What is the vision for Researcher?

[ThePiachu]

So, I've been wondering, what is the longer-term vision for Researcher as a role? Do the devs have a direction they will be eventually taking the role, or is it currently just sitting around while more urgent work is being done?

I've been playing a lot of Research lately, and I've found it a pretty fun role to experiment with the game mechanics, but I feel there could be more to the role than xeno incubator and occasional anti-zombie task force.

Maybe Research could be the role that can have access to chems outside of normal medbay chemmaster - being able to make teargas, flamethrower mixes, welding fuel or the like.

Maybe they could sort of use more advanced tech like the one found on Predators? Those are so rare to come by anyway that it might be interesting to see a Researcher be able to use them without gutting themselves with a throwing disk...

Or maybe they just ought to make some crazy combination drugs for the medbay / medics and treat things like Ultrazine addiction.

What is your take on the matter? Where do you think the Researchers could be applied in the future to make the role interesting and unique?

[Bulaven]

To wear alien chitin plates in my breastplate and scream "My armor is your mother".

Seriously, though, I would personally like to see a little more freedom in the Research Division. Even little things, like prototype energy weapons, advanced explosives/ammunition, improved medicine, and perhaps a chemical method of combating xenos.

[ThePiachu]

There is a lot of freedom in Research, just not a lot of utility. You can do a lot of crazy stuff there, but it's just not very useful. I've taken the role to experiment with a few mechanics and a lot of different chemicals, but if you're not playing human v human, it won't help you much.

[DefinitelyAlone0309]

I won't mind if research is aimed away from combat application, and is just used for non-combat situations; because combat applications for the research department can get icky with the "powergamey" stuff.

Something like a small projector that can adjust the temperature in a 4x4 area for field hospital on Ice, or service borgs to help with the dchat boredom.

[TastyCrabLegs]

I used to love playing RD, at least you used to be able to make chitlin plates.

Now IF you get lucky a synth will bring you an egg. But mostly you just end up with people bringing you every fucking dead xeno they find.

"RD we got something for you" surprise its like 5 runner corpses..... t-thanks?

And for fucks sake why the hell can the RD guys not open the shutters to inner RD?
The CL can but can't get into the front door or RD.....

It's just confusing and weird right now

[Grubstank]

I think the big problem with research is that giving them something to do inevitably means giving them rewards for that effort -- and that pretty much translates to buffs.

You see this on every server with a significant r&d system -- science inevitably turns into a den of powergaming munchkins.

I could see the role working if they were able to do minor upgrades to the non-combat aspects of the ship after a significant amount of effort (eg - slightly faster supply points regeneration, or perhaps a medivac that can pull three stretchers per fly-by instead of two.).

[Vampmare]

Researcher? What is that, some kind of weirdly named doctor?

I think it's hard to place researchers and make them useful without making it a powergamers paradise. Likely also the reason it hasn't been changed for some time now.

They're mostly a fluff/rp role right now and it is sad to see.

[Grubstank]

Perhaps we could build on their shipboard importance? While the CL's wet dream is always going to be getting live xenos, I feel that we could make something work out with all the useless dead xenos corpses that get dumped onto research.
A live sample is one thing, but I'm sure Wey-Yu would also kill to get their hands on the genetic sequence of aliens. If we add the ability for researchers to partial DNA sequencing on each corpse that comes up, that might be a good way to add to their importance without affecting balance.

[CABAL]

Getting chitin plates from them and making it into armor - Sounds neat.
T1 could give 1 plate, T2 - 3 and T3 - 6 for example.

That armor should be upgrade of SL armor in terms of statistic:
- Faster mouvement (Since lighter materials)
- Medium acid resistance
- Better armor against bullets and melle

Just an idea.

[Nantei]

I would rather see researcher be powergamer paradise than uh... nothing? Because as is they are just doctors with more freedom.

[Dauntasa]

Well, I submitted a gitlab idea for researcher and it got tagged as Research-related and then closed instantly. Looking through the research tag on gitlab, it looks like they insta-close any Researcher related suggestions, so they must have some sort of plan for it already.

[Bulaven]

Odd..

[GenericUsername]

My suggestion is still open so guess that's not true

[Royal Griffon]

Laying Hyperzine all over the ship
And then getting charge stacked into perma

[Bulaven]

Getting chitin plates from them and making it into armor - Sounds neat.
T1 could give 1 plate, T2 - 3 and T3 - 6 for example.

That armor should be upgrade of SL armor in terms of statistic:
- Faster mouvement (Since lighter materials)
- Medium acid resistance
- Better armor against bullets and melle

Just an idea.

If I recall, in the LONG ago, Research -Could- take chitin from the xenos and reinforce armor with it. By the sounds of it, that just ain't the case anymore.

[Grubstank]

Getting chitin plates from them and making it into armor - Sounds neat.
T1 could give 1 plate, T2 - 3 and T3 - 6 for example.

That armor should be upgrade of SL armor in terms of statistic:
- Faster mouvement (Since lighter materials)
- Medium acid resistance
- Better armor against bullets and melle

Just an idea.

Doesn't this just reduce the researcher to a power gaming unga role? Not to mention that getting researchers plates would be a team effort, with the rewards going to a single person who happens to be the researcher's favorite

[ThePiachu]

It would be interesting to have Research be useful in their unique way. Say, being able to treat Ultrazine addiction (not eliminating it, but say, shortening the debuff and making it more bearable with some good meds), or give them some goals to achieve for rewards - "bring large xeno corpse in, put it in Research Machine 2000, get some special meds or buffs". This way the Marines would have a reason to work with Research and have some more goals than just "go in, shoot things, continue".

[CABAL]

-Snip?-

If armor would need 15-20 plates to make then I don't think so. Something like armor can't be powergamed in the way Ultrazine in cigs. Intended use is to give few important marines (SLs, CO, robust PFCs, turret operators etc) superior armor.

Researcher should do that, few small things that might make a diffrence in battle by giving few marines slight "boost". Just give them IC rule to handle any prototypes to CiC, so they can dispense it properly. Several "creative" prototypes are "cool", stuff about RO points from "Research" is not that cool and can be "powergamed".

Idea of overall "buffs" for all/most marines is something I don't like.

[Mister Jeether]

I play researcher VERY often, and i got to admit, it's kind of a pure RP role right now. While you can do alot of cool stuff with it, you eventually get bored. It's a pretty cool role to try out if you are new to Surgery, for example. Or medicine in general, since no one really cares about what you do, except if you get a xeno on containment, then expect MPs to arrest you because ''I AM THE LAW!!''

I'm sure devs got something in mind for research later on, though.

[Bulaven]

Doesn't this just reduce the researcher to a power gaming unga role? Not to mention that getting researchers plates would be a team effort, with the rewards going to a single person who happens to be the researcher's favorite

Well. How it -Was- when they could cut alien chitin off of corpses and reinforce armor with it was...

Literally just the Researchers throwing the prepared chitin plates next to the Rasputin (The old shuttle) for Marines to grab, first come, first serve.

[Grubstank]

Well. How it -Was- when they could cut alien chitin off of corpses and reinforce armor with it was...

Literally just the Researchers throwing the prepared chitin plates next to the Rasputin (The old shuttle) for Marines to grab, first come, first serve.

That doesn't really make it any better -- potential favoritism/metabuddies is only a part of the problem there.

[Bulaven]

That doesn't really make it any better -- potential favoritism/metabuddies is only a part of the problem there.

Well, if you come up with a better system, I would be happy to hear it.

Not that it really matters, now, since I don't think the plates are a thing anymore.

[Saytkl77]

I dont see how giving research something benefical they can do turns it into powergaming.

By the same logic you could say requisitions is powergaming because they give marines attachments, medical is powergaming because they heal wounded marines, staff officers are powergaming because they fire orbital beacons.

Just make sure whatever they can do is reasonably balanced compared to other roles. I wouldn't worry about balance too much either, I'm sure researchers handing out some modest upgrades to 10-20 marines over the round, isn't going to do much other than a couple % shift in winrate for marines, and they can also throw in some random xenos buffs if necessary.