Revision as of 03:16, 6 July 2025 by imported>Rubyn(Rewritting lede, Point Generation, and R&D System sections for better reading and formatting. No links in headings.)
One second you might be excitedly stumbling onto a money printing artifact. The next moment that same artifact turns science department into a crater. This department is all about throwing caution to the wind all while you scream "In the name of science!!"
Science, also called Research and Development, R&D, or RnD, is a large department that revolves around the acquisition and use of research points to gain new technologies for the station. The department is composed of three subdepartments—Anomalous Research, Xenoarcheology, and Robotics—and it's staffed by the Research Director, scientists, and research assistants, with cyborgs being directly manufactured by the department.
Anomalous Research is a subdepartment of R&D focused around the containment and manipulation of various unique anomalies.
One of R&D's main ways to harvest research points, and the leading cause of headaches in captains of non-coordinated stations. These anomalies can be extremely dangerous to the station if left alone so be careful!
Xenoarcheology
Xenoarcheology is the other main methodology for producing research points.
This methodology for harvesting is simultaneously safer for the station and more dangerous for science personnel. This section of science involves a lot of trial and error to figure out to activate alien artifacts. These artifacts can be really mild or really dangerous depending on their depth.
Robotics
Robotics is the synthetic lifeblood of the station.
Robotics is a department that strives to create as many synthetic lives as they can to help the station and it's crew. Roboticists can make small and helpful bots, such as medibots. They may also focus on more expensive creations like cyborgs and mechs like the Ripley.
While they will ideally have Scientists under them to aid in research, they are expected to have at least a fundamental understanding of how to operate their department. The Research Director will be focusing on teaching any staff that needs assistance. The Research Director is also expected to lead the team through a path of research through the Research Tree. The Research Director might also have to pick up any role that is missing so that the department remains functional.
Scientist
Scientists follow guidance, direction, and tasks assigned by the Research Director.
Scientists are usually tasked with providing research points by researching artifacts or studying anomalies. Scientists may also be tasked with building and providing various high tech tools, weapons, equipment, and machines to the other various departments. It's important as a scientist to be kind to your colleagues, provide gifts for others, and throw caution to the wind in the name of science!!
Research Assistant
Research assistants follow guidance, direction, and tasks assigned by the Research Director and Scientists.
Research assistants are usually tasked with providing research points by researching artifacts or studying anomalies. Feel free to ask someone higher up if you get confused on what to do or how to do something. Study, learn, and watch your teacher blow up the science department while trying to teach you artifacts!
Cyborg
Brought to life by the power of research and technology sits the silicon life of the Cyborg.
The cyborg is bound by silicon laws that restrict how they can interact with others. With a default "crewsimov" set of laws the cyborg will be out to help the crew in any way they are asked to. Cyborgs typically will report to science to assist research and in turn gain the benefit of new chasis and modules that will aid their goals.
Researching technologies
Research points are used to unlock new technologies and can be can be acquired through a few different sources, the most profitable being Xenoarcheology, which is the process of analyzing and activating different randomly generated artifacts that can be found via events, salvage debris, and by ordering them from cargo. Most artifacts have more than one Stimulus-Reaction combination (known scientifically as Nodes), so make sure to scan and activate as many of them as you can before selling it to cargo, or keeping it around because its effects are cool enough to warrant keeping.
Another highly valuable source of research points is Anomalous Research. Most R&D departments come equipped with an Anomaly Generator, Anomalous Particle Emitters (A.P.E.), and Anomaly Vessels, which are used to spawn, interact with, and generate points from anomalies respectively. Anomalies can come in different forms, ranging from raging balls of pink-hot matter to electrically-discharging motes of light to radioactive gravity wells, so make sure to wear some protective gear while studying them.
Points can also be acquired through research disks, which can be found in maintenance, expeditions, or salvaged from space.
The user interface of the R&D Console
New technologies can be researched in the R&D Console by using previously generated points. When opening the console, it will display the department's current amount of research points, Main Discipline, and tiers for each discipline. On the right side of the console's window is a list of four different technologies, one for each discipline. This list is randomized each time the department researches a new technology, taking from the Researchable Technologies list on the left side. Technologies that have already been researched are listed in the Researchable technologies section.
The four disciplines into which technologies are categorized are Industrial, Arsenal, Experimental, and Civilian Services, with the first three being aimed towards the Engineering, Security, Science departments respectively, while Civilian Services mainly covers Service, with a handful of technologies aimed at Medical and Cargo.
Technologies are ranked into three tiers, with tier 1 being lower than tier 2 and this, in turn, being lower than tier 3. Generally, higher tier technologies unlock stronger and better equipment than lower tiers. To research higher tier technologies, the department must increase the tier of the respective discipline, done by researching the majority of technologies available in the prior tier. For example, researching the majority of tier 1 Industrial technologies will allow scientists to the research tier 2 Industrial technologies, but not tier 2 Arsenal, Experimental, or Civilian Services technologies.
Assuming they have enough points, the Science department can research all tier 1 and tier 2 technologies but, generally, they must choose a single discipline to increase to tier 3, as researching tier 3 technologies for one discipline will lock out tier 3 technologies for the other three disciplines. This tier 3 discipline becomes their Main Discipline. It is possible to reach tier 3 in multiple disciplines through gambling with the Technology Disk Terminal or if the Science department acquires multiple R&D servers, as the Main Discipline is only a per-server limit.
There is another method to research a technology, and that is using the Technology Disk Terminal. If there is no such console available within the station, it can be created after researching the Tier 1 Experimental Technology, "Alternative Research".
By spending 1000 research points, a technology disk would be dispensed, containing the recipe of a single random item (of any tier) for the lathes to fabricate. The random item ranges from a HAMTR Harness within the "Critter Mechs" technology, a redundant item you've already researched, to the highly-sought-after (and expensive) satchel of holding.
When used early into the round, it may reward the research department with end-tier items immediately at the cost of the primary research progress. This is essentially gambling with research points, so ensure that your department agrees with this plan. When used late into the round, it may grant the research department recipes of technologies that have been locked out of the direct research method of unlocking the technology.
The Protolathe is a machine capable of printing most of what you've researched. It can make things such from large beakers to microreactor batteries. Protolathes are mainly found at science but can (sometimes) be found in engineering or on salvage expeditions.
The Exosuit Fabricator is a machine that is capable of crafting a large variety of Cyborg and Mech parts. The Exosuit Fabricator is a material hungry machine and can use gold bar, silver bar, steel, plastic, glass, and plasma. The Exosuit Fabricator is a vital part of Cyborg creation and many of the advanced pieces are stuck behind research.
Set deep within the security department sits the Security Techfab. The Security Techfab can use steel, plastic, glass, silver bar, gold bar, uranium, and plasma. Providing the Security Techfab with materials will allow you to produces, ammo, grenades, guns, and laser weapons. Given some research this machine can turn your armory into an arsenal of the most dangerous weapons you can get a hold of.
Anchored into the back of medical sits the Medical Techfab. The Medical Techfab can use steel, plastic, glass, cloth, plasma, and silver bar. A small amount of highly valuable items are acquired through the Medical Techfab through research.
Hyper convection machine are a highly valuable upgrade that is obtained from the Industrial Engineering research node. Hyper convection machines will craft items at a 50% discount from the original cost. The trade-off when it comes to these powerful machines is that they produce an immense amount of heat. The heat that is produced from these machines can quickly become lethal if sufficient preparations are not made. One of the ways to make a safe enclosure for hyper convection machines is:
Un-wrench the machines and move the Protolathe, Autolathe, and Circuit Imprinter to the back wall. If there is a R&D Computer, move it out of the way.
Build a 2x3 box of directional reinforced window. At the middle-right side of the box create a windoor.
Create an air alarm and a air sensor. Place the air sensor within the box at the center right, and the air alarm nearby for convenience.
Create one (required) or two (optional) space heater at the top-right and bottom-right of the box.4a. Set the space heaters to have High energy consumption and make sure that they are On.
Either hack the air alarm or ask an engineer to help you with networking. To hack the air alarm we must first use a screwdriver on it to open the panel. When the panel is open use a wirecutter tool on the air alarm itself. The lights above refer to the wires below. The wire that we are looking to cut is the ACC wire. The ACC wire is what controls who is authorized to network and control the Air Alarm.5a. Cut the wires from left to right (by clicking on them with a wirecutter in hand) until you get the ACC light to turn off. You may get unlucky like I did and hit a power wire before the ACC wire, you will get shocked because of this. Skip the power wire and continue until you reach the ACC wire. Once you have found the ACC wire repair all other wires (by clicking on them with a wirecutter in hand) and leave the ACC wire cut. Close the panel on the air alarm with the screwdriver.
Use a multitool or a network configurator and click on the air sensor first, followed by the air alarm.6a. Click Add on the air alarm GUI and then close the GUI.
In a similar process, use a multitool or a network configurator and click on the windoor first, followed by the air alarm. 7a. Click the Danger button and then click Close. Click on the Warning button and click Close. Finally, click the Normal button and then click Open. Then click the Done button.
Create the CircuitImprinterHyperConvectionMachineCircuitboard at the Circuit Imprinter. Create or gather 1 matter bin and 1 igniter. Use a screwdriver to open the panel on the Circuit Imprinter.8a. Use a crowbar to deconstruct the imprinter into a machine frame.8b. Use a crowbar again to remove the parts from the machine frame.8c. Remove the Circuit Imprinter machine board from the stack of items. Click on the machine frame while holding the hyper convection Circuit Imprinter machine board. Shift click the machine frame and fill it with the rest of the materials that it requires. (You should have all the materials if the previous steps were followed).8d. Screwdriver the machine frame to finish the construction. (If this does not work you are missing materials).
Repeat step 8 through 8d with the Protolathe and Autolathe machines.
Congratulations! You have built a hyper convection machines and a safe setup! Good work fellow scientist!
Troubleshooting
"I can't get any points/I can't print anything"
The likely cause is that the Lathe/Imprinter/Computer isn't synced up with the RD server.
To fix this in the Lathe/Imprinter/Computer click Server list, click on ID x || RDSERVER and then exit the window.
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