Advanced R&D (or 'oh please oh please let already be it')

[WhiteThane]

Research and development is underway in KSP and I from what i can ascertain, it seems to be a tech tree affair. Woo! R&D!! But tech tree? Boo!

Joking aside i love to see the march of progress in this games development and i understand its limitations, but as a humble suggestion: R&D should create randomly (or at least pseudo-random) engines and parts, with different tolerances and power. Higher efficiency engines and solar panels, super strong supports, and ultra light tanks and struts should be acquired through refinement and DEVELOPMENT. This should be inversely true. Instead of Mainsail and Poodle engines you'd have a Poodle or Mainsail class engine. Your first iteration of the mainsail (we'll call it the mk1) would be a gas guzzler, or have lower thrust, or both. It could be unreliable. The kinks would be work out through further R&D. Your first XL Solar Array might suck a bit. Your first craft might suck a bit, in random ways. Stats such as Power Production, Power Consumption, Fuel Efficiency, Impact Tolerance, Mass, Capacity, Thrust, ect. could be affected by R&D, gradually improving and effecting other stats until an acceptable balance is reached. Say "I want I an interplanetary craft, I need high efficiency, but thrust isn't as important." So you research for good efficiency as a goal. Or the opposite could be true.

Im not saying game breaking stuff here, all of these improvements would be balanced by logic, and things like ultra light, high capacity tanks and fast, fuel efficient engines would take work, dedication and time. But again, these terms are relevant and not intended to be game breaking.

TL;DR - No tech trees, real work and custom research goals

[1D-1()T]

This sounds like a tech tree, albeit a very detailed one. Other than that, this sounds like a great way for R&D to work.

[leax256]

someone already suggested this, maybe you are that person, either way sounds nice.

[Fox62]

Yeah, I want this. That way you actually have to earn your fun, as opposed to just spamming research points down a certain line until you get the part you want, you actually have to wait until you boffins design the first version of something and then you have to spend some form of research point to unlock it.