Random lab musings

[technicalfool]

So right now there's a lab. It's big, it's heavy, and it lets you reset the consumable instruments. It gives a bit of a reduction in transmission penalty, and a fair few people have been complaining that it's a bit underwhelming.

So, how about make a few extra components that require a lab in the vehicle to work, and help to make the lab into something better (and bigger)?

For one: a limit on the mount of goo storage in a lab for resetting experiments with. A debuff? Well yes, but hear me out.

For two: Goo containment vessels. Repurposed fuel tanks basically. Dock a full one at your empty lab, transfer goo, discard. Or just build the rocket with a whacking great goo tank on it.

For three: Advanced analysis facility. Double the size as a lab. Requires a lab docked or part of the construction. Large power requirement. Reduces remaining transmission penalty by half, requires 8 (or some large number) kerbals.

For four: Advanced computer core. An inline unit probably the size of a Rockomax ASAS. Expensive but light. Removes the other half of the transmission penalty for a 100% transmission rate on all stored experiments if the station has a lab and advanced analysis facility, otherwise has a small boost value to the lab's normal output.

If we combine this with some of the over-time data gathering ideas some people are suggesting (including me *coff*), you could include adding things like extra experiment space to store it in, in the same way as adding extra lander cans. Have it take time to process the results in a lab (longer if you have an advanced lab, shorter if there's a computer core involved).

One end result could be that you could have a KSC on another planet, and be able to click the "recover" button on any stuff on that planet (and perhaps build and refuel rockets out of the recovered parts?), but you need to get a KSC there out of parts, first. Including a VAB and tracking station. Now I wonder how that could be done in rocket-sized parts?

Edited December 25, 2013 by technicalfool