Scientist

RESEARCH

Scientist

Сложность: Easy Глава: Chief Science Officer Альтернативные должности: Anomalist, Researcher, Xenoarchaeologist, Xenobiologist, Xenobotanist Обязанности: Research Phoron, aliens or technology. Go hunting for artifacts. Play with unpredictable anomalies. Рекомендуемые руководства: Guide to Research and Development, Guide to Xenoarchaeology, Guide to Xenobiology, Guide to Xenobotany, Guide to Anomalies

The Scientist is one of the most freeform and wide-ranging jobs aboard the SEV Torch. Being a Scientist on the Torch means you can make and research loads of unique tools and gadgets, construct highly explosive or highly useful bombs, fly away to both mundane and strange places outside the ship on the Charon or the Guppy for mining or archaeological purposes, and even interact with the occasional alien life.

Scientists answer to the Senior Researcher and Chief Science Officer under most circumstances.

The Role

"Scientist" is, in reality, a term that covers a wide variety of extremely different sub-jobs, as one might have guessed from the extensive list of alternate job titles. Each of these is extremely different from the others and deals with an entirely separate field of Research with its own mechanics, dangers, and rewards.

In general, though, every form of Scientist is concerned with conducting some sort of experiment. Nominally, the intent is to produce new forms of technology or other information which can be made profitable to the EXO. In practice, many Scientists do this sort of work for their own reasons – more often than not, just to see what they can actually accomplish. So long as the laboratories remain intact and the work is sufficiently well-documented to allow replication later, the Chief Science Officer tends to allow this, as such experimentation usually produces something useful sooner or later. As such, what particular experiment a given Scientist is working on is largely up to the player, although the Chief Science Officer (and, to a lesser extent, Senior Researcher) may have special projects that they assign their staff to.

Generally speaking, though, what field a given Scientist is best at and/or most interested in tends to be determined by their selected job title. Generic Scientists are assumed to be generalists unless they state otherwise.

Anomalists work with alien artifacts, determining their effects, mechanisms of operation, and how best they might be turned into useful tools for the research division to develop further. Researchers work within Research and Development, analyzing existing tools in order to create new ones for production aboard the Torch. Xenoarchaeologists accompany the away team on excavation trips, seeking to recover interesting samples for further study. Xenobiologists work with alien life forms, feeding, breeding and training them to produce interesting new variants with exciting and unforeseen properties. Xenobotanists work with plants, which they mutate in a variety of strange ways to produce new breeds with uncanny effects.

The Laboratories

The Research department houses a variety of different laboratories to encourage the budding mad scientist to explore their insanity as far as they can, all in the pursuit of profit.

Research Development Laboratory

Main Article: Guide to Research and Development

This lab allows for the creation and subsequent construction of powerful new technologies, such as improved laser weaponry, better surgical implements, and personal bluespace containers. It houses the Research console, the Protolathe, Autolathe, Circuit Printer, Integrated Circuit Printer, and the Destructive Analyzer. Generally speaking, as a Scientist, you should always make sure somebody is working on this, or at least brings the tech up to basic levels at the beginning of every round, as it allows for greatly improved production of important components and materials across the ship. Your research efforts will cap at a certain point on the ship without outside intervention (generally, it's impossible to get any category past level 7 without away missions or special items). Coordinate with the Xenoarchaeologists, the Prospectors, or occasionally the Deck Chief to get the minerals you need to keep production flowing.

Xenoarchaeology and Anomalies

Main Articles: Guide to Xenoarchaeology, Guide to Anomalies

Xenoarcheology and Anomalies have only a small, exceedingly basic laboratory within the Research department itself. The majority of their facilities are stored on the Petrov.

The Petrov is the small research vessel located at the very aft of the ship on Deck Four, and can be accessed via the door between the coin processing machine and the smelter in the Hangar Bay. It is functionally an entire mini-Research department all to itself, with the added capability to detach from the Torch and study potentially dangerous artifacts well away from the rest of the crew (though do make sure to let people know when you undock, lest you be left behind or someone accidentally space themselves trying to access the place where the Petrov once was). Inside are all the facilities needed to study alien artifacts and archaeological samples in peace and (relative) safety.

Xenobiology

Main Article: Guide to Xenobiology

This laboratory specializes in the study of alien lifeforms (which usually means slimes), and can be found in the back of the Research department, behind a heavy set of containment doors. Inside are multiple holding cells for the containment of specimens, a supply of monkey cubes to act as food for captive aliens, and an operating table with supplies for dissecting any subjects which are of more interest dead than alive.

Xenobotany

Main Article: Guide to Xenobotany

With a wide selection of self-contained hydroponics trays and access to powerful mutagenic chemicals, the Xenobotany laboratory contains everything that the aspiring mad scientist needs to breed their own strain of superfood. The resulting produce can be much more wide-ranging and have many more strange, powerful effects than most people would think, too.

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