MINING LV 1 - Hydraulic compressors - "By adding hydraulic compressors to our mining tools, we can considerably improve their power and make mining easier" - +8% mining speed, unlocks SOMETHING LV X

SOMETHING LVL X - -/- - -/- - unlocks MINING LV 2

MINING LV 2 - Secondary heat sinks - "While adding a new heat reduction system will not give us a huge benefit by itself, we believe it is a necessary milestone in our attempts to massively increase mining performance of our tools" - +2% mining speed, unlocks MINING LV 3

MINING LV3 - Overdrive - "With massively increased heat reduction of our picks, we can now double the engine's output without having to worry about it's failure. This will give us a huge increase in mining speed!" - +20% mining speed
__________________

Now, what happens here: we pretty much gave player 3 researches of +10%. But it's not what happened for the player. Cross-disciplines research gives the illusion of intricate system, while barely adding to it's complexity. Little backstory distracts player from thinking about research in terms of numbers - he still will, but he'll believe it's because he wants it so. By padding research with pre-requisite tech (mining lv 2) we keeps player from goodies and keep him engaged - while promising him said goodies with the backstory. All of this results in much more engaging game, where every single piece works to keep the illusion of grand scheme around the player.

Of course all names and descriptions and numbers are pure, unaltered bolognese

[Nemo]

How about more general story like events e.g.

research 'campfire': many champion it's invention few mention how much time has to be spent looking for fire wood to keep it going.

- would unlock a range of items e.g. torch, stove etc. + vice pyromaniac

research 'first metal': after many a lump of slag and burnt eyebrows we finally smelted some metal. Mostly copper and tin but it's a start!

- unlock metal goods level 1, cups, pipes, pots (for cooking), conductors (with high crafting skill), better mining picks, lamps + vice asthmatic

Basically each research would affect a group of items (e.g. mining picks dig 5% faster) and unlock others but each progression unlocks a different set of items

e.g. 'first metal' unlocks lamps level 1 (burn out after an hour and refuelled everyday) but to get a level 2 lamp (burns +5% longer) you have to research 'making swamp gas' from a different section of the tree.

Think it would give it a more story like element.

Also would like to suggest vices which are hidden traits that only get revealed when technology is researched e.g. colonist bob is perfectly good hardworking colonist then distillation is invented and guess what he's an alcoholic and now he can brew as much moonshine as he can get away with (gets drunk trait randomly)