Cataclysm-dda: R&D

[FunnyMan3595]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

Many recipes are currently unavailable without a matching book, even though it would be feasible to experiment and figure out a way to make them, especially if a character has a vague idea of how that might work. Glassblowing, for instance, would be difficult (but not impossible) to figure out without a reference book, just by knowing that a process called "glassblowing" exists.

Describe the solution you'd like

Create a new R&D system, parallel to the existing crafting system, that allows the player to experiment and discover new recipes at the cost of materials and time. The end result of R&D would be a single prototype item, and would also unlock the standard recipe (if any). High-end recipes should be locked behind a mod (if available at all).

Describe alternatives you've considered

A simpler system that just lets you try an unknown recipe with a failure chance would also solve the basic problem, but seems less interesting and less open to expansion.

Additional context

n/a

[FunnyMan3595]

(I'm planning to implement this in the near future, once I've fleshed it out a bit)

[anothersimulacrum]

See also #27521

[Duck13Tales]

I think that a simple alternative would be turn most if not all recipes auto-learnable, but they would be auto-learned at a pretty higher level than what is needed through a book.

Maybe yours idea would be better implemented in using camps, as it would allow then you start some R&D of things that would be otherwise way harder to do alone.

[matt32106]

This would make a lot of sense for things like cooking for instance. Other domains may be harder or even dangerous to research (ie chemistry). You could have a pre-requisite that is a skill-related lab with a list of mandatory gear/components to research recipes < lvl X. Another harder to obtain and more complete lab would be required for higher level recipes. Maybe the lab I mention could give you the same benefit as a book?! This would be pretty generic and the source of more exploration need to build a proper R&D lab for a given type of recipes.

[FunnyMan3595]

My plan is to make it configurable on a per-recipe basis, so a recipe that should be more dangerous/time consuming/expensive can specify that.

[anothersimulacrum]

@nexusmrsep Did you mean to close this?

[nexusmrsep]

Nope. I didn't even registered that it happened. Sorry.

[UmbralReaper]

See also #12657.

[FunnyMan3595]

After thinking over this for a few days, the model I have in mind for how it works is a collection of three sub-features:

• Recipe Knowledge: By default, you have knowledge 0 of all recipes. Seeing the item it produces or a recipe using the item it produces gives you knowledge 1. Higher levels of knowledge can come from various sources, notably skill levels, reference books, and mastering other recipes. Recipes can have up to two thresholds for knowledge: the knowledge required to experiment on the recipe, and the knowledge required to master the recipe (replaces autolearn).
• Experimentation: If you have sufficient knowledge of a recipe, you can experiment on it. This acts as a second layer of the recipe in the JSON, and can require additional materials, tools, and time. It also has a (configurable) chance to fail in various ways: cause an explosion, release toxic gas, waste materials, take extra time, and so on.
• Prototypes: Successful experimentation gives you a prototype, an item that mostly resembles the item you were trying to make. Using the prototype will reveal how you did, but may come with its own (configurable) risks, ranging from harmless (the apple pie? tastes burnt) to exceedingly dangerous (lighting the fuse detonates your dynamite?). Reusable items may remain unchanged, lock in their prototype effects, break, or stabilize (cease being prototypes). Typically, a prototype that stabilizes will also give you enough knowledge to master the recipe, but this is also configurable.

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