Research labs on ships

[Ranbir]

So in my love for this game and how it really does pull my imagination in, I like to put research labs on my exploration ships, to give the sense that they're always studying and investigating while they explore the cosmos, sending back what they've found to the research centres for in-depth research.

It is a shame, though, that the ship won't recieve the research bonuses from the phenomenona while they explore them!

[Siljanus]

Perhaps this could be added in a later patch or a mod?  I'd love to build large explorer ships with tech labs.  Make it so much of the space has to be devoted to research lab and power instead of weaponry in order to have it more in an explorer role.  The amt of research generated would be smaller, of course, than a full fledged starbase. 

[HsojVvad]

I thought I made a post here. Must have hit the wrong button. Well think of it this way. How are you going to be studing a star or planet while you are half way around the galaxy? The ship would have to be stationed there for months for research to happen. You want your ship to research, then have it stop and not move.

Just because the Enterprise D has research stations, you don't see it working. That would be a boring show if the Enterprise D stayed in the same place for months. Again you can't study something if you are not there to see it. Just make shure you put solar panels on your ship and tell it to stop. Then it will add research to your empire.

[autarkis1967]

Also remember that Research Labs don't work on moving ships so you are getting nothing by putting them on Explorers which are almost always on the move.

[Siljanus]

Well think of this class of ship as a cheap alternative to a full fledged starbase until you can afford to build one near an anomaly.  And what do I care as the Emperor if I'm ordering a crew to orbit an anomaly for a few months?  Not my problem...[;)]

[Ranbir]

ORIGINAL: autarkis1967

Also remember that Research Labs don't work on moving ships so you are getting nothing by putting them on Explorers which are almost always on the move.

The ships are contributing 9k to their module's respective field.

[RavenX]

Ohhh a Exploration class design. Maybe give it some beam weapons and torpedos. I know, I'll call it the U.S.S. Voyager!!! Oh wait a minute....

[HsojVvad]

ORIGINAL: RavenX

Ohhh a Exploration class design. Maybe give it some beam weapons and torpedos. I know, I'll call it the U.S.S. Voyager!!! Oh wait a minute....

It would be more like the USS Grissom in ST The Search for Spock.

Voyager is a military ship not research. [:D]

[forsaken1111]

ORIGINAL: Davor

ORIGINAL: RavenX

Ohhh a Exploration class design. Maybe give it some beam weapons and torpedos. I know, I'll call it the U.S.S. Voyager!!! Oh wait a minute....

It would be more like the USS Grissom in ST The Search for Spock.

Voyager is a military ship not research. [:D]

Indeed, Voyager was specifically designed to hunt down terrorists hiding in plasma storms.

[Ranbir]

I always thought Enterprise! Outfit a capital hull to by my Galaxy class, deep space exploration flagship!

[forsaken1111]

One thing I thought would be nice when I first started playing was if these ruins and abandoned ships took time to explore and refit. One does not find an abandoned destroyer, board it, hit the "on" button and fly away to glory!

It would be neat if we could send ships with labs onboard on 'expeditions' to study ruins or abandoned ships.

[RavenX]

ORIGINAL: Davor

ORIGINAL: RavenX

Ohhh a Exploration class design. Maybe give it some beam weapons and torpedos. I know, I'll call it the U.S.S. Voyager!!! Oh wait a minute....

It would be more like the USS Grissom in ST The Search for Spock.

Voyager is a military ship not research. [:D]

Ahh, not to argue my friend, but being a Star Trek nerd I can tell you that Voyager is a "Intrepid Class Science Vessel", not a war ship. "Next Gen" and "Voyager" are my all time favorite Trek series. Original Trek was ok but I enjoy modern special effects more and DS9 was ok but I couldn't really get into in up until the Domminion War started. Next Gen and Voyager though were pretty solid the whole way through.

[Fishman]

Why on EARTH would you seriously want to do such a thing, anyway? There does not seem to be ANY benefit to having a research lab that moves around as opposed to staying put, unless you're just really paranoid someone is going to attack them, yet not apparently paranoid enough to fill it up with missile launchers. It's definitely not economical: Ships can only be so big, and you'll be paying multiple times for infrastructure that contributes nothing to research. The resulting ship will be heavy and slow. You will either park it someplace and leave it there to do its thing, meaning you may as well just have made a base, or it will get destroyed when it is unable to outrun the hazards it encounters.

[Wade1000]

I agree with Fishman, as the game is currently. Though, research modules used on ships might be interesting as a MOBILE research station. This would help in case it ever had to be moved from danger. It would be best if the research ships could be installed with defense and speed also.

In real life, we have research vessels that often stay at one place on the water.

[BigWolfChris]

ORIGINAL: Wade1000

In real life, we have research vessels that often stay at one place on the water.

More of a game vs real life thing here
But, IRL, research vessels are used to study specific things, that can't be studied stationary or is too expensive/impractical to build some form of research facility

As it stands with game mechanics, there is zero value to not using a base, research is generalized
If you think an area is too dangerous to have a base, either secure it with a fleet, or just don't build there

Edit: And in thought of the OP, perhaps when you first discover somewhere that gives research bonus, you have a small chance of a one time bonus towards completing a random tech

[autarkis1967]

Directly from the manual:

Research
Laboratories
Research labs provide specialized facilities for
scientists and engineers to investigate new
technologies and design new components.
Research is spread across four categories: energy, hightech,
industrial, and weapons. Research can only occur
when a ship or base is stationary. Thus, research labs are
of limited use on star ships. Instead, they should usually
be built into space ports or dedicated research bases.


So while your ships may look like they contribute in the research screen unless they are stationary they are not doin gnaything.

[Wade1000]

Cool. Thanks.
So a positive of research labs on a ship would be:
-the ability to move them if danger approaches
-for fun.
 
The negatives of research labs on a ship would be:
-ship maintenance
-less protection if the ship is filled with research labs

[HsojVvad]

ORIGINAL: forsaken1111

One thing I thought would be nice when I first started playing was if these ruins and abandoned ships took time to explore and refit. One does not find an abandoned destroyer, board it, hit the "on" button and fly away to glory!

It would be neat if we could send ships with labs onboard on 'expeditions' to study ruins or abandoned ships.

That would have been good. Espically since this is a Real time game, and some space crafts take time to deploy or do what ever it does, researching ruins, and ships would be nice to take time instead of getting the "instant ON button".

[HsojVvad]

ORIGINAL: autarkis1967

Directly from the manual:

Research
Laboratories
Research labs provide specialized facilities for
scientists and engineers to investigate new
technologies and design new components.
Research is spread across four categories: energy, hightech,
industrial, and weapons. Research can only occur
when a ship or base is stationary. Thus, research labs are
of limited use on star ships. Instead, they should usually
be built into space ports or dedicated research bases.


So while your ships may look like they contribute in the research screen unless they are stationary they are not doin gnaything.

That is what I have been saying. How can your research ship be doing research if it's not at it's destination? How can you be studing the effects of a star or black hole if you are on the other side of the galaxy? Again, use some imgaination, you can make your research ship, just make shure you put solar panels on it so it dosn't use up any fuel when it's standing still not moving.

[HsojVvad]

ORIGINAL: RavenX

ORIGINAL: Davor

ORIGINAL: RavenX

Ohhh a Exploration class design. Maybe give it some beam weapons and torpedos. I know, I'll call it the U.S.S. Voyager!!! Oh wait a minute....

It would be more like the USS Grissom in ST The Search for Spock.

Voyager is a military ship not research. [:D]

Ahh, not to argue my friend, but being a Star Trek nerd I can tell you that Voyager is a "Intrepid Class Science Vessel", not a war ship. "Next Gen" and "Voyager" are my all time favorite Trek series. Original Trek was ok but I enjoy modern special effects more and DS9 was ok but I couldn't really get into in up until the Domminion War started. Next Gen and Voyager though were pretty solid the whole way through.

I use to be a Trekkie, but now I have forgotten alot of stuff. I swear the Intrepid Class is a military ship not a Scientific Vessel. Damn, now I have to check because it's bugging me LMFAO. [:D]

*edit* http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Intrepid_class

I looked at this link, yes though the Intrepid class has sensors and labs, it's not a science vessel, as is the Grissom Class that was seen in ST III. If we say the Intrepid class is a science vessel that would be like saying the Galaxy Class is a science vessel as well.

The Intrepid is to heavilly armoured and armed to be a sciene class vessel.