Move some research to Cargo or to Autolathes

EmoGarbage404 commented 10 months ago

Description

We have a bunch of tier 1 research that is super crappy. A lot of it is basically found on station. This is just a list of all the shit that really ought to be moved out / replaced.

Keep in mind, after these are pruned or modified, disciplines still need to have equal amounts of techs and overall point cost.

Industrial

[x] Salvage Equipment: could use more items. The drills are nice but it could use the ore scanner or a better bag or something.
[x] Advanced Powercells: Medium is a garbage upgrade and half of the items on station start with medium cells in them.
[x] Industrial Engineering: All of this is just round-start equipment.
[ ] Atmospherics: Extremely trim with not much meaningful stuff in it.
[x] Advanced Atmospherics: Both of these are round-start.
[x] Super Powercells: Extremely overpriced & too high in the tree. Could easily be a cheap Tier 1.

Biochemical (died in the war)

[x] Chemistry: The goggles, jug, and payload are the only actual unlocks. Everything else is common as HELL.
[x] Surgical Tools: They should at least be advanced tools or something. Basic tools are gonna be common as hell once surgery becomes a thing.
[x] Biochemical Stasis: Neither of the unlocks are super good so this could just use an extra unlock or two. (#22021)
[x] Virology: Actual garbage. Literally nothing useful in it at all.
[x] Cryogenics: Another round-start item packaged in a tech.
[x] Chemical Dispensary: Chem dispenser is on a ticking clock and chem master is a really weak item overall. This is going to need to be redone sooner rather than later.

Arsenal

[x] Practice Ammunition: Considering these aren't even practical weapons, there's no point in locking them behind anything.

Experimental

[ ] Basic Robotics: Yet another tech that is either just round-start crap or pretty worthless junk. The proximity sensor is the only notable thing in the tech and its only use is just making little bots.
[ ] Basic Anomalous Research: All of the round-start anomaly equipment in here could probably go, except for vessels and APEs. The scanners are the only novel thing in there.
[ ] Alternative Research: Tech disk printer is funny but also it's round-start on most maps and really not that interesting.
[x] Abnormal Artifact Manipulation: Traversal distorter is kinda a dumb item and really isn't worth getting most of the time. Could use more artifact stuff in this tech in general to make it more worthwhile.

Civilian Services

[x] Janitorial Equipment: Literally more round-start garbage. Just axe it wholesale.
[x] Laundry Tech: Once we get stains, make a washing machine and then make a sci-fi washing machine and stick it here. Uniform printer being here is also dumb.
[ ] Basic Hydroponics: Besides the borg modules, just make some sci-fi upgraded botany machines and put them here.
[x] Food Service: Everything in here should be roundstart if it isn't already. TFW you have to unlock a microwave.
[ ] Audio Visual Communication: Nobody builds these in scale frequently enough to justify this. The boards also should be combined to be less bloaty.

deltanedas commented 10 months ago

AVC only useful thing is telecomms server for expeds which you can just take 1 of the servers from comms on almost all maps anyway

IProduceWidgets commented 10 months ago

If we wanted to give each department their own fab like the SecFab then I can see what you're saying. However, a lot of these unlocks are specifically so science can unlock them for their use more than the station's.

For instance the chemistry and janitorial unlocks are very useful if you want to make chem grenades or do janky reagent science with the arties or new anom. Similar for the microwave.

If you make them all round start then science becomes (even more) the bother cargo for mats department.

AjexRose commented 10 months ago

Abnormal Artifact Manipulation: Traversal distorter is kinda a dumb item and really isn't worth getting most of the time. Could use more artifact stuff in this tech in general to make it more worthwhile.

Maybe we can have a new research called "Advanced Research Methods" which could include the CHIMP, Traversal, and the Anomaly Syncronizer if it gets merged.

EmoGarbage404 commented 10 months ago

If we wanted to give each department their own fab like the SecFab then I can see what you're saying.

i added all the sprites for the fabs btw.

However, a lot of these unlocks are specifically so science can unlock them for their use more than the station's. For instance the chemistry and janitorial unlocks are very useful if you want to make chem grenades or do janky reagent science with the arties or new anom. Similar for the microwave.

I think this really just encourages science to act in a self-serving way. They shouldn't be encouraged to spend their research on things that only benefit themselves. At the very least, making them upgrades to existing equipment means that they could serve both the station staff and science equally well (like how the advanced mop is)

If you make them all round start then science becomes (even more) the bother cargo for mats department.

If you replace them with something good, though, science becomes the "get funny upgrade gear" department.

space-wizards / space-station-14