Improved research

[bk3000]

I was going to make a post for this, but I'll just necro this post instead given the related nature of it.

I feel that the current blueprint in shops-system is odd. It is a one-and-done thing so why are they selling me 3? Well what if you could use more than one? Then it makes sense. I see them in the shop as mostly annoying things I browse over each time to see if I'm missing something(I'm probably not). It doesn't have to be that way. How would you make more than one be useful?

Right now you have individual research for each weapon type, and separate research for different models. The model research is tiered at least, but the individual weapons are not. That could be changed. So say we unlocked the Industrial IV model, and now we want to craft a horse chopper... HOLD ON because it isn't that easy. We also must research the horse chopper at the Industrial IV level first. And before that, we gotta get through some lower tiers on the horse chopper before getting to that level. Can't learn to run before you learn to walk, and we must learn to crawl before that.

So what about those piles of blueprints you see in shops? Well you see that just made a lot of research, right? Besides making you think about specializing on certain weapons - the role of blueprints could change slightly - in combination with the already discussed idea of cannibalizing things we find/buy. No more right click-instant satisfaction. A blueprint can substitute for an item to cannibalize but you still need to look it over/study it. Having 1 is enough to make the basic (terrible) version. Getting past that would be like another leveling system. Higher levels need more research. A singe blueprint can't take your Horse Chopper from Industrial IV to Industrial V. You don't have to get there all at once though.

That is research cycles won't always unlock something, but instead move you closer to that point. There can be a slightly randomized factor to that, in addition to using higher quality artifacts gets you much further than low tier junk. Past a threshold, the low tier stuff might not get you anywhere at all. The blueprints always will advance you noticeably, but still won't instant-unlock anything except the very bottom tiers. And of course the blueprints would be a pricier way to do things, but more predictable and faster overall. They'd be the only way for things you haven't found yet.

Now you still will need your skilled smiths etc. That wouldn't change. Also the scrapping-type research should at least leave you some usable scrap to melt and reforge - or sell for almost nothing.