BigResearch overhaul idea that would encourage, but not force the player to automate everything.

[Artman40]

I think I talked about this before but I'd like to explain the concept further.

First of all, I'd propose that it would be great if most items could be used to conduct research, rather than a select few. In order to do that, you'd still need your base ingredients to make science packs, but you could research a new building (perhaps a blue science tier research) called
science assembly building (temporary bad name)

...that would allow you to add other items in addition to base ingredients in order to greatly boost the production of science packs to significantly reduce the amount of raw materials needed per research (not just a tiny amount).

So after researching the science assembly building, most items that you can make would get three new values:

1. What type of science pack it can be used to boost its science pack making productivity (for an example, simple items like iron sticks or wood would boost red science pack production while the very complex ones like beacons and power armor MK 2 would boost high-tech science pack production).

2. How much does it boost productivity per pack. (it would depend on the cost of raw materials per extra ingredient vs raw materials needed per base ingredients).

3. How many science packs a single item can be used to boost. (items like copper wire would be needed 1 per science pack while a single portable fusion reaction could last to boost several science packs). Basically, if the raw materials needed per additional ingredient is high compared to amount of raw materials needed to produce base ingredients for its respective science pack, it would help to boost multiple science packs).

How would science assembly building work:

Science assembly machines would be larger than normal assemblers (maybe 3×3 or 4×4 of size). In order for them to work, you'd select what kind of science pack you'd like to make.

After selecting the science pack you'd like to produce, a list of possible additional ingredients are listed. You could manually select which ingredients have to be in science assembly building in order for science pack production to start and which ones don't have to be there (but can be). Then let all the ingredients arrive at the machine as it's usual.

So a science pack production will start. In addition to extra science pack production that each ingredient adds, the productivity is cumulative. The more different ingredients you have when researching a science pack, the more science packs you produce per raw materials. (although it's pretty hard to calculate the exact values, especially if additional ingredients require resources that base ingredients don't need).

It could get tricky with space science packs though. Perhaps rocket silos could simply accept pretty much every item in order to produce as many space science packs per rocket launch as possible?

In conclusion, I think this idea would be good for a several reasons.

1.As stated, it encourages the experienced players to automate as many things as possible while relatively inexperienced players aren't forced to automate absolutely everything.

2.It rewards the player for making complex chains of assembly lines. It's satisfying to watch once you've automated a lot of things.

3.It kind of fits that science packs wouldn't require just a few specific ingredients but rather they're something you'd want to cram a lot of things into.

4.As it would encourage to automate as many things as possible, you'll end up making stuff you normally don't make, giving more reasons to experiment with things you've made.

5.It allows players to productively get rid of "junk" or "obsolete" items like wood, simple weapons etc.

6.It's also good in multiplayer. For an example, if you'd automate power armor MK2, players new to the server can easily get it to catch up with other players.

7. Since it reduces the amount of raw materials per science pack (which is a major resource sink), it makes resource fields last longer, making each mine expansion more productive. Although this one could be both plus and minus. Minus because it discourages you for taking as many mines as possible, it can be a plus as resource fields would last longer. Longer-lasting mines mean that bigger factories can be supported.

Possible issues and questions

1. Would science assembly machines also accept liquids? Perhaps different liquids for each science pack?

2. Aside from red science packs where simple ingredients can be used, how to distribute other items between different science packs? There's a lot of military stuff but it could be a bit lopsided if all of them could be used to produce military science packs. Perhaps some items could be distributed to green, blue and high-tech science packs?

3. Should the complexity of additional ingredients compared to base ingredients be a bit flexible? For an example, green circuits are simpler to make than base ingredients for green science pack but more complex for red science packs.

Thank you for reading. Hopefully it's not a bad idea.

I wonder if a mod would be good idea in order to test it.

[Artman40]

There were a few alternatives I was considering:

1. Make science assembly building the upgraded research lab instead. This would work when it could research only a single type of science per building. It gets messy when trying to add ingredients that enhance different science packs.

2. Make science assembly building science enhancement building that's a separate building between assembly machine and research lab. That would mean making some kind of new science pack or product.

3. Make a building that merges a functionality of research lab and assembly building. Again, the drawbacks would be the same as in option 1.

[sparr]

If you mod it, they will play.

[Artman40]

I wish I had the ability to mod it.

[ssilk]

Added to viewtopic.php?f=80&t=14645 Research-queue and -progress Visualizaton / Research-Overhauls

Indeed a similar suggestions is already there...