Goonhub
03-09-2015, 08:19 AM
Disclaimer: I have not had the chance to experiment with module research, so I'll be going off of what other folks have been saying.
First off, I'm pretty sure that Brobots are still one of the default modules. So are medborgs. I think that the tightening of standard modules helps remove all of the extraneous and barely-used modules, rebalancing things a bit. As far as flexibility goes, I'd like to repeat a point I made before: Don't the tiny little medbots and securitrons that putter around the station basically fit the "lack of flexibility but really good at one thing" criteria already? Why make the cyborgs their larger, player-controlled cousins?
The way I see it, cyborgs should be a middleground between complete specialization and the autonomy of humans. Cyborgs can't be as versatile as humans, but the main problem with being a cyborg, and the problem with many of the old modules, is that it's hard to do your one job when that job does not need to be done. If there's already someone mining asteroids, what's the miningborg supposed to do? If there are no faulty wirings, what's the engieborg supposed to do? If there are no hull breaches, (which is a rather unlikely scenario, but still) what is the constructionborg supposed to do?
Humans, in those scenarios, can just wander off and do something else. They can pick up a new job. But cyborgs can't do it as easily, not without someone willing to switch out their modules and a trip all the way over to the nearest docking station. What module research does is that it expands the cyborg's functionality and usefulness while still maintaining a limited scope of utility. Maybe the medborg wants to become a combat medic and stun evildoers while helping out their victims, maybe the engieborg wants to do some construction work. Module research lets that happen.
But this is all conceptually. Practically, there have been complaints all around about how godawfully long it takes to do anything for module research, which makes this potential application falls flat. If this is tweaked to make it more feasible during normal play, then I think it will make cyborgs more useful, not less.
First off, I'm pretty sure that Brobots are still one of the default modules. So are medborgs. I think that the tightening of standard modules helps remove all of the extraneous and barely-used modules, rebalancing things a bit. As far as flexibility goes, I'd like to repeat a point I made before: Don't the tiny little medbots and securitrons that putter around the station basically fit the "lack of flexibility but really good at one thing" criteria already? Why make the cyborgs their larger, player-controlled cousins?
The way I see it, cyborgs should be a middleground between complete specialization and the autonomy of humans. Cyborgs can't be as versatile as humans, but the main problem with being a cyborg, and the problem with many of the old modules, is that it's hard to do your one job when that job does not need to be done. If there's already someone mining asteroids, what's the miningborg supposed to do? If there are no faulty wirings, what's the engieborg supposed to do? If there are no hull breaches, (which is a rather unlikely scenario, but still) what is the constructionborg supposed to do?
Humans, in those scenarios, can just wander off and do something else. They can pick up a new job. But cyborgs can't do it as easily, not without someone willing to switch out their modules and a trip all the way over to the nearest docking station. What module research does is that it expands the cyborg's functionality and usefulness while still maintaining a limited scope of utility. Maybe the medborg wants to become a combat medic and stun evildoers while helping out their victims, maybe the engieborg wants to do some construction work. Module research lets that happen.
But this is all conceptually. Practically, there have been complaints all around about how godawfully long it takes to do anything for module research, which makes this potential application falls flat. If this is tweaked to make it more feasible during normal play, then I think it will make cyborgs more useful, not less.