Revert Protolathe Changes

[Jzoid]

Whilst Kevin did come up with a nice idea for the new technology, ultimately, it flopped. (Though it's still in progress).
Science is now in a position where they are the most useless faction with little interactivity with others.
The moment they research cutters or bluespace satchels, miners don't supply any more ore, they don't need to; hell there can be rounds where miners won't even supply ore at all, and just keep it in their protolathe.

The whole RnD side of things was a lot more healthier when science had the only protolathe that could make everything. There was more interactivity, more roleplay, more importance.

[SpaceInaba]

department lathes are like aids, you've been fucked and now its never going away
oh also get good get omnilathes

[XDTM]

ultimately, it flopped. (Though it's still in progress).

There's your problem

[cedarbridge]

ultimately, it flopped. (Though it's still in progress).

There's your problem

This is going to probably be one of those "forever beta" things where every issue (even against its core concept) is deflected with "but its still in development."

[kevinz000]

TFW no one realizes how bad the nerf PRS were getting and the only thing that stopped some things from being removed completely is this.

[Jzoid]

TFW no one realizes how bad the nerf PRS were getting and the only thing that stopped some things from being removed completely is this.

Is there any chance of them being reverted? People who I talked to seem to agree this wasn't the way to go about "fixing" them and they'd much rather prefer the way it use to be.
I mean, the whole techweb (excluding the order things get researched) is great, bar this.

[SpaceInaba]

departmental lathes will be much less fucking agonizing once we get a resource distribution system set up considering nobody other than sec and sometimes engineering ever stocks them

[oranges]

if you were the kind of person who only played science for the items in the lathe as your end game.
You're explicitly the person we targeted with the techwebs changes.

[D&B]

The whole RnD side of things was a lot more healthier when science had the only protolathe that could make everything. There was more interactivity, more roleplay, more importance.

[Jzoid]

if you were the kind of person who only played science for the items in the lathe as your end game.
You're explicitly the person we targeted with the techwebs changes.

it's a good thing I'm not that type of person then right
don't group me in with a select group of people cause i have criticism for the new changes please and thank you

[iamgoofball]

[kevinz000]

Chill I'm working on the material delivering shit

[Selea]

Things could be much more healthier, if changes would be more gradual.To test every bit ofnew system alone.
Why old RND was better?
1.It was rewarding. Said enought.do some actions--get some toys.
2.It provided interdepartmental interaction.
Because other depts was able to speed up RnD progress. And they could be rewarded for their help with new tools.And help was needed and required from both sides.
And it was good example of interaction.because that interaction was important to both sides.
Example of bad interaction--chem and botany. Botany need to drain dispencer.And not very required for most of chemists.
3.It required knowlege of game. Yes, only knowlege of your favourite print'n'destroy sequence and shopping list items.
Still better, than waiting game.
4.There wasn't problem of resource distribution.
5.If you are antag, or just had some funky idea, you can much more easily break in RnD, than into brig for their printer to get grenade cases.
By the way, security tends to ignore their protolathe.So many designs aren't in use anymore.

How it could be fixed:
1.Add more funky tools to be printed.To keep it rewarding.
Also some designs should be shared actross all the depts.Like machine parts.
Remove dept lathes and autolathes.Fuse it into allmighty replicator which has server connection.Access for certain designs is restricted from server side for each machine.And could be adjusted with secured console.This system is better to be hackable with some effort. For example, if we will spoof design ,which was sent from one printer and send it to another one.
2-3.remove techpoints. Add science facts, which can be obtained with destructive analyser and science scanner.For example, you need to blow up bomb in range of science scanner to get "plasma explosion" fact.or deconstruct bluespace beakon to get "bluespace wave generation" fact.If you will discover some fact more, than once, it's processing will go faster.
Rnd server is processing data about facts.You can choose facts to process. When all needed facts will be calculated enought, related technode will be opened.
Still reminds old version, but with much more choices to optimize your powergame sequence and more complex. Timegate is still implemented this way.But it requires some more planning and thinking this way
Other depts could help you to collect observations and needed things.
Also it is motivation to explore space with pods: you can discover very needed relic for science.Or you can observe rare and dangerous anomaly to obtain data.
4.Mulebots and resource distribution console.
Another choice is disposals and auto dest tagging. If nobody uses actual delivery system with dest taggers, why not to implement special postports. where you can put something, select destination and flush it.possibly mix of both.
5.Hacking of replicators with design stealing could help to new traitor.