Research Laboratory Tiering

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Quantum_mechanic
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Research Laboratory Tiering

Post by Quantum_mechanic »

Research Laboratory Tiering
Add a tiered variety of buildings to conduct research.

What ?
Right now research is moderately straightforward: craft science packs and feed into a research lab, conduct science.
What I am proposing may be considered of a rework of the research system where
{Stage 1}
Traditional science labs conduct research using hand or simple factory crafted red and green science packs, similar to the basic grey factory this lab only has two or possibly three slots for input.

What we have.
labnow.png
labnow.png (23.86 KiB) Viewed 1112 times
{Stage 2}
Once three or more science packs are required, players will begin to be able to construct an advanced laboratory with capacity for up to four or five different science packs, this advanced lab will also conduct research more quickly than the traditional laboratory, possibly even able to accept one or two fluid inputs as well which could further augment research speed because everything runs faster with Lubricant, and Sulfuric Acid is a staple of science. Because this would be used as a speed increase, the research to craft this structure could replace the early game research bonuses.

The traditional lab would be granted a new function at this stage, rather than crafting advanced science packs in factories, grey, blue, yellow; the traditional lab would take over the task as the exclusive manufacturer (barring handcraft perhaps) of the middle stage science packs i.e. Production Science Packs, Military Science Packs, Science Pack 3.

A quick composite image of an idea for an advanced Lab. Relatively much more massive than traditional lab, something like a 6x6 or even odd 7x7.
futureLab.png
futureLab.png (95.12 KiB) Viewed 1112 times
{Stage 3}
In the final stage we come to the Research Citadel, Acropolis?, Ultimate Building of All Knowledge?
Accepting of all science packs known to Factorians (someone used that term in a post I read prior to this), With the capacity to conduct research concurrently with seven (or more?) science packs only this facility has the delicate instruments required to investigate the peak of technology whether they be molded from the minds of men or retrieved from the depths of the heavens, no mystery will go unpunished, err undiscovered.
Unquestionably this structure will require anything the advanced laboratory does or at least have the same options as fluid inputs.

Likewise with the advent of this structure the advanced laboratory will be relegated, as its predecessor the traditional laboratory, to a manufacturers role for the highest of earthly research material, the High Tech Science Packs. Remembering the size of the structure the output of science packs would be similarly massive.

While throwing my composite for an advanced lab together I had an idea to make a circle of labs with something like a Plasma ball (Recommend Google or Youtube if you're unfamiliar) later the thought shifted to "The Machine" from the movie Contact. Which someone was nice enough to model and post on Youtube for me to extract the animated GIF below. Thinking this structure is on the scale of the rocket or possibly larger 10 x 10.
Image
Why ?
The biggest reason I can come up with for doing this other than "It's Cool!" is that adding and modifying the function of the labs adds variety and depth to the research aspect of Factorio, rather than trying to awkwardly fit 4 different belts to a relatively minuscule 3x3 tile which I'll say, objectively, lacks visual aesthetic.

FactorioParadox
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Re: Research Laboratory Tiering

Post by FactorioParadox »

Honestly, I think this is basically just adding complexity for complexity's sake as it really adds nothing to the game other than making tiered research facilities that take up more space and an alternate way to speed up laboratories. It doesn't add really add depth like you say, just aesthetics and complexity, and you should never forgo good gameplay for the sake of either of those things.

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