Researchers

[Mono 9 / 1,655]

What exactly is the point of having researchers as a role in Breach? They seem like a waste of space, and provide way too much annoyance.

 

So here's the problem. Researchers primary goal is to escape the facility, but 90% of the time EVERY researcher takes a step backward, rushes to the armory, then goes back to kill Class Ds and SCPs. Whether this makes it unfair or not is subjective, but one thing can be sure. Researchers are pointless, they might as well be MTF Guards. But they're even better, because they have a 60 second head start.

 

The heart of the problem lies in the fact that their goal to escape poses no challenge at all. Grab a Level 3 Keycard, run through Heavy Containment to the Entrance Zone, get out when someone opens the gate. It's literally impossible to screw up, and obviously that makes escaping as a researcher very, very boring compared to other roles and goals.

 

For a quick comparison:

 

MTF Guard - Team up with your fellow guards to eliminate all Class Ds and SCPs, preventing them from escaping the facility.

Chaos Insurgency (Spy) - Use stealth to pick off MTF and Researchers when needed, and capture as many class Ds as possible (with slams at your side).

Class D - Team up with your fellow inmates, get a level 4 keycard somehow, and fight with what limited weapons and armor you have through the MTF blockade in order to escape the facility.

SCPs - Using your awesome paranormal powers, kill as many humans as you can, and escape the facility.

Nine Tailed Fox - Swoop in and clean up what the MTF failed to do. You might be just reinforcements, but sometimes you have several SCPs to face alone.

Chaos Insurgency (Fake NTF) - Quickly raid the facility and take out all the MTF you can, and ensure the capture of all remaining Class Ds.

Researcher - Grab a level 3 Keycard...get the entrance zone...have someone open the door...and escape. With a 60 second head start with invulnerability, you can't possibly fail this unless you're stupid.

 

So literally every other role has an interesting twist that provides a challenge, but Researchers don't have to do anything. So since that's boring, many take the fact that they are allowed to kill Class Ds, and then pretend they're MTF Guards for the rest of the game. It's extremely easy to mow down Class Ds since Researchers can pick up several weapons before the Class Ds even get near them (including a crowbar, everything in the pistol armory, the gun in the basement, etc).

 

This isn't in the suggestions section because I have no possible resolution for this, but it's something that bugs me so much.

 

Give the Researchers some love pls.

[annoying furry 6,351 / 64,547]

I could make it so that you cannot activate checkpoint doors until prep ends, this doesn't fix the problem but it gets rid of their head start.

[Mono 9 / 1,655]

Possibly, but they would still have the entire MTF on their side. A bit of slithering through the HCZ shouldn't be too difficult. There needs to be a more noticeable challenge for researchers to deal with other than "get to the other side".

[Cassie 1,235 / 23,142]

I have an idea. 

Researchers are supposed to be collecting info about the SCPs. So, whenever an SCP kills someone, they drop a folder or something. Researchers can then pick them up. If the researchers then escape, they get extra points. 

Or, as a challenge, researchers need at least 1 or 2 folders to escape. 

The folders could also disappear after a while, maybe 10-30 seconds. 

Edited July 19, 2017 by Duc2000

[Mono 9 / 1,655]

Extra points mean nothing to anyone. They all want kills, not fetch quests. 

[Mono 9 / 1,655]

I think I have a solution.

 

The problem is there is no incentive to escape in the first place. It feels like a chore (that Class Ds have to do, while Researchers seem to ignore).

1. Reward the player with a boosted chance to become an SCP the next round based on how fast they escape (this way people don't wait and escape at the last second after murdering Class Ds).

2. Add a rule preventing researchers from intentionally staying in the facility. Their goal is to escape, not kill things. Classify this as delaying the game. 

3. Prevent checkpoint doors from being opened during pre-round. This prevents Researchers from rushing through and adds an obstacle of SCPs lurking in the HCZ, which encourages cooperation between Class Ds and Researchers.

[Cassie 1,235 / 23,142]

I like 2 and 3, but not really rule 1. 

One problem that stops researchers from escaping is that the commander won't open the gate. I think the commander should spawn in the electrical room next to the RDC and have the text that explains what he needs to do tell him to turn it on and open the gate for the researchers. 

[annoying furry 6,351 / 64,547]

14 hours ago, Mono said:

I think I have a solution.

 

The problem is there is no incentive to escape in the first place. It feels like a chore (that Class Ds have to do, while Researchers seem to ignore).

1. Reward the player with a boosted chance to become an SCP the next round based on how fast they escape (this way people don't wait and escape at the last second after murdering Class Ds).

2. Add a rule preventing researchers from intentionally staying in the facility. Their goal is to escape, not kill things. Classify this as delaying the game. 

3. Prevent checkpoint doors from being opened during pre-round. This prevents Researchers from rushing through and adds an obstacle of SCPs lurking in the HCZ, which encourages cooperation between Class Ds and Researchers.

When i get home (in like a week), I'll do #3. Not going to do 1 or 2.

[CheesyFishBitz 28 / 2,042]

Ok so I enjoy these conversations to improve a game they are pretty entertaining. Anyways, I like that folder idea @Duc2000 came up with, Burbank instead of Class Ds dropping them maybe they spawn in a random SCP holding cell. It would be like the researchers left and forgot their folder(research), and the spawn room for the folders could be whichever one they were working on before the breach. Let me know what you guys think about this. Also, thanks @Mono for bringing this up. Although, as a researcher I don't like killing Class Ds but I don't like escaping either, it just isn't as fun as running into SCP's faces.

 

~Cheesy

[Cassie 1,235 / 23,142]

1 hour ago, CheesyFishBitz said:

Ok so I enjoy these conversations to improve a game they are pretty entertaining. Anyways, I like that folder idea @Duc2000 came up with, Burbank instead of Class Ds dropping them maybe they spawn in a random SCP holding cell. It would be like the researchers left and forgot their folder(research), and the spawn room for the folders could be whichever one they were working on before the breach. Let me know what you guys think about this. Also, thanks @Mono for bringing this up. Although, as a researcher I don't like killing Class Ds but I don't like escaping either, it just isn't as fun as running into SCP's faces.

 

~Cheesy

I like the idea of the researchers finding the documents, if they had to o that they wouldn't just hang around the entrance zone waiting to kill Class Ds. They would actually have to do stuff and face a dangerous challenge.

+1 to that suggestion.

[Cassie 1,235 / 23,142]

Why did it post twice? 

As a last suggestion, do nothing. Sometimes it's nice to have something that has no challenge. 

Edited July 26, 2017 by Duc2000