Reaserch

[samual]

Hi,

in the last time, I have forgotten very often to research something. You can blame me. It just came into my mind, that it's not the intention of the game to have scientists doing nothing.

So I was asking myself some things:
- Wouldn't it be possible to have a queue of things to research?
- So that by default the next on is selected?
- And as in Production you will get a warning when the queue is empty?

I know new things are coming up after research, but you could change order and move them up or down. Just think it would help and would mimic the process of production very much.

[Nokim]

That happens to me too sometimes, so i second this idea. Actually all available researches can be queued by default and player just reorder them or reassign scientists as he likes. If research would spend more then just research time, say aliens, UFO parts, some resources or big sums of money - that will be another story.

[Jon_dArc]

On a tangent, it would also be nice to have a reason to split your efforts in a single base other than the occasional edge case where two mutually-nonrequisite techs are both required to be useful (the only case I can think of is DF Cartridge and any of the three personal laser weapons).

~J

[Wh1sper]

I have forgotten new research, also.
How about generating a new reminder email from the angry scientists, because they are having nothing to do and hanging around in the casino and playing UFO AI online all the time? 

[Nokim]

the only case I can think of is DF Cartridge and any of the three personal laser weapons

Even in that case it's better to finish one thing and start another - both will be researched in same time but you can start production earlier.

[samual]

Good to know I'm not the only one! Would be interested what the Developers think?

[geever]

well, time stops when a research topic is finished, you're notified to that. there was a request which is not to hard to do to be able to configure "messageoptions" to throw a popup on certain events. I think it could be done.

But queue for research is not useful imho. It's not, because often you wanna research a topic, then a topic was just opened due to this finished one and so..

-geever

[Nokim]

But queue for research is not useful imho. It's not, because often you wanna research a topic, then a topic was just opened due to this finished one and so..

Anyway it's better to get something else researched then nothing. And player always can reassign scientists to another topic. But usual thing will be just reorder topics on one's completion according to current priorities.

[Beric]

I would prefer something like Civ, where you're required to have something researching at all times (i.e. you can't unpause until you select a tech). Perhaps the research menu pops up and you're prompted to pick something?

[Nokim]

Perhaps the research menu pops up and you're prompted to pick something?

New tech NN in the late game?

[samual]

I agree with Nokim, bette anything than nothing!

The other one is OK as well. The game can stop as long as scientists have nothing to do when there is something to research.

[homunculus]

Even in that case it's better to finish one thing and start another - both will be researched in same time but you can start production earlier.

In my mind that is a different flaw of the system (although a minor one if research is not supposed to be a challenge in the game).
There really is no point in splitting scientists over more than one topic in the same base.

Production, however could use something like 2 workers producing ammo, so that the ammo wouldn't run short (though there are better solutions for that).

However, to make science more exciting, assigning more scientists to same project could produce diminishing returns.

research_points_per_turn = number_of_scientists / (some_constant + number_of_scientists)

Then it would be most effective to have balanced research, and only pool scientists at one topic when really desperate about completing this one research asap.

But the way research currently works, scientists might be assigned to the active project automatically like workers are assigned to the active production (when you hire more workers).