[100 usd] paid work, RnD role/job

[oranges]

Looking to introduce a new system for scientists to do sciency things.

What I don't have is a clear idea for actual mechanics/ideas.

There used to be an event system for anomalies that would appear randomly around the station., perhaps that could be expanded/improved.

Or porting xenoarcheology or a similar system from Bay or otherwise.

[Stickymayhem]

>mfw I'm actually making a design doc for a cool anomaly based research role and the citrus deletes me

[oranges]

it looked like a shitpost

[Stickymayhem]

it looked like a shitpost

It was but then I got inspired and now I have three page design doc for a sick new science role that I don't think would be impossible to code.

[Stickymayhem]

https://tgstation13.org/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=14930

done

[onleavedontatme]

This sounds cool but it's basically mini away missions/ruins

And the problem with both away missions and ruins is it takes a significant amount of work to make them look and function interestingly

You need a ton of them to fill out the pool, and few people want to sprite new turfs+new walls+new mobs+new background clutter+a new item+code the new item+map all this and then have a small chance of that appearing rather than just code a new item and cram it into the protolathe or an unplink

The amount of spritework is the real hurdle here

[Armhulen]

can we have giant randomized dungeons for these pocket dimensions and you collect orbs that increase your rnd level but random monsters come at you and you might get lost in the maze and the maze slowly melts and gets more hellish the longer you stay there and the monsters get stronger and it's FOR SCIENCE

[MMMiracles]

This sounds cool but it's basically mini away missions/ruins

And the problem with both away missions and ruins is it takes a significant amount of work to make them look and function interestingly

You need a ton of them to fill out the pool, and few people want to sprite new turfs+new walls+new mobs+new background clutter+a new item+code the new item+map all this and then have a small chance of that appearing rather than just code a new item and cram it into the protolathe or an unplink

The amount of spritework is the real hurdle here

Making ruins/away missions was something I found genuinely enjoyable, especially away missions when they were still active. I'm sure there'd be more people willing to volunteer in time for these types of structures if more love was put into being able to actually find them.

[Stickymayhem]

I would be willing to crank out pocket dimensions. I think the real smart of this is that they are only holodeck sized and completely unrestricted by thematic logic. That's a good recipe for cool little mini-adventures, new ghost roles and a great way for new people to add little things they made without it being disruptive.

[Oldman Robustin]

I'm trying to do this for EVERY department, not just science, and I know exactly how to do it (well for science) without making it making the player into a human "Wiki to Button Clicking Translator".

I was going to start with Engineering since I already have a half-dozen items sitting in our code along with systems for generating more research points (the factory, the atmos canister market, excess power exporting).

This system would be really smooth outside of science, but inside science it would raise a necessary problem. Would science's special projects system generate benefits that accrued primarily to science (special science-only tech nodes that require project completions to unlock/complete) or would it just serve as a way to boost the general research point generation?

My current design contemplates a hybrid where doing special science projects would generate "science" research points but those those points could be translated into general research points.

There's also the issue of projects vs. a more passive increase to point generation. I had contemplated stuff like projects/department goals (i.e. atmos has to produce an exceptionally difficult mix inside a canister) that would allow that department as a requirement for their "endgame" tech nodes - but the departments could also have a more passive way to generate research points, i.e. by exporting excess power.

Would a new RND job be like other jobs (Xeno/Viro/Gene) where you basically start the shift with a goal in mind and while it will take a significant amount of time and effort, you will be "done" once you reach your goal - or will you be a more incremental job like cargo or mining where you can help make important progress <5m into the round but you're never truly "done"?

It's an important question. The incremental jobs are less satisfying in my experience. People seem to prefer a longer wait with a big payoff over a linear system where the payoff for your work begins very early in the round but without a defined goal there's far less satisfaction for doing your job well. Miners ejaculate over dropping megafauna or looting chests, neither of which have anything to do with the true purpose of their job. I think the problem is exacerbated by the fact that research generation is currently passive. Even with a year of improvements the system will either have a passive backbone or the system would become so decentralized that no one individual would have emotional "ownership" over research point generation.

TL;DR

Research point generation = Incremental, passive. A way to boost research is necessary but would be a mediocre job if all responsibility fell on this role for boosting research but the rewards remain quite diffuse (as they should, the old system had RND solely responsibly for tech gains but we removed it because having all the rewards accrue to them was unsustainable as well).

As part of a larger system I would instead have most departments capable of contributing to research generation and RND would instead be Science's primary vehicle for contributing. The role I envision would be essentially tasked with solving complex randomized puzzles, the sort you can't cheese with a Google search or algorithm, and solving the puzzle would be one of the department projects that would unlock science-only tech nodes necessary for the best endgame tech. Shorter puzzles could be completed for a smaller, more incremental, boost to research.

[SaveVatznick]

Code Space Beans.
Science is fun again.

[Qbopper]

The amount of spritework is the real hurdle here

art has killed two prs i made that i actually had coded

[Selea]

Basically I've done new science role--circuit developer.With mechanics and lab.
If it isn't enought, I could try with anomalous materials. But I need some help with discussion of this feature.

[oranges]

cancelled

[captain sawrge]

did you really cancel this cause kev spent the last one on catgirl art

[oranges]

no? Nobody was coming forward so I spent the money on some networking gear.

[Selea]

not so fast!

[captain sawrge]

no? Nobody was coming forward so I spent the money on some networking gear.

Fair.