This may be stuck elsewhere, but while we're on the subject of R&D DCs, has it been decided and /or publicly confirmed whether points on datapads are going to be poolable to unlock the new entities on the tech tree (sometimes I might call them “leaves”), or whether the required number of points must be on a single datapad? Or for that matter, any other updates to the Draft Rules?
Sorry let me clarify:
You research on type at a time onto a single datapad, so you have datapad Weapon (‘dW’), datapad Metallurgy (‘dM’), datapad Electronics (‘dE’), datapad Engines (‘dG’) etc. if there’s some that I missed. A leaf on the tech tree requires X points of Weapon, Y points of Metallurgy, Z points of Electronics and Q points of Engines to unlock. Through research at various facilities I have several combinations of datapads. My question is whether or not several dWs can be combined to make up the total X points of Weapon R&D required for the leaf, or whether those X points must be on a single datapad that results from a single “research project”.
TL:DR Why does it matter? It’s all about how long it should take to unlock an item on your tech tree and whether it’s primarily a function of brute force (that can be utilized by anyone who can collect/buy/steal enough datapads of whatever Point value to pool points) or a function of drop chance (where the requisite points on a single datapad are much more unlikely to obtain the higher up the tree you go, and the Low-point value datapads are worthless once you get past a certain point in the tech tree). I believe R&D point generation onto datapads and the subsequent use to unlock leaves on the tech tree will be analogous to Creature Drops as opposed to XP-gaining. As for why I think R&D should turn out in a way that will make this pertinent, feel free to keep reading.
Draft Rule:
That seems to imply that each research action started by a player at a research entity is a “research project”, and therefore after any given research action some variable V points of R&D Weapons/whatever type are sunk onto the datapad. It finishes with saying that those V points are obliterated if that datapad is reused, which leads me to conclude that there is at least some intention to not have the points of the Same R&D Type poolable as between several datapads.
I can only conclude that “Schematic” in the draft rule is synonymous with datapad, since your tech tree leaf is non-transferrable with the datapad, only the points are, and therefore it would not be such that you assign a single to-be-unlocked-leaf of the tech tree to a single datapad that you then cart around to research points onto. That situation would be unfathomable because it would eliminate the worth of datapad theft or transferability. Unless it is the SIM’s intention to allow actual Ownership of unlocked DCs on the tech tree to be subject to theft/transfer between factions, and not just the “R&D Points” being subject to possession-based use.
From a system design point of view, I have to assume that climbing the Tech Tree is roughly analogous to Levelling up (where R&D points spent to unlock a leaf are analogous to XP gained to reach the next level). But since R&D points are meant to be theivable and transferrable, the system can’t be designed to Pool points into a single repository pending getting a new leaf. It is equally probable to me that a system would allow for several datapads of the same R&D Type to be used together to make up the point requirements, as it is for the system to allow only 1 datapad of each type. I would rather the latter format, however.
Firstly, Difficulty of obtaining higher-tech leafs. If faction A can build a system worth of R&D Entities and just round-the-clock pump out datapads with whatever level of points, and then just use all the datapads in conjunction to get up the tech tree, they’ll leap up the tech tree quickly. More power to them due to the massive undertaking that is. However, as they climb up the tech tree, the approach never changes. It’s always about Points piling, and their low-point-value results from research projects are not worth Selling or transferring to anyone else, because they can always be useable by the reasearching faction. Whereas in the latter format, faction A can still build a system worth of R&D entities to pump out datapads, but they now can only really use the datapads that have high enough point-values. This requires the re-use (as opposed to hoarding) of datapads, and encourages the reselling of lower-point value datapads (and thus the more likely opportunity for factions that have zero research capabilities of obtaining their own DCs through economic means or theft). The bigger factions with the most resources to bear will always have the Highest Probability of obtaining the higher-point-value datapads through the number of research projects they’ll run, but having it more a function of Drop Chance as opposed to brute force will allow any given faction with a single research facility a chance (albeit much smaller) to produce a High-Point value datapad and unlock a great DC.
I hope some of that made sense, as it’s rather rambly.
Sorry let me clarify:
You research on type at a time onto a single datapad, so you have datapad Weapon (‘dW’), datapad Metallurgy (‘dM’), datapad Electronics (‘dE’), datapad Engines (‘dG’) etc. if there’s some that I missed. A leaf on the tech tree requires X points of Weapon, Y points of Metallurgy, Z points of Electronics and Q points of Engines to unlock. Through research at various facilities I have several combinations of datapads. My question is whether or not several dWs can be combined to make up the total X points of Weapon R&D required for the leaf, or whether those X points must be on a single datapad that results from a single “research project”.
TL:DR Why does it matter? It’s all about how long it should take to unlock an item on your tech tree and whether it’s primarily a function of brute force (that can be utilized by anyone who can collect/buy/steal enough datapads of whatever Point value to pool points) or a function of drop chance (where the requisite points on a single datapad are much more unlikely to obtain the higher up the tree you go, and the Low-point value datapads are worthless once you get past a certain point in the tech tree). I believe R&D point generation onto datapads and the subsequent use to unlock leaves on the tech tree will be analogous to Creature Drops as opposed to XP-gaining. As for why I think R&D should turn out in a way that will make this pertinent, feel free to keep reading.
Draft Rule:
“1.3.3/ Finishing Research
Once research has been complete, any points awarded will be added to the stored Schematic. If the datapad is reused in a new research project, any previous research will be wiped from the card. ”
That seems to imply that each research action started by a player at a research entity is a “research project”, and therefore after any given research action some variable V points of R&D Weapons/whatever type are sunk onto the datapad. It finishes with saying that those V points are obliterated if that datapad is reused, which leads me to conclude that there is at least some intention to not have the points of the Same R&D Type poolable as between several datapads.
I can only conclude that “Schematic” in the draft rule is synonymous with datapad, since your tech tree leaf is non-transferrable with the datapad, only the points are, and therefore it would not be such that you assign a single to-be-unlocked-leaf of the tech tree to a single datapad that you then cart around to research points onto. That situation would be unfathomable because it would eliminate the worth of datapad theft or transferability. Unless it is the SIM’s intention to allow actual Ownership of unlocked DCs on the tech tree to be subject to theft/transfer between factions, and not just the “R&D Points” being subject to possession-based use.
From a system design point of view, I have to assume that climbing the Tech Tree is roughly analogous to Levelling up (where R&D points spent to unlock a leaf are analogous to XP gained to reach the next level). But since R&D points are meant to be theivable and transferrable, the system can’t be designed to Pool points into a single repository pending getting a new leaf. It is equally probable to me that a system would allow for several datapads of the same R&D Type to be used together to make up the point requirements, as it is for the system to allow only 1 datapad of each type. I would rather the latter format, however.
Firstly, Difficulty of obtaining higher-tech leafs. If faction A can build a system worth of R&D Entities and just round-the-clock pump out datapads with whatever level of points, and then just use all the datapads in conjunction to get up the tech tree, they’ll leap up the tech tree quickly. More power to them due to the massive undertaking that is. However, as they climb up the tech tree, the approach never changes. It’s always about Points piling, and their low-point-value results from research projects are not worth Selling or transferring to anyone else, because they can always be useable by the reasearching faction. Whereas in the latter format, faction A can still build a system worth of R&D entities to pump out datapads, but they now can only really use the datapads that have high enough point-values. This requires the re-use (as opposed to hoarding) of datapads, and encourages the reselling of lower-point value datapads (and thus the more likely opportunity for factions that have zero research capabilities of obtaining their own DCs through economic means or theft). The bigger factions with the most resources to bear will always have the Highest Probability of obtaining the higher-point-value datapads through the number of research projects they’ll run, but having it more a function of Drop Chance as opposed to brute force will allow any given faction with a single research facility a chance (albeit much smaller) to produce a High-Point value datapad and unlock a great DC.
I hope some of that made sense, as it’s rather rambly.