I think the biggest problem with SS13 research is that the tech levels for every item are set in stone, meaning there is a single optimal path from 0 to max research which can be completed like an assembly line worker in as little time as a few minutes.
What if the tech yield of items was randomized each round, within a range? The fields an item has tech levels for would stay the same, but the actual levels would each shift +/- 1-3 or so each round, meaning that the path from 0 tech to max everything wouldn't be identical every round. The research computer could give you information about what items have the next level of research for each tech tree that round, so it would be a bit of a scavenger hunt since the next level could require something from any number of departments or locations on the station.
True that this is essentially a series of fetch quests, and I don't know if it would necessarily be the most fun option for the researcher, but this option at least wouldn't be exactly the same every round and could not be speedrun.
Depending on how difficult you want to make things, it could even be possible for no station-native item to roll correctly to satisfy a particular higher tech level, requiring off-station journeys some rounds in order to complete research.
As per #4.
I think the biggest problem with SS13 research is that the tech levels for every item are set in stone, meaning there is a single optimal path from 0 to max research which can be completed like an assembly line worker in as little time as a few minutes.
What if the tech yield of items was randomized each round, within a range? The fields an item has tech levels for would stay the same, but the actual levels would each shift +/- 1-3 or so each round, meaning that the path from 0 tech to max everything wouldn't be identical every round. The research computer could give you information about what items have the next level of research for each tech tree that round, so it would be a bit of a scavenger hunt since the next level could require something from any number of departments or locations on the station. True that this is essentially a series of fetch quests, and I don't know if it would necessarily be the most fun option for the researcher, but this option at least wouldn't be exactly the same every round and could not be speedrun. Depending on how difficult you want to make things, it could even be possible for no station-native item to roll correctly to satisfy a particular higher tech level, requiring off-station journeys some rounds in order to complete research.