Safeguarding Chemistry's Job Demand

[cheekybrdy]

I've been looking at methods to solve chem's lack of demand for a bit and have tried to get methods for this on a few forum posts (https://forum.ss13.co/showthread.php?tid=22364, https://forum.ss13.co/showthread.php?tid=22574, https://forum.ss13.co/showthread.php?tid=22682). From what I understand from these there's 3 main problems effecting chem.

1. Chemistry's demand for general chemicals is cut in a third by pharmacy and bar, and due to them being accessible easier by tiders, almost entirely cuts small chem requests, and bulk being chems remaining area and specialty is not in high demand (botany, kitchen). Alot of abstract chemicals are outcompeted by other departments too, although this is intentional.

2. Chemistry can be done by anyone who has the relevant OOC spreadsheet, this I've already made a attempt at fixing in https://github.com/goonstation/goonstation/pull/19190. This was a draft attempt at mirroring surgery in chemistry in order to dampen the amount of people bypassing chemists by adding risk this is inherently a controversial idea which had the following developer response, "Not a fan, tying little bonuses like artifact hints or construction speed to job training is okay but making an entire mechanic worse or dangerous to use based on invisible traits feels very bad. Not to mention job transfers etc". Quite understandable from a game design standpoint, and while personally I'm somewhat confused on what this is doing that surgery accidents are not, its quite clear that this isn't the right route, and I personally am at a loss on how to address this issue without using a destructive method (I personally feel this issue is the most problematic as well), I am interested on adding single use job trait adding books to head lockers, just as some more misc loot for head lockers in general.

3. Chemists when they do stay there are invested in a particular chem, and fully switching to make a request can feel jarring and delaying. I feel like this is more on how most chem rounds being indirect in goals end up being directed to advanced chems which can feel jarring to switch gear constantly for other's wishes.

The point of this is to collate and request ideas on how you'd address these problems, The scientist training I can think of ways to add benefits to but I'm at a loss to fix the chemical powergaming/lack of demand issue that was a part of sci training's initial idea was intended to eventually address without trying to add risk to the general populace.

[Emimiyu]

For making chem to have more demands, I think like artsci and toxin, I think that chems should be able to have a "bounty" or requisition at start without having QM to nag them first. If you look at artsci, they start with artifacts, there are monetary and fun reward for doing artsci, they do not have to wait for QM to come to them first, even if they would need to wait for an artifact to be send from miner or QM. And so does toxin, they already start with their own pressure crystal.

I think, for chemist to do thing, maybe instead of QM coming to sci with chem request first, it should be sci first to come to QM. This is just an example, maybe chem should start with bounty computer or something, then next they have to come to QM to fulfill the req, instead of the recent system where sci need to wait for QM to bug them first. Something like that may help. Idk if this is a solution to the problems, but at least it gives chems thing to do.

[meaow589]

Agree with upper comment I normally do contract for fun when I do chem.but chem contract is not quite often see.

[mintyphresh]

I think, for chemist to do thing, maybe instead of QM coming to sci with chem request first, it should be sci first to come to QM.

This is an excellent idea.