Science lab not making science as expected

[DennyC]

My science lab doesn't convert data when it should be. Looking at it now, it has 688.7 data, and 447.6 science. Two scientists are aboard. It lists a science production rate of 9.29 per day, but the "science" quantity does not update even when it has power and the "Research" status says "researching". But as soon as I do a bit of time acceleration to x5, the science begins to increase.  

Why does science production yes/no depend on time acceleration?

It also seems that science is not produced unless the focus is on the lab. However, there must be some unknown condition that works, because I have somehow accumulated 447.6 science, even though it is not now increasing. 

What conditions are necessary to get the lab to work even when I am off doing other things with my other missions?

 

[dangerhamster]

It doesn't depend on time acceleration as such, its just that unless you sit staring at the screen for ages you wont see the numbers changing. It will keep going in the background until the science is full, once it reaches the limit (500?) the lab will stop producing until it transmits back home. If you let the lab fill right up make sure you have a good antenna and plenty of EC available.

[Lelitu]

6 hr day is 21600 seconds

9.29 science every 21600 seconds is 0.0004 science per second.
that means it takes 2500 seconds, or nearly 42 minutes, to get 1 science. the number just goes up *really* slowly, so you can see it under timewarp, but not by sitting and staring.

[Foxster]

The idea behind how science from a lab works now is that it is something you set up and then have a small drip-feed of science from over time. It is not designed to max out the tech tree in a couple of minutes, as that would make further exploration pointless, the lab would be way over-powered. 

[Blaarkies]

43 minutes ago, Foxster said:

the lab would be way over-powered. 

The lab is way OP. Just timewarp a bit and suddenly the tree is done. The science growing feature should be disabled on hard difficulty

[Foxster]

Just now, Blaarkies said:

The lab is way OP. Just timewarp a bit and suddenly the tree is done. The science growing feature should be disabled on hard difficulty

True - but only if you do use warp, which is a tad pointless as you are just "cheating" yourself. 

[Blaarkies]

1 hour ago, Foxster said:

True - but only if you do use warp, which is a tad pointless as you are just "cheating" yourself. 

So is stacking contracts into a single launch(one satellite goes into multiple orbits, get money from different companies who think they own their own separate sat)
So is doing the "Mun 4 Rally" contracts, multiple of these rally contracts at a time to score big money
So is rescuing contract kerbals from orbit, so that you never have to pay the hiring cost at KSC
So is the "funds -> science" strategy with which one can easily max out the tech tree

...you see where this is going? Yes, we players can fix a broken game mechanic by role-playing through it. At the end of the day it is still broken, but I can and do choose to never click the "transmit science" on the MPL, but to say it is not over-powered is just denying the obvious.

[Foxster]

To take your point further: You can just hit alt-F12 and give yourself a load of science. Is there any more point to doing that?

If there is an OP way of doing something, there is no point to doing it in a single-player game unless that just happens to be a personal choice, otherwise just don't do it. Obviously an argument for something being OP in an MMO is different. 

[Blaarkies]

1 hour ago, Foxster said:

To take your point further: You can just hit alt-F12 and give yourself a load of science. Is there any more point to doing that?

If there is an OP way of doing something, there is no point to doing it in a single-player game unless that just happens to be a personal choice, otherwise just don't do it. Obviously an argument for something being OP in an MMO is different. 

True, there is really no "cheating" line to draw in KSP...because then 90% of mods should be considered cheats just because they give something that stock doesn't. It's funny how this thread started with MPL not making enough sci, and now i am saying how OP it is.

...we'd better stop, before that career overhaul guy shows up here 

[Spricigo]

 

The MPL its both:

-Overpowered, because it may quickly and easily  produce enough science to complete the tech tree and then keep producing science that can be 'sold' with strategies.

-Underpowered, because game resources are so easy to obtain without even bothering to setup research stations.

 

But the real 'issue' here its not MPL, its TimeWarpToWin (TWTW). There is recurring cost, in funds or otherwise, one need to worry when timewarping, no salaries, no equipment wearing, no orbit decaying, the agencies don't stop to offer contracts, kerbals don't retire on old age . Personally I don’t think anything of this is necessary but its something can be done with mods or just roleplaying.

[DennyC]

On March 22, 2017 at 0:12 PM, Lelitu said:

6 hr day is 21600 seconds

9.29 science every 21600 seconds is 0.0004 science per second.
that means it takes 2500 seconds, or nearly 42 minutes, to get 1 science. the number just goes up *really* slowly, so you can see it under timewarp, but not by sitting and staring.

Time warp does indeed seem to turn it On and Off. 

The science lab has been processing for the duration of several missions and many weeks. I assume that the total it has accumulated has been during periods of time warp when I'm not looking. 

Moving the focus to the Science Lab, I see that the accumulated science is reported out to the third decimal place, With one notch of time warp, X5, I can easily see that the science total advances by 0.020 in one minute of MET. With time warp Off (X1), the science advances not at all in one minute of MET. 

I would think that a minute of MET would have the same effect on the game no matter if time warp is X1 or X5. But, it doesn't seem to work this way.

[Lelitu]

14 minutes ago, DennyC said:

Time warp does indeed seem to turn it On and Off. 

The science lab has been processing for the duration of several missions and many weeks. I assume that the total it has accumulated has been during periods of time warp when I'm not looking. 

Moving the focus to the Science Lab, I see that the accumulated science is reported out to the third decimal place, With one notch of time warp, X5, I can easily see that the science total advances by 0.020 in one minute of MET. With time warp Off (X1), the science advances not at all in one minute of MET. 

I would think that a minute of MET would have the same effect on the game no matter if time warp is X1 or X5. But, it doesn't seem to work this way.

Do you have any mods installed, and what version of KSP are you running?

Neither value adds up correctly, as at 0.0004/s you should get 0.025 per minute. 

I've got a lab in minmus orbit producing 11.87 science/day. by my math that makes 0.00054 science/second. When in command with no timewarp I see the third place tick up by 1 every two seconds, which is about what you'd expect for that rate. Which suggests it's one of: KSP version (I'm on 1.2.2), your mods(if any), my mods(*lots*), or some weird diminishing rate behaviour (my lab has only 100 science,and 720 data).

Edited March 24, 2017 by Lelitu

[bewing]

21 minutes ago, DennyC said:

Moving the focus to the Science Lab, I see that the accumulated science is reported out to the third decimal place, With one notch of time warp, X5, I can easily see that the science total advances by 0.020 in one minute of MET. With time warp Off (X1), the science advances not at all in one minute of MET. 

I would think that a minute of MET would have the same effect on the game no matter if time warp is X1 or X5. But, it doesn't seem to work this way.

It should work that way. As Lelitu said, this sounds like a bug introduced by a mod.

 

Edited March 24, 2017 by bewing