Proposed changes to anomalous research (#437)

A collection of proposed changes on how research is conducted on station
anomalies.

Author: chromiumboy

src/SUMMARY.md

@@ -268,6 +268,7 @@ Space Station 14
 		- [Proposals]()
 			- [XenoArch Redux (3MOArch)](en/space-station-14/departments/science/proposals/xenoarch-redux.md)
 			- [Xenobio](en/space-station-14/departments/science/proposals/xenobio.md)
+   			- [Anomalous Research](en/space-station-14/departments/science/proposals/anomalous-research-update.md)	
 
 	- [Security](en/space-station-14/departments/security.md)
 		- [PR Guidelines]()

src/en/space-station-14/departments/science/proposals/anomalous-research-update.md

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+# Proposed changes to anomalous research 
+ 
+| Designers     | Implemented | GitHub Links |
+|---------------|-------------|--------------|
+| chromiumboy   | :x: No      | TBD          |
+ 
+## Problem statement
+Currently, the study of station anomalies is somewhat lacklustre. Generally, anomalous research proceeds as follows:
+-	The science team generates an anomaly with the anomaly generator located in science and then sets out to locate it.
+-	If the anomaly is not found within a short period (due to a low player count, or the anomaly spawning in a locked room), it will likely cause substantial damage to the station and/or crew, either by going critical or via its pulse effects.
+-	When the anomaly is located, but it is not in a place that is deemed appropriate, or if it has an undesirable pulse effect, it is generally removed.
+-	Once an appropriate anomaly has been found and stabilized so that research on it can commence, it is then generally left to its own devices by the science team until it begins losing stability. Unless the pulse effect is easily countered (e.g., spacing a room to prevent the heat effect of a fire anomaly), the anomaly will continue to damage the station when it pulses, much to the annoyance of station engineers.
+
+To summarize the frustrations of this gameplay loop, in the initial stages of anomalous research, the science team is sent on what is essentially a wild goose chase in order to find the anomaly in a timely manner. They will likely need to repeat the search until they achieve what is considered an ‘acceptable’ combination of anomaly type and station location. Even then, conducting/maintaining any anomalous research poses a significant ongoing risk to the crew, with little to benefit them.
+ 
+## Proposed changes
+To alleviate the problems listed above, the following changes to the anomalous research gameplay loop are proposed:
+-	The science team surveys the station using hand portable tools (i.e., repurposed anomaly detectors) to gather data on potential anomaly sites (i.e., space-time rifts. These rifts are invisible to most players, with some notable exceptions, such as the heretic).
+-	After surveying the station, the science team returns to their department, downloads their survey data into the anomaly computer (i.e., the former anomaly generator), and consults it to see a map of the station with the rifts that their scanners detected during the survey.
+-	The density, distribution, and number of rifts on the station at any given point in time are up for debate and would certainly have to be fine-tuned via extensive testing. The density and quality of rifts should generally be higher in the more populated areas of the station. Certain station events could potentially increase or decrease the number of rifts currently active.
+-	Rifts have different types and levels of quality - the anomaly they can generate depends on the rift type (e.g., a heat, ice, or electric anomaly could spawn from a rift with a 'forces' signature, while a flesh or floral anomaly could spawn from a rift with a 'biological' signature). Higher-quality rifts will generate anomalies with stronger pulse effects but will generate more research points. 
+-	The science team determines which rift they would like to activate, then heads to its approximate location with a 'space-time rift stimulation device' in tow.
+-	Once at the rift site, the science team then stimulates the rift until it generates an anomaly on an open tile somewhere nearby. The rift then closes.
+-	A key point in reducing the risk of ongoing anomalous research to the station and the crew is to add additional interactions between the environment and anomalies. In this way, anomalies can be 'safely' contained, allowing for greater flexibility in where they are permitted to exist on the station.
+-	For example, the electrical arcs generated by an electrical anomaly can be contained by surrounding it with grounding rods; fireballs and icicles emitted by fire and ice anomalies can be degraded or destroyed if the atmosphere is sufficiently cold or hot; monsters spawned from flesh anomalies can be killed by sentry turrets or by exposure to poisonous gases; etc. Higher-quality anomalies will generally need more infrastructure to contain.
+-	Of course, any infrastructure constructed to contain an anomaly could potentially be sabotaged by antagonists...
+-	Anomalies that are generating research points will gradually lose health over time, eventually collapsing and dying. After an anomaly being researched collapses, the science team will have to find and select a new rift to activate. One possibility is to have inactive rifts disappear over time and new ones appear, so the science team will have to periodically resurvey the station.
+
+## Other considerations
+-	A future possibility to explore is to have contained anomalies be useful for creating certain devices/materials or provide other benefits to the station. Liquid anomalies, for example, already generate rare and useful solutions. Electrical anomalies could be used to generate power for the station; flesh anomalies could provide medical and biological reagents; etc. These benefits would increase the likelihood that players voluntarily generate the more dangerous types of anomaly.
+-	Anomalous infections will also need to be reworked to account for the changes proposed here. One possibility is to have a risk of infection occurring when a player is in prolonged contact with rifts that have been marked as 'infectious' (knowingly or not). Infectious rifts would be visibly marked as such on the anomaly computer. It would be a responsibility of the science team to periodically collapse such rifts, if they don't intend to use them for research purposes, to reduce the risk of a crew member being infected. This would provide scientists with additional work to do outside of the science department, and would also give scientists a role in actively protecting the station's crew from harm. Further discussion on the matter is warranted.
+ 
+## Benefits of the proposed changes
+The proposed changes reduce the more negative aspect of anomaly randomization while still offering players meaningful choices. These benefits include:
+-	The fact that rifts exist before they become anomalies and do no harm until activated (i.e., the science team does not need to race against a 'doomsday clock' in the initial stages of the gameplay loop).
+-	The science team has increased agency in where they want to generate an anomaly. Though players can also effectively select which type of anomaly they generate, this should be a secondary consideration for players since all anomaly types can now be 'safely' contained with appropriate infrastructure in place.
+-	The station event that spawns an anomaly can be repurposed to turn an existing rift into an anomaly. If a thorough survey was recently conducted, the science team can narrow down the potential sites it may have spawned at.
+-	Having the science department interested in space-time rifts can allow this gameplay loop to intersect with that of heretics.