08-15-2016, 01:00 PM
(08-15-2016, 02:41 AM)Nnystyxx Wrote: I dunno, more for general-purpose scientists to do would be nice. Currently your options are:
- Toxins (Make bombs you are not allowed to use in 99% of circumstances)
- Artifacts (Death bombs, wands, traps, stupid forcefield/darkness stuff, 1% of the time is something benevolent/useful, dependent on QM/mining to keep being used)
- Telescience (Drain all of telescience's power, go somewhere and die horribly, steal gimmick items from telesci locations)
- Chemistry (Make hellchems, possibly get shit on by admins because chemistry is evil nerd magic)
Most of it being very niche, unhelpful, or unpredictable, except for chemistry which is hyper-powerful if you know the secret buttchems. The proposed R&D branch would be a good alternative, I think, being more multidisciplinary and giving the "witness the power of science!" feeling. It gives people new stuff to learn-- what to do, what to make, the most effective way of doing stuff, what people will appreciate, and so on.
It could even use that unused junk room that used to possess a particle accelerator, turn that room into an R&D lab for consolidating your research and crafting stuff, but don't give it a dearth of space to use/implement that stuff, so the scientists are forced to go out and apply their newfound knowledge & tech rather than stay secluded. The room's like, 4 by 6 tiles max if I recall. Just enough to put some nice flavor, some computers in, keep the fabricator/add ones for the R&D branch, and so on.
I think there's plenty of grounds and opportunity for it to exist. Plus, the Research Director. . well, he could use some research to direct! Research that isn't secret hellmixes that you'll get banned for leaking, secret hellchems that you'll get banned for leaking, meta #sol stuff that doesn't really matter, or, uh. . artifacts, I guess? We need something to learn and do. Most of science at this moment is just secret overpowered shit that exists only for antags, or so unpredictable and niche as to be useless in 90% of cases. Mechanics are more useful than scientists most of the time, and those guys make machines that play the sax when you step on floor tiles or shoot you into space.
also I think a reagent attachment to the chem dispenser that pours out beff or blood or pepperoni would be hilarious
one idea i had is that RnD would work a bit like a crafting system in that you use a machine with the blue prints to most if not all the stations equipment and you have to figure out how to combine them to make more advanced equipment and for more high tier equipment would have to go out and scan things in the derbies field. and i thought with artifacts we could break them down and turn the into different high tier equipment